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Recent Articles from Hank Stephenson
Meyer, McGee to return as incumbents carry the day in LD 28
Democratic Rep. Eric Meyer will return to the Capitol after maintaining his solid lead over Republican challenger Shawnna Bolick in Phoenix’s Legislative District 28, where he has won three straight elections despite a 12 percentage point Republican voter registration advantage.
No safe district: 2 Republicans poised for upsets in Dem-heavy districts
A pair of upsets are catching the political establishment by surprise: Two southern Arizona Democrats in heavily Democratic legislative districts are trailing Republicans in state House races.
Tobin concedes CD1 race to Kirkpatrick
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is widening her lead over Republican Speaker of the Arizona House Andy Tobin in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, up to more than 5,000 votes, or nearly 5 percentage points, from 2,000 votes earlier in the night.
Voters reject Prop. 304 – no pay raise for lawmakers
Arizona lawmakers won’t be receiving a pay increase, as Proposition 304, which would have increased lawmakers’ salary to $35,000 annually from $24,000, was soundly defeated.
Ballot harvest: Video sparks new debate over banning bulk voting technique
A video which shows a Citizens for a Better Arizona canvasser dropping hundreds of ballots into a box at the Maricopa County Elections Department has re-ignited the debate over “ballot harvesting” by voter outreach groups. The practice is perfectly legal. But that hasn’t stopped critics from claiming voter fraud and even posting death threats against the canvasser in the comments section of [...]
Only a few legislative districts in play as election nears
Although all 90 seats in the Arizona Legislature are up for election Nov. 4, in reality, the partisan makeup of the Legislature isn’t likely to change much. Only a handful of legislative races are actually competitive.
Former AZ lawmaker David Burnell Smith dead at 73
Former lawmaker David Burnell Smith, who narrowly lost a bid for the Arizona House of Representative in August, passed away at his Scottsdale home on Friday afternoon. According to Karla... […]
Railbirds offer bold Arizona election predictions
Predictions from Arizona’s politicos on the outcome of the hotly-contested statewide and congressional races are all over the map, with very little agreement on either side of the aisle how the competitive races will turn out.
The return of SB1062? Gay marriage ruling likely to renew push for ‘religious liberty’ protections
With marriage licenses being issued to gay couples across the state, Republican lawmakers are already talking about ways to protect religious organizations and businesses from being forced to participate in gay marriages. And SB1062 is back on the forefront of some minds.
Lawmakers eyeing e-cigarette taxation in light of looming budget deficit
The devastating recent state budget projections have some lawmakers eyeing additional taxes on e-cigarettes as a new source of revenue that could help bridge the $1 billion projected deficit by next year.
Surgeon who helped save Giffords’ life challenges Republican Orr in Tucson’s LD9
In their quest to oust Republican Rep. Ethan Orr from one of the two House seats in the Democratic-leaning Legislative District 9, Tucson Democrats found their dream candidate in Randall Friese, a man with a bio that’s hard to criticize.
GOP lawmaker plans to introduce bill legalizing marijuana
With a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana looming over the 2016 election, Republican Rep. Ethan Orr of Tucson wants the Legislature to beat voters to the punch and legalize it.
