House Minority Leader Chad Campbell was a little more hopeful this session. The state had some money to spend, and the Legislature wasn’t going to have to do as much budget-slashing as they had in previous years. Maybe now, he thought, they could start restoring some funding that had been cut.

Andy Tobin was elected speaker of the House just days after Kirk Adams’ resigned to run for Congress at the end of the 2011 legislative session.



While his seven or so months as speaker during the interim could hardly prepare him for the rigors of leading a chamber during a regular session, it’s clear that he learned some lessons for the task ahead. As is often the case, some of those lessons were learned the hard way.

Congressional candidate Kirk Adams now has the support of both Arizona senators, as the state’s senior senator today announced that he would be endorsing Adams in his 5th Congressional district run.

Wednesday night, Adams announced that McCain will be holding a press conference at the former speaker’s Mesa campaign headquarters on Friday morning.

Legislative leaders and Gov. Jan Brewer are hoping to jumpstart budget negotiations and thaw the relationship between them that saw the governor last month direct her staff not to meet with House and Senate staff.

Republican governor and GOP Legislature are digging in for long budget fight

It may have been the opening shot to an all-out war.



While Arizonans were celebrating President’s Day on Feb. 20, legislative leaders unveiled a budget that ditched her major spending initiatives.


The Governor’s Office responded in kind, describing the legislative budget as “shortsighted” and “reckless.”

Phil Lovas, a 43-year-old hotel developer and Peoria Republican, will replace Rep. Judy Burges in the Arizona House of Representatives for Legislative District 4.

Former Congressman Matt Salmon has a wide lead over his opponent in a poll his campaign commissioned, though nearly two of every five voters don’t know which candidate they will support.

Matt Salmon has won the endorsement of the entire Arizona Senate Republican leadership team and a majority of the Senate’s GOP caucus, even though his opponent was serving at the Legislature with them less than a year ago.

Former House Speaker Kirk Adams raised $52,425 in the fourth quarter of 2011, about $100,000 less than his primary opponent, former Congressman Matt Salmon, raked in.