Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) says the Democratic Party is becoming the party of communists.
Hamadeh made the accusation in an interview with “The Afternoon Addiction” last week. He encouraged Americans to “fight” against the communist policies of the Democrats “at every level,” citing California as the prime example of a “paradise” destroyed by communist policies.
“You can’t name a city or state that’s more affordable that’s run by Democrats. Look at California. Only a Democrat could turn California, which was once paradise, into the place it is now, where you have homeless on the streets, you’ve got needles on the streets,” said Hamadeh. “We have to understand when we’re out there what we are fighting. The Democrats are turning much more communist. This is the march towards Marxism that we’re facing.”
The Democrats are running on affordability. What a joke.
You can't name a city or state that's more affordable that's run by Democrats. Look at California. Only a Democrat could turn California, which was once paradise, into the place it is now, where you have homeless on the… pic.twitter.com/Uci17ydSur
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) October 22, 2026
Since party can be predictive of affordability, Hamadeh said that local and state races also matter for quality and cost of living.
Data on affordability generally supports Hamadeh’s assessment.
U.S. News ranking on affordability, which includes the cost of living and housing affordability, ranks Arizona 35th in affordability: 35th in cost of living and 36th in housing affordability. Arizona has a Democratic triplex — meaning Democrats control the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office, and the secretary of state’s office — while Republicans control both chambers of the legislature.
California ranks 50th in affordability: 50th in cost of living and 50th in housing affordability.
The top ten states for affordability according to their rankings were:
#1: Mississippi, ranked 2nd in cost of living and 2nd in housing affordability;
#2: Arkansas, ranked 1st in cost of living and 3rd in housing affordability;
#3: West Virginia, ranked 9th in cost of living and 1st in housing affordability;
#4: Oklahoma, ranked 4th in cost of living and 5th in housing affordability;
#5: Louisiana, ranked 5th in cost of living and 6th in housing affordability;
#6: Iowa, ranked 3rd in cost of living and 8th in housing affordability;
#7: Alabama, ranked 7th in cost of living and 4th in housing affordability;
#8: South Dakota, ranked 6th in cost of living and 9th in housing affordability;
#9: Kentucky, ranked 12th in cost of living and 7th in housing affordability;
#10: North Dakota, ranked 8th in cost of living and 13th in housing affordability.
Of these top 10 most affordable states, all but one has a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control both the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature, and a Republican triplex. Kentucky has a Democratic governor while Republicans control the attorney general’s office, the secretary of state’s office, and both chambers of the state legislature.
Of the 10 least affordable states, all but two have a Democratic trifecta and a Democratic triplex. Florida, ranked 9th, and New Hampshire, ranked 10th, have Republican trifectas and triplexes.
The most affordable state with a Democratic trifecta and Democratic triplex is New Mexico, which ranked 13th for affordability overall. The next most affordable state with a Democratic trifecta and Democratic triplex is Maine, which ranked 24th.
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The owner of a small business in Glendale is suing the federal government for a raid in which it took money and property.
Ayala’s Mini Market, a money services business, was raided by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Internal Revenue Services (IRS) last February as part of a coordinated sting on 19 small businesses throughout the Valley.
Federal agents took an untold amount of cash, along with five phones, three computers, and business documents including cwhecks and receipts. HSI and the IRS obtained warrants marked under seal based on suspicion of structuring, a crime of evading reporting or recordkeeping requirements by breaking up large transactions into multiple small ones.
The Institute for Justice (IJ) is suing the federal government on behalf of Mario Ayala, the owner of Ayala’s Mini Market. IJ filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Tuesday.
IJ stated that Ayala was never advised of the crimes he allegedly committed or given a way to contest the seizure of his property. IJ attorney Betsy Sanz stated in a press release announcing the lawsuit that the seizure is unconstitutional and illegal.
“The government can’t take your stuff, disappear, and then never explain itself,” said Sanz. “For over a year and a half, the government has been holding Mario’s money and property. This prolonged seizure violates the Fourth Amendment and federal law. The government cannot hold onto your property indefinitely without explanation so it can eventually take it permanently using civil forfeiture.”
IJ is arguing that the seizure violates the Fourth Amendment by holding property indefinitely without justification; the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, which requires governmental forfeiture notices within 90 days of property seizure; and the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers Act, which prohibits property seizures where structuring is the only offense for which evidence exists.
The organization requested the return of Ayala’s property and the production of the complete warrant and application for the warrant with the affidavit supporting it.
