The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Votes are still being counted, but an early look at Arizona's 2022 primary race shows in what direction it's heading. Maybe the most important thing to know is that former President Donald Trump's preferred candidates are doing well. In the U.S. Senate race, Blake Masters beat out his four rivals on the Republican ticket. And in the state Senate, House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who famously rejected Trump’s requests to help sidestep voters in the 2020 election, is losing to Trump-endorsed David Farnsworth. Eyes are still on one of the most contentious races. The Republican gubernatorial contest between Trump-backed Kari Lake and Mike Pence-backed Karrin Taylor Robson is in a virtual tie. The winner will face Democrat Katie Hobbs. This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen gives an inside look into the Republic newsroom on election night. He is joined by reporters Stacey Barchenger, Mary Jo Pitzl, Tara Kavaler and Ray Stern as they analyze the early results and what they could mean for voters in the November general election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The battle for the soul of the Republican party took center stage in Arizona. Last week, our state saw visits on the same day from former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. They talked about some of the same priorities, from border security to economic growth. But their differences now really define them. With thousands on hand, Trump took aim at the Biden administration and Republicans who haven’t joined his false claims of a stolen election. Those include Pence and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. Meanwhile in Peoria, Pence and Ducey held a more intimate gathering of hundreds of supporters in hand for gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, a GOP rival of Lake's. Both sides are battling for the future of the GOP. Trump commanded a much larger crowd. Does that mean he’s winning? In this week's Gaggle, host Ron Hansen is joined by Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger to unpack what a Trump and Pence endorsement can do for Arizona's primary candidates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol has been meeting publicly for over a month now. So far, its investigation into the uprising has uncovered new information making it clear former President Donald Trump and his political team were involved in inciting the mob. Arizona, the state with the closest contest in the 2020 election and some of the staunchest Trump allies on Capitol Hill, is a recurring topic in the hearings. Because Arizona's state Legislature was controlled by Republicans, Trump and his allies made the state one of the key targets of their pressure campaign to sidestep voters. This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by Republic reporter Richard Ruelas. Ruelas has covered the extremist groups involved at the insurrection. Together, they recap how Arizonans were linked to the Jan. 6 uprising and the hearings that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a year after being implemented, the independent office that investigates police misconduct is under threat of being a little less independent. House Bill 2721 ensures that all Arizona entities investigating police departments have police officers on the investigation team from the same agency being investigated. And those officers must make up at least two-thirds of the investigating body. The bill is sponsored by Representative John Kavanagh, a Republican from Fountain Hills – who is currently running for the Arizona Senate. On its heels is another bill that would criminalize recording video of police within eight feet or less. Both bills were recently signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. The Phoenix Police department has been under intense scrutiny after allegations of abuse, excessive force and discrimination by the department’s officers came to light. The Department of Justice opened a far-reaching investigation into these claims last year. In this episode of The Gaggle, we take a closer look at how these new laws will affect policing and police accountability in our state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the start of a new fiscal year looming, Republicans and Democrats came to a deal that resulted in a state budget of nearly $18 billion for 2022-23. More money for infrastructure, education and water issues and raises to state employees are included in the spending package. This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, guest host Amanda Luberto talks with Arizona Republic state politics reporters Mary Jo Pitzl and Stacey Barchenger to break down how the legislation will affect you, and the whole state, moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 24th, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the longstanding constitutional right to abortion. It came months after a leaked document suggested the Court’s decision to strike down Roe V. Wade. The 5-4 ruling now leaves it to the states to set their own abortion laws. In some states, abortion rights are protected no matter the national ruling. In others, abortion became immediately illegal. Arizona is in a gray zone. This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen in joined by two Arizona Republic reporters to help give a better understanding on where Arizona stands in a post-Roe world. The show is first joined by health reporter Stephanie Innes and later on, state politics reporter Ray Stern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drive down any street these days and you’re likely to see campaign signs sprouting up like strange mushrooms all along the corners of intersections and roadsides. It can only mean one thing: elections are around the corner. We are picking through the notable races and candidates you should pay attention to ahead of the primaries on Aug. 2. In this episode, we take a closer look at who’s running for a congressional seat in Washington D.C. Lorna Romero of Elevate Strategies and a Republican, and Eric Chalmers of Strategies 360, a Democrat, walk us through who's running, who stands out, and who has the likeliest chance of winning a seat in Congress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Doug Ducey heads the Republican Governors Association, offering him national relevance in the final year of his tenure in Arizona. Here in Arizona, the race to replace him is in full swing. with no one really offering what he has. As the Aug. 2 primary approaches, The Gaggle is covering the state's most competitive races, including who is running and how they stack up. Last week, the focus was on the state Legislature. