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Senate coup reveals deep-seated differences among Dems
What was supposed to be a humdrum meeting to select a replacement for outgoing Democratic assistant leader Linda Lopez in October became its own spectacle after colleagues ousted Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor as minority leader.
Goddard will run for secretary of state
Former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who left office after two terms as the state’s top law enforcement official in January 2011, has considered running for several offices next year, including Corporation Commission and his old job at the Attorney General’s Office. But he said he decided to run for secretary of state because of his commitment to voter access and his opposition to an[...]
Lopez criticized for delaying resignation from Senate
After initially denying rumors that she planned to resign from the Arizona State Senate, Sen. Linda Lopez finally conceded that she’ll leave her post in January. But rather than resign immediately, the Tucson Democrat has drawn criticism from her colleagues for staying at the Legislature to gain another year of service in order to pad her retirement benefits.
Landrum Taylor officially jumps into secretary of state’s race
Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor ended her exploratory campaign and announced an official run for secretary of state, becoming the first Democrat in the race for Arizona’s number two office.
Senate Democrats regroup in brutal aftermath of leadership change
On the surface, all appeared well among Democrats in the Senate. The 13-member minority caucus had a common cause to unite around in Medicaid expansion during the 2013 legislative session and was able to form a new majority in the Senate chamber by joining forces with a few breakaway Republican lawmakers.
Tucson Democrat steps down from leadership
Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, has stepped down as assistant minority leader to focus on a new job in Tucson.
AZ senators reluctant to put Shooter on trial
Democratic Arizona senators, even those once interested in pushing for an ethics hearing into the actions of Sen. Don Shooter at a Yuma charter school earlier this year, now say it’d be a waste of time holding hearings on an issue that police and prosecutors have already dealt with in full.
Freshmen stand out on issues ranging from Medicaid to sales tax reform
Doug Cole, a longtime lobbyist and veteran of the Capitol, said freshmen used to simply fall in line with leadership and sit on the back bench to learn during a session or two.
Livingston scores a perfect legislative batting average
The award for best legislative batting average for the session — the calculation of bills introduced versus bills signed into law — goes to Rep. David Livingston, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Peoria who has been vocally critical of the governor.
UpClose with Senate Minority Leader Leah Landrum Taylor
How shocked were you that the governor pushed for Medicaid expansion at the State of the State? And are you surprised that she accomplished that? I’m going to admit I’m not shocked at all. The reason being is, when I first came in as leader, we set out to meet with [Brewer] to go over and have a chance to talk with her, and in our discussions, of course naturally the conver[...]
Attorney general blames Democrats for state budget cut
Attorney General Tom Horne sniped at Democrats today for cutting a $1.2 million fund that has been used for combating Mexican drug cartels in southern Arizona since 2009.