Ayala said Ayala’s Mini Market is his American dream and how he provides for his family. According to Ayala, the seizure continues to cause harm to his family.
“This business is my American Dream and the government took years of my hard work without telling me what I did,” said Ayala. “This raid hurt me and my family. I hope this lawsuit gets my money back and helps make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
IJ considers civil forfeiture one of their pillars, or issues on which they take action; the organization aims to abolish civil forfeiture entirely. Civil forfeiture is when government entities seize personal property without charges or a criminal conviction.
Estimates in recent years reflect that law enforcement seizes tens of millions of dollars in cash and property every single year in Arizona. IJ estimated that Arizona brought in at least $729 million in state and federal forfeiture revenue from 2000 to 2023.
IJ also found that, from 2019 to 2023, half of the currency forfeitures in Arizona were less than $1,271. Nearly two-thirds of forfeitures were currency in that same time period.
IJ awarded Arizona a “D-” rating for its civil forfeiture laws.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The latest federal unemployment report reveals that unemployment fell in 17 states — but not Arizona.
The Joint Economic Committee’s (JEC) monthly State Employment Update reported that unemployment fell in 17 states and D.C., rose in nine states, and remained unchanged in 24 states.
Nationally, nonfarm payroll jobs, the unemployment rate, and the labor force participation rate all increased from August to September.
Arizona was one of the 24 states to experience an unchanged unemployment rate at 4.9%. In August, JEC reported that Arizona lost 5,500 net payroll jobs, compared to 300 last month.
The national unemployment rate is 4.2%.
Over the past 12 months, the state added nearly 19,000 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.5% from 4.4%.
Additionally, Arizona’s nonfarm payroll employment has increased in eight of the past 12 months. The state ranks 21st in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
The state also lost 2,800 private sector jobs in September, and 4,500 private sector jobs in August.
Last month, employment fell by nearly 7,600; over the past 12 months, employment has fallen by nearly 133,000.
The state’s labor force participation rate also fell, from 59.9% to 59.7% last month, marking a 10-year low for the state. In the past 12 months, the participation rate has fallen by 2.4%. With these rates, Arizona ranks 37th in the nation for labor force participation.
Arizona experienced a 10-year high for its labor force participation rate in November 2019, at 62.2%.
From August to September, the best performing sectors for employment were state and local government, an addition of 2,600 jobs, followed by other services, an addition of 600 jobs. The worst performing sectors were professional and business services, a loss of 1,600 jobs, and private education and health services, a loss of 1,300 jobs.
From September 2025 to September 2026, the best performing sectors for employment were private education and health services, an addition of 14,700 jobs, and professional and business services, an addition of 7,800 jobs. The worst performing sectors were leisure and hospitality, a loss of 8,800 jobs, and financial activities, a loss of 6,700 jobs.
Creeping and stagnant unemployment struggles have exacerbated worsening affordability issues, felt this year more than ever. Affordability is a key issue for both Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections; both parties have blamed the other for the growing lack of affordability that has hit Arizona especially hard.
Data analysis over the summer reported that Arizona is among the worst affected by the affordability crisis. More Arizona households have reported carrying above-average debt, and falling behind on payments at rates above the national average.
Arizona sits in the bottom half of the nation for average credit score, 666, and experienced the 10th-fastest drop in average household credit score among all states in 2025.
Auto loan debt was reported at 7% higher, credit card debt is 8% higher, and mortgage debt is 22% higher than the national average.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona’s first law school with graduates eligible for bar admission without American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation will be rooted in the Christian faith.
Grand Canyon University (GCU) recently received unanimous approval from the Arizona Supreme Court to open its College of Law in Phoenix by the fall of 2027.
The approval is part of an evaluation period subject to certain performance conditions. The court advised that it wouldn’t approve similar requests from non-ABA-accredited law schools during GCU’s evaluation period.
Chief Justice Ann Timmer based the court’s decision on the shortage of attorneys. According to the ABA, more than 40% of counties nationwide qualify as legal deserts, which means they have fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents.
“Arizona faces a significant shortage of attorneys, and we are optimistic that GCU will provide an excellent legal education and help meet the need for more lawyers in communities throughout our state,” said Timmer. “We look forward to getting to know the school’s faculty and students and watching the GCU College of Law grow and thrive.”
There are dozens of law schools without ABA accreditation in the nation.