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is first joined by Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger to discuss the Republicans and Democrats squaring off in the governor's race. Later, Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl joins to inform about the secretary of state's race, a contest getting attention for the first time in a long time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early voting in the Arizona primaries is rapidly approaching. With that in mind, The Gaggle is focusing on the notable contests. While, many eyes are focused on the governor’s race and whether or not Senator Mark Kelly will keep his seat in Congress, we can’t forget that the state legislature can really move Arizona’s political needle. In this episode, our own state politics reporter, Ray Stern will help us make sense of the primaries to watch in the state House and Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 24, America experienced another horrible mass shooting. An 18-year-old gunman in Uvalde, Texas, massacred 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Salvador Ramos opened fire with an AR-15-style assault rifle in a fourth-grade classroom before an officer killed him to end the rampage. It is the deadliest school shooting since the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. The violence in Texas still shocks, but it doesn’t feel new. The political response seemed more combative, more quickly, in another sign of America’s all-too-familiar political stalemate over gun violence. Polling shows large majorities of Americans favor at least some greater restrictions on access to firearms, yet the issue is scarcely discussed on Capitol Hill. At the state level, it’s a different story. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by Republic reporter Rafael Carranza, who reported from Uvalde. UCLA professor Christopher Poliquin also joined the show to discuss how lawmakers react to these tragedies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freshman state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, has been among the most prominent voices lying about the 2020 presidential election. But her bombast goes well past political puffery. After the recent massacre in Buffalo that police believe was at the hands of a white racist, Rogers crossed a line in a vague social media post that fueled a conspiracy that the slayings were part of a federal false-flag operation. Nearly all her Arizona Senate colleagues voted for an ethics investigation, but they limited their scrutiny to a seven-word post after the slayings in which she noted that “Fed boy summer has started in Buffalo.” They rejected a Democratic measure to immediately expel her. The Senate Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday on the investigation into Rogers and her tweet. In this episode, Brian Levin, a national expert on hate and extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, joins The Gaggle. He explains how Rogers and the rise of extremists in Arizona compares to what is happening more widely across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the nation's elections under siege from other nations and their integrity in question from many Americans, Ken Matta, Arizona's longtime elections security director, has stepped down. Matta worked under Republicans and Democrats and oversaw 32 elections. He ran nearly 203,000 test ballots to verify the accuracy of the state's election machines. Now, Matta is moving into the private sector as the state prepares for elections that will again test public confidence. In this episode of The Gaggle, we speak to Matta about his tenure as an elections security officer, what he saw during his years of service and why he trusts our elections process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rate of inflation has been on many people's minds lately, from the gas pump to the housing market to the grocery store. The main driver of inflation has been consumer demand and supply chain issues that have lingered as the COVID-19 pandemic slows down. It is currently affecting Americans day to day, and more than half of the country says it's now impacting their long-term financial goals. In a speech Tuesday, President Joe Biden addressed the rising inflation issues but spoke more about putting the blame on Republicans rather than a plan to combat it. Voters have a chance to show their frustration at the polls this election year. