David Redkey, the Green Party candidate on the November ballot for Arizona's 3rd Congressional District, was booked into jail Saturday after being accused of sending threatening, gun-related messages to a judge and an attorney. He now faces one count of computer tampering and multiple counts of threatening or intimidating, with a court hearing scheduled for Thursday.
According to court records cited by Arizona's Family, Redkey was booked into jail on September 19, and a judge set bond at $150,000. Prosecutors said Redkey sent the threatening messages targeting a judge and an attorney, and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has asked that his arresting documents be sealed to protect the victims' information.
Under Arizona law, the computer tampering charge Redkey faces can rise to a Class 5 felony when a computer network is used recklessly to torment, threaten, or terrorize someone and cause substantial emotional distress, according to FindLaw. Bond amounts like the $150,000 set in Redkey's case are determined by Maricopa County judges weighing factors such as alleged danger to the community, the nature of the offense, and victim safety, under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3967 as outlined by the Arizona State Legislature.
A Campaign Already Estranged From Its Own Party
Redkey's arrest lands atop a campaign that was already unusual well before the criminal charges surfaced. He officially advanced from the July 21 Green Party primary, securing a spot on the November 3 general election ballot alongside Democratic incumbent Yassamin Ansari, No Labels candidate Alan Aversa, and Republican Jacob Parkman, according to Ballotpedia. Yet the Arizona Green Party has publicly disavowed and actively opposed his candidacy.
Arizona's Family additionally reports that Redkey has been banned from both the Arizona Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of Phoenix. Federal Election Commission filings list his committee, Friends of David Redkey, according to the FEC.
District Hopping Amid Ballot Challenges
Redkey also ran for Arizona's 1st Congressional District but did not appear on the Green Party primary ballot, according to the Arizona Capitol Times. Signature challenges targeted third-party candidates statewide earlier in 2026. Those challenges were part of a broader wave in which Democratic-tied law firms filed signature challenges against minor-party candidates across Arizona last spring.
On the campaign trail, Redkey pitched a platform he called “Foundational Economics.” His campaign describes him as a certified teacher and an advocate against conservatorship and guardianship fraud. Redkey earned a bachelor's degree in 2016 and a master's degree in secondary education in 2019 from Arizona State University, plus a graduate certificate from Northern Arizona University in 2023, and attended Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, per Ballotpedia.
A Race He Was Already Struggling To Get Noticed In
Redkey took part in a remote debate with No Labels candidate Alan Aversa on August 25, according to Arizona's Family's reporting, though incumbent Yassamin Ansari did not respond to an invitation to debate. Ansari, who represents Arizona's 3rd Congressional District, took office in January 2025 after succeeding Ruben Gallego and is recognized as the youngest female member of Congress, according to Wikipedia.
Arizona's Family said it reached out to Redkey's campaign for a statement on his arrest. It remains unclear how the pending criminal case, or Thursday's scheduled hearing, might affect Redkey's standing on the November ballot ahead of Election Day.
