New voter registration figures show that although both major parties continue to lose numbers to independent voters, some of the most competitive upcoming elections may favor Republican candidates more than previously thought.

Fifteen legislators have announced this year that they will retire or seek another office rather than run for re-election to the Legislature.

A deep field of primary candidates in the new 9th Congressional District mostly steered clear of intraparty battles and spent a two-hour forum at Chandler City Hall jabbing across the aisle over the Bush tax cuts, energy policy and the federal health care overhaul.

The complete list of 2012 candidates running for the U.S Senate and House of Representatives from Arizona.

An auto-dial poll commissioned by Sen. David Schapira shows him and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema battling for the lead in Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.

Rival campaigns and political operatives, however, questioned both the methodology of the autodial survey, its accuracy and the largely unknown company that conducted it.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity for Democrats to grab a congressional seat in the heart of the Valley is quickly becoming one of the nastiest races of the 2012 cycle.

Former Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny raised more money than his two opponents combined in the hotly contested Democratic primary for Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.

Cherny’s $431,000, which he raised in about seven weeks, dwarfed Sen. David Schapira’s $131,000 and left former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in a distant second place in the fundraising race with $258,000.

Andrei Cherny reported $430,000 raised in just seven weeks of campaigning in Arizona’s 9th Congressional District, an impressive number rivaled by few candidates in the entire campaign cycle.

Businessman and sports mogul Jerry Colangelo threw his support behind Vernon Parker, giving the former Paradise Valley mayor a coveted big-name endorsement as the Republican field in the 9th Congressional District continues to grow.

Former intelligence operative Leah Campos Schandlbauer declared her candidacy for the GOP primary for the 9th Congressional District, joining a rapidly growing field in the competitive district.

Schandlbauer was an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency until she resigned recently to run in CD9. The 39-year-old mother of four quit her job with the CIA’s National Clandestine Service after more than a decade on the job to pursue her campaign.