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

The proposal to permanently keep a one-penny sales tax increase is in big trouble, based on the results of a recent survey among likely voters.

When Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Barber won a slam-dunk special election in June against the same opponent who almost defeated his predecessor and boss, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, many political consultants chalked it up to the “Gabby Effect.”

Supporters of the initiative to make permanent a temporary one-cent sales tax increase claimed today that its failure at the ballot in November would have dire repercussions, including the closure of schools, teacher layoffs and increases in class sizes. They also pushed back against opponents’ assertion that revenues from the tax won’t reach the classroom.

Outside campaign groups have ramped up their electioneering activity this month, spending roughly $246,000 to help elect or defeat state Senate candidates.

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled this month that the state’s most fundamental campaign finance laws dealing with the registration of political committees and reporting of contributions and expenditures are unconstitutional.

The ruling won’t affect campaigns this election cycle, but it threatens to upend the state’s campaign finance system for future elections.

Rep. Catherine Miranda, her husband and step-daughter invoked their Fifth Amendment rights on the witness stand today in a court hearing to determine whether the Phoenix Democrat should be removed from office for submitting allegedly forged signatures on election forms. Miranda’s attorney, Tom Ryan, said he can’t allow his client or her family to testify while she is under criminal investigation.

Rarely, if ever, will you see straight-arrow conservative Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and fiery Democratic Sen. Steve Gallardo sharing a stage with Libertarians and Greens, with all taking the same viewpoint on an issue.

GOP congressional nominee Vernon Parker got a boost today from U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, who came to Tempe to endorse Parker and invite him to serve on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee if elected.

Maricopa County elections officials say two school board candidates withdrew from their races and should not have been on early ballots sent to voters last week.

A closer examination of Sen. John McComish’s voting record this year showed him opposing bills authored by colleagues with “Tea Party” leanings while also backing measures that infuriated Democrats.