Two Republicans joined all Democrats on a House panel Wednesday to defeat a measure designed to make the cities of Tucson and Flagstaff pay for their higher minimum wages -- but not because the GOP lawmakers like the voter-approved boosts.

Republican legislative leadership expressed heavy criticism toward a freshman lawmaker for inviting a speaker who made unfounded allegations of bribery against several elected and appointed officials.

Former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office found in a March 2022 report that a range of voter fraud allegations stemming from the Arizona Senate’s audit of the 2020 Maricopa County election were either “unfounded” or couldn’t be corroborated. 

State lawmakers voted Tuesday to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, courting a likely lawsuit.

Republican lawmakers continue to take aim at Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ extraordinary inaugural ceremony fundraising. But their efforts might be limited to sending a message. In a letter sent earlier this week, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, asked Hobbs to report information relating to inaugural funding. 

Skepticism surrounding the 2020 and 2022 elections brought “subject-matter experts” into county board meetings, courts and legislative committees around Arizona. The experts contend their qualifications are applicable to assessing elections. But elections officials and those working in the elections field say the know-how touted by subject matter experts does not always translate and can, at times, be used as a tool to spread disinformation. 

A recent article headline published in the Arizona Capitol Times unfairly mischaracterized SB1108 – Senator Wendy Rogers’ income tax credit bill for businesses located in municipalities like Flagstaff and Tucson with higher wage mandates than the state wage mandate. The headline purports those cities to whom the bill would apply stand to lose. We disagree. 

Kari Lake has made a pivot. Sort of. If the central theme of her campaign for governor last year was the 2020 election – which she argued was fraudulent, rigged and generally stolen from former President Donald Trump – then the principal pillar of her post-election campaigning is the 2022 election. 

State lawmakers are moving to financially penalize cities that have a minimum wage higher than the rest of the state. And they are doing it in a way designed to get around restrictions that voters put on legislators in 2016 when they said cities can have their own base wages.

Former Arizona Treasurer Jeff DeWit is the new chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, scoring a decisive victory in a crowded race.