By Ronald Sampson In a world where inflation is crushing middle-class families, schools are struggling with chronic teacher shortages, and students are falling behind in basic reading and math skills, what has mobilized the activist parents of Scottsdale? A state legislator’s unfortunate hot-mic moment where she described a district employee as “morbidly obese.” Yes, really. Over 1,500 people signed a … Read More
On Charlie Kirk, Arizona’s Politics, and Us
By Alexander Lomax I doubt that I need to tell you about the death of Charlie Kirk. Locally you couldn’t have turned on a TV without seeing something about it, and because of the success of the organization he founded, Turning Point USA, it has become an international story, another example of America seemingly splitting at the scenes, another example … Read More
How is the Governor’s Race Stacking Up? Recent Fundraising Numbers Provide Insight
By Alexander Lomax Yes, it’s not even 2026 yet. But the 2025 legislative session is over, and much like how drafts and training camps allow us to peer into the future season of our favorite sports teams, there is something that allows us to handicap future political races: fundraising. Fundraising numbers for Q2 are now in…so how do they look? … Read More
Scottsdale Budget Concerns: Political Theater or Fiscal Reality?
By Ronald Sampson It has been quite the turbulent first half of the first year for Scottsdale’s new mayor and newest iteration of city council, and somehow the hits keep coming for this crew, with the latest point of contention being fiscal. Scottsdale’s 2025-26 budget has sparked significant controversy despite its superficial appearance of fiscal responsibility. While city officials tout … Read More
An AP&G Exclusive: An Interview with Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne
Superintendent, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. Education is always a hot-button subject in our state and so it’s an honor to get to hear from the person at the very top of our educational system. You’ve had a long career in Arizona public service; what first motivated you … Read More
Lisa Borowsky Keeps Being Snubbed by Republicans. What’s Up with That?
By Ronald Sampson We are officially past the halfway point of the first year of Lisa Borowsky’s time as the Mayor of Scottsdale, which is enough time to reflect on how things have been going. The verdict? It’s been tough…very tough. But the obstacles haven’t come from where one would think. The obstacles are internal ones. The latest obstacle came … Read More
Governor Hobbs Breaks Records with Veto Pen; Is This the Sum Total of Her Abilities?
Being a Democratic governor with a Republican-controlled state House and Senate is never an easy proposition, and Governor Katie Hobbs has found this out firsthand. Unable to control the agenda, she has mostly been relegated to one act of power: the veto pen. Now that the legislative session is over, we know how often she has used that power this … Read More
AP&G Exclusive: An Interview with Former State Senator Christine Marsh
Hi Christine, thank you so much for your time. Your story has been an interesting one; a former Arizona Teacher of the Year turned politician/public servant. For those who are unaware, you first ran for office in 2018, the year of the massive Red for Ed protests in the state. Was there one single catalyst or event that first prompted … Read More
The Republican Race for Governor Just Got More Interesting with Trump Endorsement
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has had a metaphorical target on her head from Republicans since nearly the precise minute she assumed the office. A few Republicans have lined up for the privilege of taking her on in the 2026 general election, but the path will not be easily cleared for any candidate in the Republican primary. At the time of … Read More
Where Sports Intersects with Politics: Will a Former Arizona Cardinal Be Heading to Washington?
Most of the time we all hate it when politics insert themselves into sports; sports are usually our safe space away from the bickering and fights of politics. Talking crap about Dodgers fans or Seahawks fans is much more satisfying than fighting with someone from the other political party for most people. But every once in a while sports intersects … Read More