Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

It may be reckless to give all the credit for Arizona’s rightward course to one man, but Constantin Querard has done more than most to make Arizona a conservative bastion, and for that, he is one of the most loved and hated men in Arizona politics.

As the “Arizona elections data guru,” Garrett Archer has compiled millions of records on Arizonans. Those records help him track, target and analyze voters, which in turn helps candidates win elections.

If you need signatures collected for a citizen initiative in Arizona, there’s a good chance you’re paying Andrew Chavez to get them.

Historian Jack August can tell you tons of tales of Arizona’s past, from the story about Fife Symington saving Bill Clinton’s life to August’s own memories of interactions with the state’s heavyweights.

Cara Nicole Trujillo might be a new face on the Arizona political scene, but in the comic book world, she’s a legend. With more than 37,000 fans on Facebook, the “Arizona Powergirl” cosplayer (a contraction of costume player who wears costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character) just declared her candidacy to run for Tempe’s Legislative District 26 seat.

Whether he admits it or not, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Robert Graham is in a tight spot. As head of the party, he quickly affirmed Republicans’ choice of Donald Trump on the night of the Arizona presidential primary March 22, and yet he also has to navigate through myriad complications that will surely arise after his party picked, to put it mildly, such a divisive figure.

If you’ve ever wandered beyond the first floor of the Arizona Senate, you’ve likely seen the work of Jim Covarrubias, a Phoenix-based artist whose paintings have adorned the hallways of the second and third floors for more than a year. Covarrubias, whose downtown Phoenix studio is full to the brim of paintings, has a wide variety to choose from, and has curated and adjusted the work on display in the Senate over that time. He has plans to feature other artists as well, with a gallery planned for the walls outside Senate President Andy Biggs’ office, to be displayed as early as in May.

Juan Ciscomani’s dual roles as director of Gov. Doug Ducey’s southern Arizona office and the Arizona-Mexico Commission’s Sonora office seem like a natural fit.

As Democratic Rep. Matt Kopec was being sworn in as the newest member of the Arizona House of Representatives on Jan. 20, his fellow Tucson Democrats jokingly suggested that the 27-year-old had his entire life ahead of him, and shouldn’t throw it away as a Democrat in the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature.

Celeste Plumlee came to the Legislature following a domino appointment process to fill former Sen. Ed Ableser’s seat in the east Tempe and west Mesa Legislative District 26, and she filled former Rep. Andrew Sherwood’s seat when he moved to the Senate.