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

Before he was elected to the state House of Representatives in November, Republican Rep. Kevin Payne was just your average IT guy with a love for barbecue and an interest in politics.

Big decisions are on the horizon for the newly elected Democratic sheriff, Paul Penzone.

Democratic Rep. Kirsten Engel of Tucson is a University of Arizona professor and environmental lawyer who has built up an impressive resume in both academia and the legal field.

The media usually seeks out the analysis and opinions of Arizona State University law professor Paul Bender when there’s a news story involving questions of Arizona law or the U.S. Constitution.

Melanie Sturgeon, who collected, processed and preserved the oftentimes-rare documents that make up Arizona’s history, retired in November as the director of the state archives.

Matthew Earl Jones brings with him lots of industry resources and a passion for making Arizona the top film industry destination, despite its lack of tax credits, and continuing to expand the local infrastructure needed to support film and digital media.

Veridus lobbyist Marilyn Rodriguez spent the past six weeks teaching a first-of-its-kind class at Arizona State University: An inside look at the world of lobbying.

The November 8 election carries with it a possibility that the Arizona Senate will end up split 15 to 15 between Republicans and Democrats, which could lead to a rare show of legislative bipartisanship that hasn’t been seen since 2000, when the Senate last was split. Lobbyist Mike Gardner was the Senate chief of staff during the last split, so we sat down with him to learn more about the functions of a split Senate and his projections for the race.

Will Humble, the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is perhaps best known as the guy who got Arizona’s medical marijuana program off the ground.

Brian Nissen is an affable guy with an easy smile. But the moment he puts on a ball cap and sports a mullet-style wig, he transforms into “Dwain,” an affable redneck with an easy smile. Perhaps it’s the way “Dwain” looks into your soul – half squinting, wearing that self-assured grin of a kind-hearted but completely offensive hillbilly – that makes him such a believable prophet of political incorrectness.