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An Arizona legislator has followed through on filing an ethics complaint against another lawmaker. Republican Rep. Brenda Barton of Payson last week accused Republican Sen. Rich Crandall of Mesa of disorderly conduct by abusing his Senate Education Committee chairmanship to bully her.

A west Phoenix Democratic activist has filed a campaign finance complaint with the Secretary of State’s office, claiming Democratic Sen. Robert Meza appears to have used campaign money for personal use and collected illegal campaign contributions.

The ousted state senator who championed Arizona's illegal immigration law says he has no regrets but that he'd like voters to give him a second chance.

Insisting that their dispute has transcended alleged tampering with campaign signs, Rep. Brenda Barton held a press conference this morning announcing that she will file an ethics complaint against Sen. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa, for leaving her a voicemail message on July 12 that she said was an attempt to intimidate and bully her.

Rep. John Fillmore has defended a former lawmaker who was accused of domestic violence. And he’s asked the courts to be lenient on another legislator who was convicted of defrauding a children’s charity.

But the Apache Junction Republican says his political challenger, Sen. Rich Crandall, should be subject to an ethics trial, removed from his committee chairmanship and ultimately ousted from office because Crandall threatened to kill future legislation backed by Fillmore’s House colleague.

In a voicemail message left on the cell phone of a legislator he says harassed his daughter last week, Sen. Rich Crandall suggested that he would work to kill her bills next year.

“I’m furious at you right now,” Crandall said in the July 12 message for Rep. Brenda Barton, R-Payson. “You better not try to run any education legislation next year.”

(Plus, listen to the voicemail)

Two Republican legislators running for the same Senate seat are accusing each other of lying after a third GOP lawmaker caught Sen. Rich Crandall’s daughter taking down one of Rep. John Fillmore’s campaign signs.

New voter registration figures show that although both major parties continue to lose numbers to independent voters, some of the most competitive upcoming elections may favor Republican candidates more than previously thought.

Sen. John Nelson, a veteran politician and longtime legislator, abruptly announced today that he is retiring from public service and is dropping his bid for re-election. Nelson’s decision paves the way for Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, to secure the Senate seat in Legislative District 13.

The Arizona Supreme Court today reinstated Jean Cheuvront-McDermott, a Democrat who is running for a House seat in central Phoenix, on the primary ballot.