By Ronald Sampson It should have been a case as common as a 100-degree day in the Valley: a Republican won one of the top two seats in a primary race for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 15, a district that covers parts of Queen Creek and San Tan Valley. The district is an extremely Republican one, … Read More
Arizona GOP in Chaos: Kari Lake Espionage Leads to Chair DeWit Resignation
Ohhhh what a week it was for Arizona Republicans…but not in a good way. In an incredible roller coaster ride, the party is now attempting to dig out of self-inflicted peril. It all started with a bombshell: Kari Lake recorded a private meeting with state party Chair Jeff DeWit where DeWit attempted to make her offers she could not refuse … Read More
Can Republicans Keep Criticism of Governor Hobbs to Reasonable Items?
By Ronald Sampson It’s been a rough time for Governor Katie Hobbs. I’ve been plenty willing to levy complaints about her for a few different reasons starting with her campaign (especially her unwillingness to debate) and continuing into her initial inability to delegate responsibility effectively (read all the good and the bad here). She has earned plenty of legitimate criticism…which … Read More
The Arizona GOP has a Huge Fundraising Problem: Where Do They Go From Here?
Money is the fuel that powers politics: fuel alone won’t drive anything, but the best car around won’t drive an inch without it. And it’s the same with political parties as it is with campaigns. Money helps parties hire staffers, pay for resources, and ramp up in preparation for warfare every two years. And here in Arizona, we found out … Read More
CHAOS with the LD3 Republicans: the Scottsdale/Fountain Hills GOP is Melting Down
As a rule of thumb, the higher up the politics go, the more professional they are, but when the stakes are the lowest (at the more local level), the more messy it can get. We have covered significant political messiness in both local parties here, but what is unfolding in the LD3 Republican Party (covering Scottsdale and Fountain Hills) might … Read More
A New Era Begins: Republicans Quickly Reminded That They Can and Will Get Vetoed
By Alexander Lomax It’s been the dawn of a new day for Democrats in Arizona: out from under the thumb of Republican domination with several significant statewide wins, they now have a degree of power. With Governor Katie Hobbs in the 9th Floor, they’re no longer an afterthought in governance. Even though they do not control the House or Senate, … Read More
Both State Parties Chooses Their Leadership. What Differences Will We See?
Photo Credit: AZCentral.com This past weekend was the culmination of the post-election festivities in Arizona: the state party reorganization meetings. They serve as a referendum on the performance of the party and provide insight into where the parties might go for the next few years. We outlined the candidates for party leadership in a recent article that you can read … Read More
The Race for Arizona GOP Chair: Who Will Lead the Party Back to a Victorious Path?
Now that the 2020 elections are out of the way, the political world directs its focus to party reorganization battles: where fingers are pointed, successes are co-opted, and political party leadership is set for the next two years. We recently covered the Arizona Democratic race for Chair, where a much cleaner and simpler race between two people in the wake … Read More
Trump is Coming to Town, Cementing This Year’s Elections Dynamic: Team Trump versus the Democrats
Photo Credit: Ross D. Franklin, APIt was already obvious that Arizona’s statewide campaigns were turning into a pro-Trump vs Democrats referendum. That is now becoming even more blatant and clear as Trump will be holding a rally in Mesa on October 9th. Kari Lake and Blake Masters are singled out as the key benefactors of this benevolent visit by the … Read More