Tag Archives: Arizona

The Arizona Mirror reports: Every day, the House and Senate open their floor sessions with a prayer that is meant to be non-denominational, but Republicans who control both chambers have long only allowed Christians to speak. But Rep. Lupe Diaz (R-Benson), who is also a minister, went a step further in his opening prayer Monday, and spent nearly five minutes …

From Arizona Democratic US Rep. Raul Grijalva: A few weeks ago, I sought medical treatment for a persistent cough which was initially diagnosed as pneumonia. After further testing and imaging, my physician discovered that I have cancer. This diagnosis has been difficult to process, but I am confident in the vigorous course of treatment that my medical team has developed, …

The Arizona Republic reports: A Maricopa County judge will allow election officials to seek sanctions against former attorney general candidate and current U.S. House candidate Abe Hamadeh after tossing out a lawsuit seeking to challenge the results of the 2022 election. Judge Susanna Pineda’s Monday ruling consolidated two lawsuits that questioned the signature comparison methods used to verify mail-in votes …

Axios reports: After just nine months, the Arizona Republican Party’s new headquarters is about to become its old headquarters. The building on Central Avenue across from Park Central mall has major financial and logistical downsides that could have hindered the party in an election year, chair Gina Swoboda tells Axios. The party’s leadership voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to sell the …

The Associated Press reports: An Ohio man who acknowledged making death threats in voicemails left for then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs during the 2022 election season was sentenced Monday to 2 1/2 years in prison. Joshua Russell of Bucyrus, Ohio, had pleaded guilty in late August to a federal charge of making an interstate threat against Hobbs, a Democrat …

Courthouse News reports: Arizona’s House Education Committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow public school teachers and administrators to post and discuss the Ten Commandments in the classroom. State Senator Anthony Kern [photo], the bill’s sponsor, says the Ten Commandments shaped the country’s heritage. “Our history is the Ten Commandments,” the Republican from Glendale told the committee Tuesday afternoon. …

Politico reports: Kari Lake hasn’t given up the election conspiracy theories. The Arizona MAGA darling is asking the Supreme Court to revive a lawsuit that seeks to ban electronic voting machines. That lawsuit was filed during Lake’s failed 2022 gubernatorial bid. Lake and Mark Finchem, a fellow election conspiracy theorist who lost the Arizona secretary of state race in the …

The Arizona Mirror reports: A bid to make birth control a right in Arizona that was a top policy priority for Gov. Katie Hobbs has stagnated in the Republican-controlled legislature and is likely dead. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, the No. 2 Republican in the state Senate, responded to a question about whether he would oppose future efforts to restrict access to …

CNN reports: Prosecutors in Arizona have issued several grand jury subpoenas in recent weeks to people connected to efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election in that state, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The subpoenas suggest the state-level probe is accelerating ahead of the 2024 presidential election, when Trump is …

Law & Crime reports: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake failed to keep Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer’s (R) defamation lawsuit on hold Tuesday, meaning the case move towards discovery and trial. In an orders list, the Arizona Supreme Court, having denied Lake’s petition for review, rejected the attorneys’ fees request and ordered the stay lifted. The allegedly defamatory Lake …

Bloomberg News reports: Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said she won’t run for a second term, ending prospects for a turbulent three-way race in one of the nation’s most politically competitive states. Sinema, who switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent in 2022, said she won’t run for re-election in a statement released Tuesday. Read the full article. …

NBC News reports: Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican candidate running for Senate, has proclaimed abortion “the ultimate sin,” said abortion pills should be illegal, and praised laws to restrict reproductive rights in other conservative-led states. Lake now says she believes Arizona will settle on a rule that offers access to abortion up to 15 to 24 weeks. She called the …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge is upholding provisions of new Arizona laws that would require counties to verify the status of registered voters who haven’t provided proof of U.S. citizenship and cross-check voter registration information with various government databases. In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton concluded Arizona legislators did not discriminate when they adopted the …

From the Justice Department: An Alabama man was arrested today in Cullman, Alabama, for allegedly sending threatening messages to election workers with Maricopa County Elections in Phoenix. Brian Jerry Ogstad, 59, of Cullman, made his initial appearance today at the federal courthouse in Huntsville. From the day of the election through on or about Aug. 4, 2022, Ogstad allegedly sent …

The Arizona Republic reports: For the second time in a month, Senate candidate Kari Lake is scheduled to hold a fundraiser hosted by someone who has promoted the QAnon and other fringe conspiracy theories online. This time, she’ll be joined by one of the U.S. Senate’s highest-ranking Republicans. Lake and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the chair of the Senate Republican …

Axios reports: Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema faces an uphill battle and a dwindling timeline if she wants to run for re-election. The first-term senator, who left the Democratic party in 2022, has remained tight-lipped about her political future. If she decides to run, she’ll set up a rare three-way competitive contest in a race that could determine control of the …

Arizona Central reports: House Bill 2876 would kill Arizona’s phenomenally popular, three-decade-old early voting program that is used by nearly 90% of voters. Henceforth, only those who are aged, infirm or out of state on Election Day would be able to cast an early ballot. HB 2876, ending early voting and mandating a return to precinct polling, was approved Wednesday …

Phoenix’s NBC affiliate reports: Clint Hickman announced Thursday he would not seek reelection to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Hickman, a Republican, is the second supervisor this cycle to forgo another opportunity to serve as part of the five-member board. Abuse targeted at Hickman and other elections officials can …

Raw Story reports: Republicans in the Arizona House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would seek to declare former President Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 presidential election — regardless of what the voters decide, reported KPNX’s Brahm Resnik. The resolution would not carry any force of law because it is not a bill, noted Resnik. It is …

The Arizona Republic reports: Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman strong-armed a bill through the Senate Government Committee that would prohibit the display of “satanic memorials, statues, altars or displays, or any other method of representing or honoring Satan” on public property in Arizona. In arguing for Senate Bill 1279, Hoffman said, “It is a desecration of our public property in …