The push to refer Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan to the ballot began in earnest as opponents of the bill rallied at the Capitol before fanning out across the Valley to collect signatures.

By a 29-0 vote, the state Senate late Thursday approved Gov. Jan Brewer’s sales tax overhaul proposal after she obtained the buy-in of Arizona cities and towns.

The intraparty battle raging in Republican circles over Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan has not yet extended into the race to succeed her.

A member of the coalition of Senate Republicans who broke away from the majority party and voted for Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion proposal is contemplating whether to run for office in 2014.

Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, said that while he intends to run at this point, the decision is one he must still mull over in the coming year – and any reservations he has to running have nothing to do with his vote on Medicaid.

The instant analysis from GOP politicos is that Melvin has little or no chance of winning. One Republican consultant said Melvin won’t have the money to build up his name ID much, noting that the fundraising disparity will probably be especially high if the state’s new contribution limits hold up in court.

Sen. Al Melvin, R-SaddleBrooke, has formed an exploratory committee to run for governor. In a press release posted on the blog Sonoran Alliance, the three-term senator said his motivation for exploring the race sprang from his frustration with a lack of progress at the Capitol and “genuine optimism” for Arizona’s future.

When Alexis Bristor graduates from Arizona State University in December with a degree in film and media production, she plans to pack her bags and head straight to Hollywood.

With the committee deadline to hear bills in their chamber of origin passed, the major work of weeding out bills is done. But like weeds, bills are never really dead, and can sprout back up at any time before the session ends.

The latest attempt to create a statewide ban on texting while driving is stalled at the Legislature.

On its face, the Arizona Board of Regents and the universities they govern have little, if anything, to do with the state’s Medicaid program or Gov. Jan Brewer’s plans to expand it in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act.