Arizona Supreme Court to weigh fate of contribution limits
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments on the injunction against higher new contribution limits approved by the Legislature. It ruling on the matter may well be the final word on how much money candidates can accept during the 2014 elections.
‘Dark money’ group apologizes to Horne for ad, settles lawsuit
A group that ran television ads attacking Attorney General Tom Horne apologized for falsely stating that he is still under investigation by the FBI. The apology was part of a settlement over a defamation lawsuit that Horne filed.
Horne sues group over TV ads
Attorney General Tom Horne is suing a conservative political group over wording in a television ad claiming that he is still under an investigation by the FBI.
Six figure debts: Legal dispute highlights problems in collecting campaign money
It’s common to see failed presidential candidates continue their fundraising pleas so they can pay down their campaign debt.
Unfortunately for signature gatherers, attorneys and vendors, ballot measure campaigns don’t generally do the same thing.
No AZ law on ‘dark money’ coming this legislative session
For all of the controversy during the last election over the influence of so-called dark money in politics, the Arizona State Legislature is unlikely to produce any laws on the subject this session.
Moderate Mesa Republicans resolve suit over disputed district elections
Moderate GOP precinct committeemen in Legislative District 25 and the Maricopa County Republican Committee settled a lawsuit today that alleged voter fraud in the district’s organizational elections in November.
Pearce says District 25 dispute is over cheating
Former Senate President Russell Pearce said the dispute over organizational elections in Legislative District 25 is over cheating, not a power struggle between political factions as it has been portrayed in a federal lawsuit.
Pearce, a precinct committeeman in the heavily conservative Mesa district, said the lawsuit, filed Dec. 24 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, is an attempt to cover [...]
Moderate Republicans sue over disputed district election
A group of moderate, GOP precinct committeemen in Legislative District 25 has filed suit over a disputed organizational election in November and allege that a faction of Russell Pearce supporters is trying to bully its way back into power.
Bundgaard to take witness stand in ethics trial
Sen. Scott Bundgaard is scheduled to take the witness stand today in what has become the biggest fight of his political life.
Prosecutors highlight some witnesses’ party affiliations in Bundgaard trial
The prosecutors in Sen. Scott Bundgaard’s ethics trial asked several of the witnesses to reveal to the ethics committee their political party affiliations, in an effort to defuse any potential claims that the ethics investigation is in any way a partisan attack against Bundgaard, a Peoria Republican.
Ethics Committee hires ex-federal prosecutor in Bundgaard case
The Senate Ethics Committee has hired a former federal prosecutor to investigate whether Sen. Scott Bundgaard broke ethics rules in a roadside scuffle with his ex-girlfriend.
And the attorney, Kory Langhofer, appears to be aggressively pursuing the case: He said he will likely call witnesses to testify in the ethics trial next month, including alleged victim Aubry Ballard, police officers[...]
An electoral reform blueprint
Arizona election law is outdated and needs reform. A few issues in the current system receive perennial attention in the media. For example, liberal groups commonly cite anonymous funding of political speech as a major defect in our system, while conservative activists frequently question the constitutionality of the state’s extraordinarily low contribution limits. Many other gaps in Arizona ele[...]