Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage Your Inside Track to Arizona Elections

It’s often said that all budgets are balanced on the day they’re passed, even if they don’t stay that way for long. But gubernatorial hopeful Terry Goddard is accusing Gov. Jan Brewer of failing to meet that old budget maxim.

Eleven write-in candidates won the Green Party nomination in August, including a handful of “street people” who exploited a little-known loophole that allowed them to win the primary with only one vote. Now, some of those candidates, whom Democrats allege were recruited by Republicans, threaten to take votes from Democrats in key races.

Less than a day after a federal judge said they had the right to stay on the ballot, three alleged "sham" Green Party candidates withdrew from their races.

A federal judge ruled that a slate of alleged "sham" Green Party write-in candidates can stay on the ballot.

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The Arizona Green Party is asking a federal judge for an injunction that would keep a slate of alleged Trojan horse candidates off the ballot in November. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 7 in U.S. District Court by a Democratic-tied firm names 11 Green Party candidates who were also the subject a complaint filed by the Arizona Democratic Party the prior week.

A slate of Green Party write-in candidates, whom the Arizona Democratic Party accuses of being Republican plants, could siphon off Democratic votes and resources in some of the state’s most competitive legislative races.

Terry Goddard isn’t going to get the additional debates he had asked for, and despite several miscues by Gov. Jan Brewer, his one and only showdown with her might not give him the boost he needs to make the race competitive.

The first debate between Gov. Jan Brewer and Terry Goddard will be their last.

The announcement came one day after Democrats panned her performance in a Clean Elections debate the night before.

Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard had few memorable lines in their first, and perhaps only, debate, but continually posed one memorable question – where’s your plan?

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman announced Aug. 30 that he had replaced his campaign manager, while another top staffer was preparing to leave the following day.