ABA accreditation takes years to earn, and law schools may not enter the accreditation process until after operating for at least one full year.
Even so, GCU stated in a press release that it would seek ABA accreditation once it becomes eligible. The recent Arizona Supreme Court approval allows the university to begin producing bar-eligible attorneys years in advance.
Graduates of GCU’s forthcoming College of Law will be eligible for admission to the State Bar of Arizona, provided that they meet standards and pass the bar examination.
GCU President Brian Mueller said in a statement that their law school will draw influence from that which strengthens our nation, citing a Christian worldview and free-market principles.
“Free markets unleash human ambition, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Mueller. “The Christian worldview provides the moral foundation that reminds us those gifts are not simply for personal gain, but should also be used to love our neighbors, serve others and improve the communities in which we live.”
Mueller added that the American justice system was founded on a common understanding of the inherent dignity of every individual and significance of justice, moral accountability, and the rule of law.
“Our nation’s founders understood that liberty cannot flourish without virtue, that individual rights must be accompanied by individual responsibility, and that a just society depends on people of character,” said Mueller. “We are not interested in simply creating another law school. We want to help shape a generation of legal professionals who will strengthen the institutions of our country, defend the freedoms that make opportunity possible and use their education to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
James Williams, the dean of GCU’s College of Law, expressed gratitude for the Arizona Supreme Court’s willingness to innovate to meet the state’s need for attorneys.
“This is a historic moment for Grand Canyon University, for legal education in Arizona and, most importantly, for students who have dreamed of entering the legal profession by attending a Christian law school,” said Williams. “We are grateful for the Arizona Supreme Court’s willingness to consider an innovative approach to legal education and for the opportunity to demonstrate that a new pathway to licensure can maintain the highest standards of academic excellence, professional preparation and ethical responsibility. We recognize the significance of being the first institution to operate under these standards and the responsibility that comes with it.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled on Monday that the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) will face final judgment for violating the law to establish water supply rules.
The superior court ruled against ADWR back in April. The Home Builders Association of Central Arizona (HBACA), who sued ADWR, has requested the court invalidate and enjoin the challenged rules by ADWR and award any further relief the court determines to be just and equitable.
ADWR’s assured water supply rules caused a housing moratorium for developers, prompting HBACA to challenge its rulemaking authority in court.
Prior to the Hobbs administration, state law required developers to prove 100 years of assured water supply for their developments before beginning construction. ADWR, under the Hobbs administration, expanded that requirement to require developers to prove 100 years of assured water supply for the water management area surrounding their developments.
The Goldwater Institute represented HBACA in this case. The organization said at the start of the case early last year that the rules defied logic as well as the law, and exacerbated the state’s housing crisis.
“Arizona law is clear: major policies like the ‘unmet demand’ rule require formal rulemaking and legislative approval,” stated the Goldwater Institute. “Lawmaking is the job of elected representatives — not unelected bureaucrats.”
Judge Scott Blaney, the Maricopa County Superior Court judge in this case, ruled that ADWR had not only violated the law but effectively attempted to rewrite it to suit the Hobbs administration’s preferred water usage agenda.
“The Legislature created two paths to establish an assured water supply to develop a subdivision: obtain a certificate; or obtain a designation,” said Blaney. “Through the implementation of its moratorium and its nearly simultaneous promulgation of a rule that demands more water than the statute requires, ADWR has in effect attempted to rewrite the governing statute at the agency level.”
Despite losing in court, ADWR recently requested that its rules not be invalidated and enjoined.
Blaney stated in Monday’s ruling that ADWR has failed to establish good cause for withholding enforcement against them, and that to allow the water rules to continue to exist would be allowing ADWR to continue violating the law.
Blaney said the rules concerning assured water supply would return to what they were before the Hobbs administration.
“Defendant’s concerns are not consistent with the facts — the Court’s April 21, 2026 ruling on Plaintiff’s claims merely returns the parties to the status quo ante,” said Blaney.
AZ Free Newsreported earlier this month that the Hobbs administration awarded the outside counsel contract for this case to Coppersmith Brockelman PLC, a law firm with close ties to the governor, earlier this year. The contract listed an initial estimated cost of up to $600,000.
As reported, the administration justified competition in this contract as impracticable because ADWR’s in-house attorneys were reportedly busy with other litigation and Hobbs’ policy priorities.
The administration previously awarded the firm another outside counsel contract concerning groundwater rules and regulations. That contract quoted an estimated cost of $120,000 per year.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
