Bush v. Gore is the ultimate example of politics and law intersecting and it shows how lawyers can affect an election in a dramatic way. But in Arizona, every election cycle brings its own set of controversies to be settled in the courtroom.

When asked how his vote for Medicaid expansion could threaten his chances at another term in the Arizona Legislature, Senate Majority Leader John McComish points to an Arizona Capitol Times newspaper hanging in a frame behind his desk “The risk of defiance,” the headline reads. “What will GOP senators’ ‘no’ votes on immigration bills cost them?”

Huge Arizona legislative districts spur debate about costs, meeting constituents’ needs

As lawmakers and hopeful candidates embark on their 2014 campaigns, many would probably be surprised to learn that they are running for some of the most populous legislative districts in the United States.

Rep. Justin Pierce says he's running for Arizona Secretary of State in 2014.

Arizona’s attorney general has declined to take legal action to remove one of the state’s newest senators from office, citing a lack in clarity of state laws dictating appointments to office.

State Rep. Albert Hale, who sought an appointment to a vacant state Senate seat, is challenging the Apache County Board of Supervisors’ decision to send a nominee who lives in Gilbert to the Capitol.

Jerry Lewis, the Republican who rose to fame by defeating Russell Pearce two years ago, lost his Senate seat in 2012 partly because his crossover appeal to Latinos did not translate into votes for him, an analysis of the results of the November elections showed.

A Tempe Democrat introduced a bill Jan. 29 that would put a time limit on county boards of supervisors to fill vacancies in the Legislature.

Democrats running in a Republican-leaning West Valley district zeroed in on the majority party’s decision to slash education funding during the fiscal crisis and keep it relatively flat even when the economy began to turn around.

If you can’t beat them, pack up and move to a new district.

That’s the lesson that a handful of legislators are taking with them as they prepare to run in the new districts drawn by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.