By John Trobough Friends & Colleagues: I wanted to reach out and express my sincere gratitude for your guidance, partnership, and support throughout our congressional campaign in Arizona’s 1st District. Rebuilding a campaign machine in one of the country’s most competitive open seats was no small feat, and I am deeply grateful for the help you provided along the way. … Read More
Tom Horne is Finally Done: A Tribute to One of the More Interesting Political Careers
Every long political career ends somewhere. For Tom Horne, it ended in a Republican primary he lost at the age of 81. Kimberly Yee ousted the incumbent superintendent last month. Consequently, one of Arizona’s most durable and divisive figures exits the stage. He leaves behind a long shadow, and that is worth pausing over. Love him or loathe him, Horne … Read More
George Khalaf Is the Rare Kind Worth Rooting For
By Ronald Sampson Let me tell you what usually happens in a Republican primary these days. A candidate finds the nearest camera, praises the man in the White House, and calls it a platform. Then they win, arrive at the Capitol, and contribute nothing. George Khalaf is not that guy. Khalaf just topped the field in the LD3 House primary, … Read More
3 versus 1 for 2: the Interesting Math for the Final Two Seats in the Scottsdale City Council
By Alexander Lomax Scottsdale’s November ballot is shaping up as an arithmetic problem. Four candidates. Two seats. Three of them share the same lane. One does not. The Scottsdale general election will give every voter two council votes to spend. How those votes get spent, or deliberately withheld, will decide this race. Barring surprises from the final canvass, the field … Read More
How Axon Made Barry Graham a Martyr
By Ronald Sampson Political money sometimes buys outcomes. Other times it manufactures the opposite. The campaign against Barry Graham may end up as a case study in the second category. Axon and its allied committees spent heavily to remove him from the Scottsdale City Council. What they produced instead was his clearest identity in years. Graham was not cruising before the … Read More
Too-Early-To-Call Results from Arizona’s Primary Election Day: Primary Validations, Shocks, and Comeback Stories in the Waiting
By Alexander Lomax The first election results dropped from the night, and absolutely nothing is set in stone at this moment, but there is definitely plenty of certainty and more than enough question marks to keep us hitting refresh on our browser constantly. First, Scottsdale. One councilmember is likely advancing and a few incumbents are fighting for their seats. Scroll … Read More
Buckle Up Phoenix and Scottsdale: Soon You Will Not Be Able to Escape the LD4 Senate Race
By Vanessa Rogers Legislative District 4 voters are about to learn what it feels like to be a battleground. The money pouring into this Senate race already signals a fall onslaught of mailers, TV spots and digital ads that will be impossible to avoid. The Money Is Already Absurd Incumbent Republican Sen. Carine Werner started the year with $272,939 already … Read More
Solange’s Scottsdale Salience
By SongBird No matter how the elections turn out Tuesday for Scottsdale City Council, or in November, Solange Whitehead is a Hall of Famer. Amongst the contemporary rancor over Axon, out of state funding, apartments, development, transparency, elections and parking garages, one can forget her many, many contributions to the city over the past decade. That shouldn’t be. She serves with … Read More
Guest Editorial: Just Say No to Barry Graham
By Steve Tyrrell Dear Editor: I previously voted for Barry Graham for City Council but will not be doing so this time. Like many other Scottsdale residents I have grown tired of Mr. Graham’s attempt to portray himself as putting taxpayers first when in fact he does the opposite. His “Taxpayer First” slogan is just that: A slogan that is … Read More
Getting to Know Your Candidates: AP&G’s Exclusive Interview with Scottsdale Councilman Barry Graham
We reached out to all Scottsdale City Council candidates with the same questionnaire but with two questions personalized for each candidate at the end. The submissions have been posted in the order they were received back. Do you support the Axon development as originally proposed, including up to 1,900 residential units, or the compromise proposal of around 600 units? If … Read More



