The political tango over the shape of the state’s budget for the next few years has begun.

Legislative leaders met with Gov. Jan Brewer Tuesday, but the two sides couldn’t yet agree on how to proceed with crafting the state’s spending plan.

This week's most outstanding quips, gibes and utterances.

A proposal by House Speaker Andy Tobin may give Republicans one last chance to rid themselves of congressional and legislative maps they’ve fought so hard to eliminate.

The Paulden Republican wants a November ballot measure that would overhaul the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. The proposal would expand the IRC to 12 members, eliminate a panel that nominates commissioners, and impose state open meeting law on the commission.

Democrats looking into Operation Fast and Furious say a yearlong investigation has turned up no evidence that the flawed gun smuggling probe was conceived or directed by high-level political appointees at Justice Department headquarters.

The old switcheroo.

Just when it seemed like the once-a-decade redistricting process was headed toward its conclusion, a truism in Arizona politics was reaffirmed Friday: Expect the unexpected.

Tobin’s plan seems likely to run into preclearance problems with DOJ.

While legislative Republicans have repeatedly castigated the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission for sometimes operating outside of the public’s view, House Speaker Andy Tobin’s counterproposal was written out of anyone’s view.

If Republicans go along with House Speaker Andy Tobin’s plan to force a special election that would seek to change the state’s legislative and congressional maps, it will cost Arizona more than $8 million.

Republican lawmakers’ dormant war with the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is flaring up anew, as House Speaker Andy Tobin has introduced a host of measures that would set a special election so voters could decide whether to use legislative and congressional maps drawn by the Legislature instead of those approved last month by the volunteer panel.

House Republicans are trying to get around one of last year’s vetoes by amending the Legislature’s procedural rules.