Briefs
Charter school association head stepping down after election
Arizona Charter Schools Association President and CEO Eileen Sigmund is leaving the organization after more than 11 years at its helm, amid a series of controversies in recent months.
National spotlight shines on Christine Marsh
The race for the state Senate in Legislative District 28 got some national press today, courtesy of a piece in Teen Vogue on Christine Marsh’s transformation from high school teacher to Democratic candidate for elected office.
Top of the ticket may not be much help for Democrats
If the reputed blue wave of 2018 is coming to Arizona, it isn’t apparent from early ballot returns -- and the top of the ticket could be a factor in why Democrats aren’t seeing a surge of excitement.
Corp Comm candidate Sears being investigated by AG for disclosure violation
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating Kiana Sears, one of the Democratic candidates for Corporation Commission, for violating state campaign finance law. The investigation comes after Harry Young, a voter in Mayer, filed a complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office in September detailing several LLCs owned in part by Sears that were not included […]
Puerto Rico not sending its inmates to Arizona as planned
Plans made public in August that would have seen Puerto Rico transfer inmates to Arizona have been scrapped, but the island’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) is still looking to transfer over a thousand people from its prison population to the mainland.
AZ GOP lawmakers targeted by Dem group for ‘extremist ties’
The Huffington Post yesterday reported on how D.C.-based groups that help elect Republicans to state legislatures across the country are silent when GOP lawmakers voice racist views and embrace extremist groups. Among them are two Arizona legislators. HuffPo singled out Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, and Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, for their ties to radical […]
How other countries may use our campaign finance laws against us
As Robert Mueller and others continue to investigate if there is a connection between President Donald J. Trump and Russia during the 2016 election, money continues to flow into our elections, some of which may be illegally coming from people or entities outside of the United States and is being shielded by holes in regulations that allow for anonymous spending on campaigns, according to a recent report.
Dem challengers fight 50-year trend in general elections
The Democratic challengers to Gov. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich must compete not only with voter registration numbers that favor the GOP, but with a 50-year trend that favors incumbents in statewide races.
AZ a case-study in billionaire ballot spending
The Arizona efforts of California billionaire Tom Steyer to bankroll an Arizona ballot measure to increase the renewable energy requirements on utilities was highlighted today in a report by the Center for Public Integrity on out-of-state billionaires influencing ballot measure elections across the country.
How is Arizona’s constitution amended?
Arizona’s Constitution has been amended over 150 times since Arizona moved from territory to statehood in 1912 but what exactly goes into creating an amendment?
‘Privacy’ for political spenders as important as government transparency, say ‘dark money’ advocates
In a wide-ranging 90-minute talk about the importance of anonymous spending in American politics, Goldwater Institute attorney Matt Miller and National Review Senior Writer David French discussed a recent wave of campaign finance disclosure laws and ordinances across the country. “Privacy for the citizen is as vital as transparency from the government,” French said during […]
Arizona ACT scores dip, state ranks near bottom
Arizona high school students graduating in 2018 placed 45th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in performance on the ACT college-entrance exam.