We’re still a month away from the primary election, but Arizona’s politicians already have managed to turn campaign season into a full-blown circus.Here are the worst missteps, mistakes, and bone-headed moves from candidates already this year:…
Darlin Adonay Peña has a headache. On a Wednesday afternoon in May, he takes a break from his job flipping burgers at a McDonald’s on Central Avenue in Phoenix to sit down and talk, sipping a frozen caramel coffee drink and rubbing his almond eyes. A brown rosary peeks from…
Congressional hopeful Ruben Gallego, a former state lawmaker, is boasting a campaign war chest of nearly $435,000 from almost 1,500 political supporters — more than $272,000 of that money has been collected April through June. Gallego’s camp, in a press statement, say he has more than $300,000 cash on hand…
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee identified Arizona as a state where Democrats could either make significant gains or seize control of a state legislature.Recall that just four years ago, Republicans won a super-majority, occupying two-thirds of the seats in both the Arizona House and Senate…
The primary election is only about six weeks away, but the latest poll in the governor’s race shows about half the Republicans surveyed don’t have a pick.The poll released today by local political consulting firm Highground shows Treasurer Doug Ducey in first, at just 17 percent…
Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake have announced plans to introduce a bill in an attempt to deal with the influx of unaccompanied children from Central America arriving at the border.Generally, the bill would make it easier to turn around the children and send them home, but the legislation also…
Fred DuVal, the presumptive Democratic nominee in Arizona’s gubernatorial race, has joined the chorus of politicians — many of them Republicans — in calling for President Obama to visit the border.DuVal certainly isn’t the only Democrat calling on Obama to make this border visit in the wake of the influx…
Every day seems to be a bad news day lately for Attorney General Tom Horne.Yesterday, it was that Horne’s going to be investigated for allegations that he had employees doing his campaign work on state time. Today, it’s Governor Jan Brewer endorsing Horne’s opponent in the Republican primary, Mark Brnovich…
Today in Found at the Border: Elmo is for the birds.More specifically, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say a California couple attempted to smuggle a pair of parrots into Arizona from Mexico, by cramming the birds inside a stuffed Elmo doll…
Frank Riggs, a former California Congressman who wants to be Arizona’s next governor, is “proud” to have the support of recalled State Senator and scandal-magnet, Russell Pearce. Riggs is one of six candidates vying to win the Republican primary on August 26, which in red-state Arizona could be the deciding…
Add the Professional Firefighters of Arizona to congressional candidate Ruben Gallego’s long list of union endorsements. Already, the former lawmaker boasts support from the Communication Workers Association Arizona State Council, Iron Workers Local 75, UFCW Local 99, Teamsters Local 104, International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers Local 640, American Federation of…
Why Marriage Matters Arizona, a coalition of gay-rights advocates, is calling on state residents to urge Attorney General Tom Horne “to stop wasting taxpayer money defending our state’s harmful constitutional amendment banning marriage for same-sex couples.” The group calls on Horne to “respect all Arizona families,” which is ironic because…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Ducey is praising the US Supreme Court’s decision on the Hobby Lobby case, calling it a “win for religious freedom,” even though he said just a few months ago that he would, as governor, veto an Arizona measure with the same underlying principles. We’ve got a…
Mary Rose Wilcox, a candidate seeking election in Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District, says she is “dismayed to hear that President Obama still has no concrete plan to pass comprehensive immigration reform and stop the devastating deportation policy that breaks up families and breaks our hearts.” Her statement comes after President…
Comprehensive immigration reform dominated the candidate forum at South Mountain Community College last week — and no wonder, considering that voters in Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District are overwhelmingly Democratic Latinos. And here’s a shocker: All of the candidates at the forum — a politician, a preacher, an attorney and a…
A plurality of Americans, 41 percent, think the levels of immigration should decrease, according to a Gallup poll.According to the poll, 33 percent say immigration should stay at its current level, and 22 percent say it should increase…
Today in Found at the Border: Officers at the border in Nogales found 4.5 pounds of meth hidden inside an accordion.According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an 18-year-old Mexican citizen attempted to take the accordion through a pedestrian gate on Monday…
Andrew Thomas, who infamously abused his power as Maricopa County Attorney and had his law license taken away, has qualified for $754,000 in public funds for his gubernatorial campaign. The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office confirmed on Thursday that a supplemental filing of 259 five-dollar contributions Thomas made on Tuesday…
Ruben Gallego and Mary Rose Wilcox — and their respective camps — have been firing nasty missives at each other over who is more in favor of ‘common sense gun laws’ or gun reform. They’re lobbing their attacks across all social media platforms, and why not? It’s cheaper than mailing…
For just $20, you can get a photo with Cesar Chavez.No, not the labor leader known for the “sí, se puede” tagline. We’re talking about former Republican Scott Fistler, who changed his name to Cesar Chavez as he attempts to run for Congress as a Democrat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional…
There are now six Republicans vying to be Arizona’s next governor, as Senator Al Melvin says he’s dropping out.Melvin released a statement saying he wasn’t going to be able to collect the 4,500 contributions of $5 needed to qualify for Clean Elections funding, a sum of $750,000…
The Obama Administration sent out a warning in Spanish-language news media over the weekend that undocumented children entering the country would receive no “permisos.” In the open letter to parents in other countries, Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, describes the horrors that some unaccompanied minors risk…
