Lobbyists take leap of faith to open progressive firm in red state
No one is required to work for anyone, and lobbyists are no exception. But no firm in Arizona is as blunt about the process of vetting clients as Creosote Partners, launched this week by lobbyists Marilyn Rodriguez and Sam Richard.
House GOP works to deliver on border wall for Trump
House Republican allies of President Donald Trump are intent on giving him a long-sought victory in Congress by finally making a down payment on his long-promised wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Medicaid cuts are a matter of life or death for people with disabilities
The only reason I am able to have such a full life is Medicaid. Medicaid provides vital services to people with disabilities through a state-federal partnership that finances coverage for those who qualify. The program has successfully provided care to the most vulnerable Americans for the past 50 years.
Federal judge upholds law to keep Libertarians off ballot
A federal judge has rebuffed a bid by the Libertarian Party to kill an Arizona law even its sponsors concede was designed to make it harder for minor party candidates to get on the general election ballot.
Theresa Ulmer turns one term as a lawmaker into a career as a lobbyist
Theresa Ulmer has been a Capitol regular since 2010, when she was elected to her first and only term in the House of Representatives. And what a difference nearly a decade has made.
Equal Rights Amendment scary to GOP, but is only way to equality
The ERA is the only method left to ensure women’s constitutional equality. The ERA has enjoyed massive public support for decades. Yet in Arizona, a state with historic high levels of women in the state Legislature, several women governors and at one time, five top state offices held by women, it can’t even get a hearing. What are they afraid of?
Some Republicans blame ‘left’ amid calls to tone down rhetoric following Virginia shooting
The revelation that alleged Alexandria, Virginia shooter James Hodgkinson was a Bernie Sanders volunteer whose social media postings were filled with anti-Trump and anti-Republican rhetoric brought a round of recriminations from some Arizona Republicans who blamed the “left” for the attack.
Dems see tough primary as the way to a gubernatorial win
The Democratic gubernatorial candidates crave a scrappy primary race in 2018, one they hope will produce a candidate strong enough to unseat Republican incumbent, Gov. Doug Ducey.
Wrap up with Katie Hobbs
Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix, led Democrats in her chamber through yet another session where the minority party tried and failed to substantively change the budget. But the Phoenix Democrat found a few reasons to be pleased with the session, while mostly remaining frustrated by Republican legislative victories.
Wrap up with Rebecca Rios
In her first year as House Democratic leader, Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, a longtime lawmaker, was hopeful that her caucus could take a rare vote in favor of a GOP-backed budget. But when the budget didn’t go far enough toward investing in Arizona’s teachers, House Democrats held true to their beliefs and their prom-ises, and voted against the budget package.
Passage of election consolidation – from the Capitol to the courthouse
Republicans who pushed for Senate Bill 1152 intending to spark a lawsuit over consolidated elections will likely get their wish.
Testy session, debates marked by use of ‘impugning’ rule in House
Throughout the 2017 legislative session, the House floor was a hotbed of animosity, as Democratic lawmakers repeatedly tested the boundaries of what they could say about their colleagues, and Republican lawmakers repeatedly tested the limits of how far the chamber’s rules could stretch to limit speech.