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by pollster Paul Bentz. He's senior vice president at High Ground Public Affairs Consultants and joins The Gaggle to discuss how inflation going to impact voters' decisions in the upcoming election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many regulations and limitations that went into effect around the beginning of COVID-19 are gone. You’re allowed back inside restaurants, you can buy as many rolls of toilet paper at once as you’d like, and you don’t have to wear a mask while doing either. And now added to the list of regulations that will be lifted is Title 42. Title 42 is a public health code that was established in 1944 as a part of the Public Health Services Act. It gives the United States the ability to deny entry of non-citizens in the case of disease that could be seen as a serious danger to the U.S. It was rarely used but was put into effect in March 2020 when the spread of COVID-19 became more serious. Since then, it has been used more than 1.7 million times by Customs and Border Protection. President Joe Biden’s administration announced it will rescind the current policy later in May after more than two years, but not everyone agrees that it’s the right move. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by Arizona Republic reporters Rafael Carranza and Clara Migoya to parse through Title 42, how it is affecting Arizona's border, and what the future holds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel ended her three-year tenure as the county's top prosecutor in a hospital amid concerns that she was losing her battle with alcohol abuse and after her top section chiefs noted they didn’t think she was up to the job. Adel's resignation sparked a dash to qualify for the election to replace her and a lightning round of interviews for an interim boss. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has appointed Republican Rachel Mitchell as the interim county attorney to finish out Adel's term, which ends this fall. Candidates to run for the office in the 2022 election had just two weeks to file paperwork and gather signatures to qualify for the August primaries in their bid to take over one of the largest prosecutorial teams in the country. All this begs the question: What's next for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of refugees are waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border. This might sound like old-news, but these asylum-seekers are getting through the border. What makes them different from the previous waves of migrants is that these people are from Ukraine. More than 2,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border at Tijuana into San Diego. President Biden has ordered border agents to process any Ukrainians seeking sanctuary in the U.S. He says the United States will accept up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. But why exactly are Ukrainians coming to the U.S. through Mexico from Europe amid the war in their homeland? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, Arizonans voted to legalize recreational marijuana, and it opened the door for both local and national marijuana companies to flood the market. But cannabis is not as highly regulated in Arizona as one might expect. We are in the wild west of marijuana production and that means some corners are cut and standards aren’t always consistent. Some cannabis companies have failed to keep their products free of contaminants. Arizona, like most states with legal marijuana and testing rules, requires growers to submit the products to state-licensed labs before marijuana is sold on dispensary shelves. But in unlike other states, regulators here don't do their own testing to ensure the weed is safe. In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, an azcentral.com podcast, Arizona Republic business reporter, Ryan Randazzo talks about how he got a lab to test products he bought, and how results came back showing some of that cannabis was contaminated with a pesticide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill into law that would ban women from getting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. He also signed a bill targeting transgender youth. The law bans gender affirming surgeries for people under 18 and bans transgender girls from participating on women's athletic teams at public or private schools that compete against public schools, including at the collegiate level. Supporters say the abortion restriction protects women from the emotional and physical trauma of undergoing abortions and saves lives. Supporters of the bill impacting transgender youth say it protects children and women’s sports. One of those proud supporters is Cathi Herrod. Herrod is the president of the Center for Arizona Policy, a socially conservative non-profit advocacy organization. Those who have followed state politics since the center’s start in 1995 probably have heard of her. The center has have been instrumental in helping pass numerous socially conservative laws in its 27 years. The center promotes what it refers to as the foundational principles of life, religious freedoms and family values. Herrod has served as president since 2006. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez sat down with Herrod to discuss her recent successes and the center's future legislation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Doug Ducey has signed a controversial abortion bill into law. The new law, which won’t take effect until the fall, outlaws abortions after 15 weeks – with no exceptions for rape or incest. Those who oppose abortion rights Pro-life advocates are hailing the new law as a huge success in the fight to protect the unborn. But those who support abortion rights describe it as heavy-handed government intrusion into personal medical decisions … as well as deepening racial disparities in health care access. By enacting one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, Arizona joins other Republican-led states chipping away at Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion rights, that is currently expected to be reined in by the high court this term. This week on The Gaggle, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by Arizona Republic politics reporter Stacey Barchenger. Together they break down what Arizona’s upcoming abortion law does and what it does not do, how this plays into the agenda for Ducey and Republicans nationally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years