Nobody would call 2011 a dull year for Arizona politics.

The soap opera fans got Sen. Scott Bundgaard’s side-of-the-road scuffle, the conspiracy theorists had their hands full with the Independent Redistricting Commission, and those who delight in schadenfreude watched the fall of Senate President Russell Pearce.

January “Though I have nothing against our current system of succession for the secretary of state to become governor, I can tell you from experience that there’s nothing like an election to make the office feel a whole lot better.” — Gov. Jan Brewer, in her Jan. 3 inauguration speech. Brewer, who succeeded to the [...]

Politicians sometimes say the ‘darndest’ things, and 2011 didn’t disappoint.

Whether deliberate or inadvertent, some comments by Arizona’s lawmakers outraged, inflamed or simply stoked people’s imaginations.

Here are some comments and moments that left many scratching their heads, hopping mad or laughing out loud. If they proved anything, it’s

this: The state Capitol can be a merry little box of chocolates. You just don’t know what you’re going to get.

Robes and gavels were a large part of Arizona’s political scene in 2011.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a landmark election law case that came out of the state and agreed to hear SB1070.

The state Supreme Court resolved conflicts involving the Independent Redistricting Commission and trial courts were busy with lawsuits contesting cuts to Medicaid and the candidacy of a Mesa woman in the recall election of former Senate President Russell Pearce.