Arizona Republic reports:

The Arizona Republican Party has asked its followers if they are willing to die for the cause of overturning the presidential election results, eliciting alarm and criticism in response.

The party’s official Twitter account on Monday night shared a post from Ali Alexander, an activist with an organization called “Stop the Steal” that has protested election results.

“I am willing to give my life for this fight,” Alexander wrote. When sharing the post, the GOP asked followers: “He is. Are you?”

The GOP then posted a clip from the movie “Rambo”, highlighting the quote: “This is what we do, who we are. Live for nothing, or die for something.”

Many people saw the social media post as the latest escalation in violent rhetoric this campaign season as election officials face threats from the president’s supporters following his defeat in the state and as he continues to push unsuccessfully to overturn the results of the race.

Plenty of Republicans criticized the post, too, underscoring an internal rift over how to lead the party after an election that turned out better than expected for the Arizona GOP, despite the president’s loss.

A handful of users replied they were indeed willing to give their lives to the cause. But the majority of respondents — which included voters, lawmakers and pundits — decried the posts. [Continue reading…]