ago in Arizona, and in most of the world, conditions were starting to feel apocalyptic. After sweeping across China and Europe, the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, made its way to America. The nation was suddenly locked in quarantine. Grocery store shelves were barren of essentials. Workers were laid off by the millions. Life as we knew it was upended and no one how bad it would get or how long it would last. Around this time, Gov. Doug Ducey took some of his first executive actions on COVID-19. All elective surgeries were halted to make room in hospitals for coronavirus patients. Restaurants were closing but were allowed to start serving alcohol to go. Two very strange years later, it seems that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez is joined by two Arizona Republic reporters to help take stock of it all. Stephanie Innes covers health and walks through the timeline from March 2020 to March 2022. Russ Wiles is a business reporter and he shares how Arizona is surviving financially and economically compared with the rest of the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel announced she will resign from her position on Friday, March 25. This comes after months of dismay regarding how she is leading one of the nation’s largest prosecutorial teams. Her time as County Attorney comes to an end amidst scrutiny that she is not fit for office after her staff raised concern regarding her battle with alcohol abuse. Arizona Republic investigative reporter Robert Anglen recently noted that 180 cases fell apart because of her procedural failures. Her impending departure means there will be a special election to replace her, and not a lot of time to qualify to run. As of yesterday, Julie Gunnigle, who ran against Adel in 2020, collected enough signatures to run. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Ron Hansen talk with Robert Anglen about Adel's resignation and what will happen next to replace her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican state lawmakers are scrambling to undo parts of a law they fast-tracked to change the way party activists become party officials. Precinct committee members, or PCs, are not people the casual voters will know, but they play a key role in shaping party politics and who runs for political office. Republicans quickly pushed through election changes that reflect the state's new political boundaries after last year's redistricting process. The governor signed the bill the same day. To the surprise of the grassroots and lawmakers themselves, the law also eliminated elections for PCs. Changing the law it requires a legislative super-majority, and the Democrats aren't eager to help Republicans fix their mistake. Sparks are flying on both sides of the aisle. In this episode of The Gaggle, The Republic's state government reporter, Mary Jo Pitzl, joins hosts Ron Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez to discuss the unexpected drama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney labeled U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar a moron over the Arizona Republican's association with a political conference organized by a white nationalist. Another participant, Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers of Flagstaff, was censured by the Arizona state Senate for threatening comments she made to her colleagues. It was the first time in three decades a senator was publicly censured by her own party. It was a move applauded by Gov. Doug Ducey, who had been slow to condemn her remarks. The rise of extremism in the Arizona GOP has grown over the past few years, with concerns also raised over the actions of Kelli Ward, chair of the Republican Party of Arizona. Recently, the U.S. House Committee that is investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol issued subpoenas to her. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with political historian Matthew Dallek. They discuss how these fringe views became more mainstream and what it means for the future of politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservatives from Arizona and elsewhere took aim at President Joe Biden while outlining their preferred policy agenda during annual gatherings in Orlando last week. Among those on hand were several notable Arizonans, including U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a former Fox 10 anchor. Also last weekend, far-right extremists heard from U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff. The Conservative Political Action Conference and America First Political Action Conference drummed up grievances against Biden and promoted former President Donald Trump. In today's episode, The Republic's Stacey Barchenger joins Gaggle hosts Ron Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez to dissect the what happened and what it means in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early weeks after the 2020 election, Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, resisted direct appeals by President Donald Trump and key allies to participate in a scheme to set aside the certified election results in Arizona. He’s still getting lobbied by some in that orbit, and Bowers is still pushing back. His support was recently sought He recently received a recent effort to get his support on a bill to decertify the 2020 presidential election results. That effort was previously unknown. At the outset of this year’s legislative session, Bowers emphatically killed one bill that would have banned voting machines and mail voting, among other things. Bowers assigned the bill to 12 House committees, effectively ensuring its demise. He also came out against another bill that would set aside the 2020 presidential results. Bowers called the legislation “profoundly unwise.” That bill was introduced by Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, a loyalist to former President Donald Trump. