By Recker McDowell
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s Twitter video showing off his mad nunchakus skills and celebrating the state lifting its ban on the martial arts gear has gone a bit viral.
“Clearly, my years of martial arts training paid off. Pulled my old nunchaku out of storage … like riding a bike #WayofTheDragon,” said @GeneralBrnovich accompanied by a video of him whipping around the nunchucks Bruce Lee and ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ style.
Brnovich isn’t a typical politician — and that serves him well in the social media age of viral videos, @RealDonaldTrump, @PeteButtigieg and @AOC.
Those three all have an organic appeal like it or not.
Brnovich — a Republican who is a Grateful Dead fan who joked about battling the notorious Skynet computer systems from ‘The Terminator’ movies — doesn’t take himself too seriously.
He also hasn’t been too careful about taking chances and picking political battles. Brnovich rolled the dice in 2014 and ran against incumbent GOP Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne. The primary bet paid off with Horne’s political fortunes downgraded by controversies. Brnovich is now in his second term.
Brnovich was also early to prosecutions related to opioid manufacturers and data privacy questioning Google’s practices. He has battled California billionaire Tom Steyer over the failed 2018 renewable energy measure.
We will see how his lawsuits challenging Arizona State University’s real estate deals turns out legally and politically.
If Brnovich looks at a run for Arizona governor or U.S. Senate in the future, his moves on data privacy and opioids will serve him well and taking on Steyer won’t hurt with GOP primary voters.
But don’t underestimate someone who can enjoy themselves and life and Brnovich’s nunchakus video has an authenticity that resonates.