Raoul Zubia Is No Socialist, but Developers Do Like Him

by Alexander Lomax

Scottsdale’s November runoff has produced its share of colorful accusations. Few are sillier than the claim that Raoul Zubia is a socialist. However, the most revealing fact about Zubia isn’t anything his critics invented. It’s who actually backs him.

Where the Socialist Label Came From

The charge goes back to the primary. During the primary, the Phoenix Metro chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America endorsed Zubia without asking him. He rejected it publicly on his campaign website. “A DSA chapter apparently endorsed me without my knowledge or consent during the primary, and I reject that endorsement,” he wrote.

Nevertheless, NicoPAC built an entire website around the label. Its Save Scottsdale page even compares Zubia to New York’s Zohran Mamdani. That comparison falls apart once you look at his résumé.

The sort of slop that the same couple people keep putting out there

The Record Says Otherwise

Zubia has lived his whole life in South Scottsdale and graduated from Coronado High. He has chaired the Human Services Commission and served as vice chair of the Protect and Preserve Scottsdale Task Force. He also sits on the boards of the SUSD Foundation, the EVIT Foundation and the Parada del Sol Committee. In 2024, he was inducted into the Scottsdale History Hall of Fame.

Moreover, his supporters include Republicans such as former state Rep. Deb Gullett and longtime GOP strategist Wes Gullett. His platform promises a city that is “safe, livable, and economically strong.” That’s Chamber of Commerce language, not Das Kapital.

Follow the Money Instead

Here is the more honest critique. Zubia is clearly the favorite of the real estate and development crowd. Scottsdale REALTORS endorsed him in May. Soon after, the REALTORS of Arizona PAC gave his campaign $8,000. In addition, Axon President Josh Isner gave $5,000 on July 1. Axon, of course, is pushing its own massive apartment scheme.

Zubia hasn’t hidden his views on growth either. His opponents quote him as saying that if Scottsdale stops growing, “it’s just going to go somewhere else.” Critics call that anti-NIMBY. Supporters call it realism.

A Fair Fight Over a Real Issue

For some voters, developer support is disqualifying. They worry about density, traffic and water in a desert city that is already stretched thin. That concern is legitimate, and those voters should act on it.

Meanwhile, other voters see growth as inevitable and want someone at the table who will manage it. That position is legitimate too.

Either way, this argument should be about land use, not ideology. Raoul Zubia is a civic-minded, pro-growth pragmatist. On November 3, Scottsdale can decide whether that’s what it wants. Calling him a socialist only makes the conversation dumber.