Richard Grayson to Step Down as Supreme Leader of Arizona Americans Elect Party, Will Assume Title of "Artistic Director"

Mesa, Ariz., Apr. 1 -- 

At the secret headquarters of the ballot-qualified Arizona Americans Elect Party today in Mesa, Richard Grayson announced his retirement as Supreme Leader of the Party.  Grayson, 61, of Apache Junction, and the party's candidate in 2012 for the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's Fourth Congressional District, will assume the new title of Artistic Director of the Americans Elect Party.

"Since our party's inception a year ago, the Arizona Americans Elect Party has been the fastest-growing of the state's five ballot-qualified parties, and we nudged the longstanding Green Party out of fourth place in 2012 in the votes received for candidates for Congress," Grayson said in a statement.  "I am proud that those accomplishments took place while I was the party's Supreme Leader, but it is time to step down."

The Arizona Americans Elect Party announced that Grayson would assume the new title of Artistic Director while remaining as Acting Supreme Leader until a new Supreme Leader is selected.

"By party tradition," Grayson said, "the new Supreme Leader has to defeat the old Supreme Leader in combat of his or her choice.  I am looking forward to a mixed martial arts contest with anyone who wishes to wrest total control of the party away from me."

Grayson said that as Acting Supreme Leader and Artistic Director, he would spend the next few months working out and recruiting candidates to run on the Arizona Americans Elect Party banner for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Education Commissioner, Corporation Commissioner, and for all the seats in the Arizona State Legislature and U.S. House Congressional delegation that are up in 2014.

"The Arizona Americans Elect Party will be stronger than ever in the next state election," Grayson told voters, "and I expect to be stronger, too."  

He urged anyone any Arizona party members who want to be a 2014 Americans Elect candidate to prepare to run for office and any of them who want to be the party's new permanent Supreme Leader to prepare to be rendered unconscious in a fair but brutal fight.