When Democratic primary voters rebuked a series of challengers to progressive incumbents and their allies on August 4, they weighed in on the identity crisis of a long-suffering party finally approaching the precipice of success.
Read More »Incumbents kill union ploy to shape Democratic caucus
Hope dims for 3 losing incumbents as vote results trickle in 
Struggling incumbents in too-close-to-call races didn’t see much change as county elections officials began making a dent in the roughly 210,000 mail ballots that remained to be counted after Tuesday’s primary.
Read More »Progressives Salman, Hernandez lead LD26 primary race
Salman, D-Tempe, is coasting in first place, with 34 percent - eight points ahead of her running mate, Melody Hernandez. In third place is Debbie Nez Manuel, who’s only a point behind Hernandez, with Patrick Morales in last place.
Read More »Failed union legislation drives primary challenges to incumbent Democrats
The ghosts of defeat, of deals gone awry and of soured relationships are haunting House Minority Leader Charlene Fernandez and several of her close allies in the party as influential labor attorney and lobbyist Israel Torres is flooding contested Democratic primaries with union cash
Read More »2018 law bars candidates from free association, Democrats say 
Candidates running with public funding through the Clean Elections program say a new voter-approved state law that prohibits them from paying political parties for services impedes their constitutional right to associate with whoever they choose. This is the first election ...
Read More »House set to begin votes on bills Tuesday 
The Arizona House of Representatives is set to hear potentially dozens of bills this week -- including a measure to shield businesses from legal liability if a patron or employee gets COVID-19 -- even as the Senate sits recessed, poised to finalize last week’s adjournment motion and end the session.
Read More »House resumes work, pushes liability bill
Republican lawmakers are moving to make it harder for someone who contracts COVID-19 to sue the business where they believe they were infected or a company that made a device that did not provide the promised protection from the virus. ...
Read More »Old tactics, new territory as lawmakers embrace partisan COVID-19 framing 
In any other week, Rep. Anthony Kern’s dinner choices wouldn’t have mattered to anyone but the most fervent crusader against lobbyist influence. This week, depending on who you ask, he’s either a hero fighting government overreach or the face of irresponsibility.
Read More »Legislature to pass bare-bones budget this week 
GOP leaders announced today the Legislature plans to pass a basic spending plan and a series of “noncontroversial” bills before they may recess or adjourn as a way to mitigate the effects of the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Both House Speaker ...
Read More »Progressives call for worker protections as legislature mulls recess 
Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists presented a list of demands they say are necessary for the safety of the state’s workers amid the COVID-19 outbreak on Monday, encouraging party leadership to mitigate the economic fallout of a virus that has already kneecapped tourism and hospitality in Arizona.
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