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen wanted to hear directly from the speaker. He is an artist by trade who is charting a decidedly different path than many in his party these days. The Gaggle met with Bowers in his office to discuss his relationship with Republican Party, previously unseen documents related to the 2020 presidential election results, and his future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Dec. 14, 2020, 11 Republicans met at the Arizona party headquarters. There they signed a document falsely claiming they were the “duly elected and qualified” electors for the state of Arizona. But the truth of the matter was that they were anything but. Now the House committee investigating the January 6th attack subpoenaed two Arizonans who signed that false document. In this week's Gaggle reporter Richard Ruelas joins Yvonne Wingett Sanchez to explain what was happening with the Arizona GOP electors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's career in the office has been connected to her health since before she was elected. She had been appointed to the position and was recovering from a life-threatening fall and major brain surgery when election results showed she had won the job. She returned to her office in March, only to step away in August 2021 while she entered rehab for anxiety, alcohol abuse and an eating disorder. Now, according to an investigation by Arizona Republic reporter Robert Anglen, staffers have expressed concern over her sobriety and absence in key meetings. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, Anglen joins host Ron Hansen is joined by Robert Anglen to discuss these allegations and what the next steps could be for Adel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 continues to grip our state as attempts to return to a semblance of normalcy hobble along. After two years of data collection, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that Arizona has the second highest COVID-19 death rate in the country. For most of January, Arizona has reported an average roughly around 20,000 new infections daily. This is the stage set for schools this semester. Last week on The Gaggle we heard from our own education reporter and the executive director of Arizona Schools Administration about what the situation looks like on the ground. This week, we turn our attention to the capitol and the bills that could affect schools and their ability to defend against the coronavirus. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with Mary Jo Pitzl, state government reporter, and Stacey Barchenger, who covers the Ducey administration for The Arizona Republic about how the Arizona legislature is dealing with COVID and schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past few weeks, parents of school-aged children have all had the same experience of getting their kids ready for school. You grab their backpack, their lunch, a snack and, for the third year in a row, you grab their mask. The COVID-19 variant omicron is twice as contagious as the delta variant and at least four times as contagious as the first strain we experienced in March 2020. Currently, the omicron variant has resulted in the highest number of COVID-19 cases Arizona has seen in months. This has some parents nervous about their K-12 children returning to class in 2022. But schools that don’t return in person run the risk of losing school funding. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with Yana Kunichoff. She is the k-12 education reporter at the Arizona Republic. She joins the podcast to dive into what is going on within Arizona’s public school system about the coronavirus, how schools are staying open and what that could mean for parents and students moving forward. Later in the episode, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez talks with Mark Joranstaad, executive director of the Arizona Schools Administration, for a look on in the inside of the operation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Legislature is in full swing, marked by several notable highlights. There are a large number of new lawmakers, and it is Doug Ducey’s last year in the governor’s office. Politicians are gearing up for the bills they want to pass in the third straight session affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of questions are circling the copper dome at the Capitol. But one in particular is loitering in the wings: Can Arizona lawmakers come together to make real decisions this year? Or will they get bogged down in political fights? Ray Stern, Arizona state politics reporter, and Mary Jo Pitzl, state government reporter, join The Gaggle today to hash out what the 2022 session holds for Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Gov. Doug Ducey kicked off the 2022 legislative session by delivering his final State of the State. His eight years as governor of Arizona will come to an end in January 2023, and people are closely watching how his last year will unfold. Tax cuts, COVID-19 response, school choice and school spending and border security are among topics Ducey mentioned in his speech. The governor also invoked the words of his high school football coach, who told players to play the game to the bitter end. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with Daniel Scarpinato. He served as Ducey’s chief of staff from 2018 to 2021 but has been a part of his team since 2014. He advised Ducey on the Governor's State of the State speech and is now a partner at Ascent Media, a national advertising and political consulting firm. They break down the final State of the State speech, what can be expected from Ducey's last year in office, and the shifting political winds that will affect the 2022 election cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an eventful 2021, it's shaping up to be another busy year in Arizona politics. The congressional and legislative district maps have been redrawn for the next 10 years, a U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs, and no matter what happens, Arizona will get a new governor. As we look ahead into 2022, the hosts of The Gaggle, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen, cover some of the biggest stories we are prepping for this year. Joined by fellow Arizona Republic reporters, The Gaggle breaks down redistricting, the Senate race and what Gov. Doug Ducey might do next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are taking off this week to celebrate Christmas and New Years. Be sure to catch up on our Democracy in Doubt series where we take a deep dive into Arizona's ballot review. All five episodes are available. Happy Holidays! We'll be with you in the new year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2021 will be known as a big year in Arizona politics. An unprecedented investigation into the voting system in Maricopa County made national headlines and the behavior of Arizona politicians made Saturday Night Live punchlines. As the year comes to a close, the hosts of The Gaggle, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen, cover the biggest stories from 2021. Joined by fellow Arizona Republic reporters, The Gaggle breaks down the Jan. 6th Capitol riot, the ballot recount, the rise of GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, the unease of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., within her own party, and how COVID-19 affected universities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs issued a ‘new’ apology and acknowledged discrimination took place at the legislature related to then Democractic Senate Aide, Talonya Adams. Hobbs, who in 2015 was the Senate Democratic leader, said in an interview with The Arizona Republic that she recognized that her initial response fell short of taking accountability and that it was unnecessarily defensive. Adams said she was discriminated against on the basis of race and sex – that when she repeatedly raised questions about her pay and working conditions with supervisors, she was fired – a maneuver she argued was retaliation for questioning the process. Adams, who is African American, filed a discrimination lawsuit contending she was unfairly being paid less than white, male colleagues. A motion filed by then Senate lawyer Michael Moberly said Adams ‘simply expressed a desire to discuss a potential raise because her workload had increased, and she had not received a raise during the time she had been employed at the Senate.’ As it turned out, the legislative policy adviser affirmed Adams did earn less than many white, male colleagues. A federal jury last month awarded Adams $2.75 million, ruling she ‘was’ fired for questioning the pay gap. Because of laws capping damages, she will actually receive no more than $300,000. Hobbs released a three-minute apology video via Twitter earlier this month – a mea culpa that included everything from Talonya Adams to her lack of accountability to her limited experience with racism. But was this apology sincere or a part of a larger strategy to help her become the next governor of Arizona? In this week's Gaggle episode, national politics reporter Ron Hansen examines this question and more of the fallout between Secretary Hobbs and Adams with Stacey Barchenger, the Republic’s state politics reporter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods died of a heart attack on October 23, 2021, at the age of 67. He spent years as a Republican politician in Arizona, often crossing party lines to side with Democratic causes. Woods was known as a fighter who stood up for what was right, even when it wasn’t popular. He will forever be remembered as an authentic Arizonan. The former Republican Arizona Attorney General was celebrated at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix on November 23rd. The memorial brought crowds of family, friends, and those who respected Woods. To remember his life as a politician, a lawyer, and a person, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen invite EJ Montini to the show. Montini is a columnist for the Arizona Republic who wrote about Woods after his passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August, when COVID-19 seemed to be receding as a health problem, and as public schools ramped up for in-person education lessons with masking mandates, Gov. Doug Ducey offered parents who didn’t like those rules an alternative. He said the state would provide vouchers worth up to $7,000 per student to those approved for a grant intended to sidestep masking, promote in-person learning and use federal emergency stimulus funds to do so. Stacey Barchenger, who covers the Ducey administration for The Arizona Republic, has gone over the records to see how the early stages of the controversial new program are working out. A closer examination of the program reveals that it’s not just the U.S. Department of Education, public schools across Arizona and public health officials who are unhappy with it so far. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, host Ronald J. Hansen speaks with Barchenger about the demand for vouchers, how the state is doing at approving requests, the allocation of money and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are taking off this week to celebrate Thanksgiving. If you didn't catch the series, Democracy in Doubt, last week about Arizona's ballot review, all five episodes are available. Happy Thanksgiving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GOP lawmakers from at least 18 states trekked to the desert during triple-digit heat to study the process, pose for pictures, battle members of the mainstream press and help push former President Donald Trump’s baseless concern for a stolen election. The election review was started almost singlehandedly by Senate President Karen Fann at the behest of Trump, his allies and some members of her own caucus, and now it’s coming to an end. In the fifth and final episode of Democracy in Doubt, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen dive into those who championed the ballot review, like One America News’ Christina Bobb, why Ken Bennett was treated like a pariah, Trumps return to Arizona, who claimed the numbers were ‘made up’ and the fallout of those involved. In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic dug into the election review by examining text messages, emails, public records and court records, many made public after the news outlet sued the state for access. Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Experts dismissed the 'audit' as worthless. But it also helped the GOP and related interests rake in millions and keep the cause of Donald Trump alive. In episode four of a five-episode series, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen dig deep to find out if the Arizona election review was about election integrity or just Trump – how Arizona State President Karen Fann chose partisans with little experience with ballot reviews, which former GOP chair consulted from the shadows and more. In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic examined a trove of text messages, emails and court records, many made public after suing the state for access. Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The nearly 8-hour insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol failed to overturn election results. Congress certified Joe Biden’s presidential win after hours of violence and bloodshed. In episode three of a five-episode series, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen detail the narrative of a stolen election pressed by Trump, Gosar and Biggs. It was echoed by millions of the president’s followers and encouraged state Senate President Karen Fann to push ahead with a partisan ballot review. Once again, Arizona found its way back into the spotlight as a hotbed of partisan extremism and a magnet for those pushing election conspiracies. In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic examined a trove of text messages, emails and court records, many made public after suing the state for access. Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second of a five-episode series, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen break down Rudy Giuliani’s audacious pitch in Dec. 2020 to reverse Arizona election results ­– a plan that would involve the help of Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann. Trump and his allies, including Giuliani, had for weeks pointed to purported irregularities in Arizona, claiming they contributed to a stolen election. A day earlier, Giuliani headlined a meeting at a Phoenix hotel where he and other Arizona Republicans presented claims of widespread voter fraud. The next 35 days would see divisions within the party, talk of subpoenas, more White House calls and then, Jan. 6. In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic interviewed dozens of people who were in and around the effort to alter the election outcome and the ballot review that for months sustained outrage over Trump’s loss. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations. The Republic also reviewed thousands of pages of documents obtained through public records requests and in an ongoing lawsuit against the Senate and the company it hired to conduct the ballot review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the course of four months, The Republic examined a trove of text messages, emails and court records, many made public after suing the state for access. Reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations. The Republic uncovered efforts to circumvent the popular vote to engineer an illegitimate Trump victory. Once the results were certified, Trump and his allies shifted to a campaign to pressure local Republicans to overturn election results from voters using an early ballot system largely shaped over decades by their own party. In this first of a five-episode series, Democracy in Doubt, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen walk you through the origins of the Arizona election review and how that state plunged into a fog of election conspiracies riven with partisanship and targeted by opportunists from across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives ended months of infighting among Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema helped broker. The historic legislation, along with a still-unfinished social spending bill, serves as a reminder of the Arizona Democrat's central role in what seems politically possible in Washington. A deal with the liberal wing of House Democrats allowed the physical infrastructure plan to proceed. It will boost spending on the nation's various deteriorating structures such as roads and bridges, water systems and expand broadband internet coverage. Progressive Democrats expect a vote on the $1.75 trillion human "Build Back Better" bill later this month. How will Sinema's moderate policies affect the Biden agenda, Democratic fortunes in the 2022 midterm elections, and her own future in the Senate? In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with Kyle Kondik. Kondik is a political analyst and the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Oct. 28, 2021, the five-member Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission adopted new lines for political districts in the state. The new legislative and congressional maps had little contention by the bipartisan commission. The general public now has 30 days to look over the proposed maps and share their thoughts before the finalization date of Dec. 22. The final decision will impact Arizona politics for the next decade. The draft maps are online for the public to view on the Independent Redistricting Commission website. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Ron Hansen talk with the head of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission Dr. Erika Neuberg about what has been proposed so far. Then, Arizona Republic reporter Ray Stern joins the show to break down what this will mean in upcoming elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona's congressional and legislative boundaries are being redrawn as part of a process that may seem tedious, but carries outsize importance to understanding the state's politics for the next decade. Arizona is one of the few states that uses an independent commission, rather than having state lawmakers draw their own maps. The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, as it is known, has two Democrats, two Republicans and one independent member who sits as the chair of the panel. The IRC presented a draft of a new map on Oct. 5, to receive feedback from the public. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with Yurij Rudensky, a redistricting expert for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program. Rudensky breaks down how Arizona's redistricting process compares to other states, and how public input can make a difference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The economics of the proposed spending of two major infrastructure bills along with a debate over raising the debt celling is playing out in Congress. There are three separate but important things happening. The first is the $1.2 trillion physical infrastructure bill that passed the Senate and waits action in the House. The second is the broader $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill that comprises much of President Joe Biden's political agenda. That measure is being scaled back because of concerns raised by both Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Third, Congress still needs to raise the debt celling to approve borrowing for previous spending. The deadline for that is in early December, and if Congress fails to raise the debt figure, it could create chaos in global financial markets. For now, Senate Republicans want Senate Democrats to pass that provision without their support. How does all the proposed Congress spending impact the nation's and Arizona's economy? In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with Arizona State University economics professor Dennis Hoffman. He breaks down how the long term investments could impact Arizonans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Doug Ducey's time in Arizona's highest office is coming to a close in little over a year, which means that the race to replace him is starting to accelerate. The primary election is on August 2, and eight candidates are looking to take his seat. Former Fox10 television news anchor Kari Lake is running for the Republican Party and was awarded the highly sought-after endorsement by former President Donald Trump at the end of September. Of her four competitors for the GOP spot, other candidates like Matt Salmon are looking for another shot at office. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is the party frontrunner. But Marco Lopez has experience in former President Barack Obama’s administration that could make him attractive to some voters. And Aaron Lieberman just announced he was retiring from the state House to focus on his gubernatorial bid. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen talk with Arizona Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger about the upcoming governor's race, including who is running and where they stand on key issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The liberal wing of the Democratic Party seems to be nearing its breaking point with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Over the weekend, members of the non-profit Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA, followed Sinema, D-Ariz., into a bathroom at Arizona State University. Activists recorded and shouted their grievances at her for not supporting more accommodating immigration reforms. Progressives' frustration with Sinema go beyond Arizona voters. A Saturday Night Live skit portrayed her as the senator derailing legislation central to the Biden administration, including the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure package. Sinema has said that is too expensive for her vote, but hasn’t said what she would support. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, speak with Emily Kirkland, executive director of Progress Arizona, a progressive community nonprofit. She's breaking down why the left is angry with Sinema and what they're doing about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last nearly 10 months, ballots from the 2020 election have been counted and recounted to ensure that there was no election fraud and that Arizona really did vote President Joe Biden into office. While the election review is still happening in other ways, the official reports from Cyber Ninjas confirmed that there was no fraud and that Joe Biden did win Arizona's 11 electoral votes. Leading the way through the ballot recount has been Senate President Karen Fann. She signed onto subpoenas to obtain materials from the county, and helped press the county to hand over its ballots and tabulation machines. And she has presided over various public proceedings involving the review. A year ago, most people didn’t know who Fann even was, but now she has international recognition. This week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by Arizona Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl. Mary Jo has covered the state legislature on and off for a long time and has watched Fann navigate the Capitol for more than a decade. She recently sat down with Fann to find out how she became synonymous with Maricopa County's ballot review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices