by Matthew Holloway | Jan 5, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On February 27, 1968, President Lyndon Baines Johnson was said to have listened to a devastating report by anchorman Walter Cronkite who assessed the Vietnam War as “to end in a stalemate.” According to Westpoint’s Modern War Institute, David Halberstam wrote in his 1979 book, “The Powers That Be,” that Johnson told press secretary, George Christian, “that if he had lost Walter Cronkite he had lost Mr. Average Citizen.”
Similarly, Arizona Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs appears to have lost Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts. In the columnist’s “10 awards for the best of the worst in Arizona politics in 2024,” Hobbs was named “Biggest Loser.”
In the article where she in turn condemns Arizona’s Republican 2020 alternate electors, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, State Senator Justine Wadsack, State Representative Austin Smith, and former AZGOP Chair Jeff DeWitt, Roberts called out Hobbs’ catastrophic failure to flip the Arizona Legislature and wrench control of the government from the GOP.
As Roberts noted, “Instead, she lost two seats in the House and one in the Senate, and now faces the most conservative Legislature of our time … maybe even any time.”
The AZCentral columnist went on to observe that the increased majority in both houses of the legislature will likely spell trouble for the embattled Democrat, who finds herself at the lowest point of her favorability, 36%. But it doesn’t end there. As Citizens For Free Enterprise Press Secretary Dan Coulson noted in a late November post to X, Hobbs is also a “Target of 2 separate criminal investigations,” with an undoubted primary challenge on the horizon.
Roberts went on to prognosticate that the Trump administration would seek to characterize Hobbs as “out-of-touch with everyday Arizonans.” However, it seems likely that Trump will be more concerned with expanding the House GOP majority in Arizona, seeking to exploit any weaknesses in the Arizona House Democrats Caucus. One could imagine a concerted effort to oust Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) who enters his third term in the House in January by a slim 7.2 point margin.
The gubernatorial challenge is bound to be far more of a concern for the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association—though the President is likely to weigh in as he’s wont to do.
For now, Roberts’ assessment of Hobbs as 2024’s “Biggest Loser” appears to be apt, and the ghost of Walter Cronkite may have claimed another Democrat.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 5, 2025 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans highlighted their state’s low tax rate after a recent signing of a baseball star with the hometown team.
Late last month, Corbin Burnes, a free agent pitching star, decided to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks, shocking most onlookers, who had predicted that he would likely end up with another Major League Baseball suiter.
One report shared that Burnes made his decision based on Arizona’s lower tax rate. Burnes had been wooed by the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants – two jurisdictions with significantly higher taxes than the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said, “Sports players choose AZ over other states because our taxes are lower. Businesses do the same.”
Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey added, “I’ll be looking forward to watching Corbin Burnes in a Dbacks jersey next year – and very glad to see that Arizona’s lowest flat tax in the nation is what brought him to AZ! Sorry Gavin Newsom [&] Justin Trudeau!”
Burnes had been reportedly offered more money by the aforementioned teams before deciding to ink a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to a post on X, the top tax rate in California is 14.4%, and the top federal and provincial tax rate in Toronto, Ontario is 53.53%. Arizona’s tax rate is 2.5% in comparison.
Arizona owes its low tax rate to the work of Governor Ducey and legislative Republicans, who enacted the transformational tax bracket in 2021.
Two staunch free-market advocates, Tim Phillips (President of Americans for Prosperity) and Grover Norquist (President of Americans for Tax Reform), wrote a piece in Newsweek, praising the accomplished feat of the Arizona Legislature, spearheaded by State Senator J.D. Mesnard and Ducey. They stated, “Arizona, on the other hand, provides a good example: lower the tax rates to let people keep more of what they earn and invest in what they care about most. Limit government spending to grow no faster than the incomes of the citizens who pay the taxes. Create a magnet for job-creating investment and hardworking Americans who simply wish to be left alone to work hard, take care of their families and support their communities.”
Phillips and Norquist added, “The Arizona reform is a positive model and one that should be followed by other states and the federal government.”
When the Arizona Supreme Court gave the green light for these tax reforms to go into effect, Arizona Free Enterprise President Scot Mussi said, “Today’s decision from the Arizona Supreme Court is a big win for taxpayers in our state. The legislature passed historic tax cuts last year that benefit all Arizona taxpayers. It’s time for Invest in Arizona and out-of-state special interest groups to accept this reality and stop making a farce of the referendum process.”
Mesnard touted the progress of his historic legislation in a campaign newsletter in January 2023, saying, “The historic tax reform that I championed in 2021 is now in effect for income earned this year – a full year ahead of schedule thanks to strong government revenues. Valued at more than $2 billion, this reform reduced individual tax rates to 2.5%, resulting in a tax cut for every single Arizona family and Arizona having the lowest flat tax in the nation.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 5, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A veteran Arizona Member of Congress is reprising his role as leader of a key subcommittee.
Last week, U.S. Representative Andy Biggs announced that he would be serving another term in office as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance for the 119th Congress. According to a press release issued from Biggs’ office, this appointment marks “his third term as the Subcommittee’s highest ranking Republican.”
In a statement to accompany the release, Congressman Biggs said, “It’s an honor to serve once again as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. We’ve worked diligently to expose the radical Biden-Harris regime’s weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies against law-abiding Americans and soft-on-crime and illegal alien policies that made our communities more dangerous. The American people demand change from the inside out, and the Subcommittee is ready to get back to work in January.”
Biggs added, “The Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee wouldn’t be the workhorse we are without my colleagues and staff. I look forward to working alongside Chairman Jordan, members of the Subcommittee, and President Trump to advance policies that will make American communities safe once again.”
The east valley Republican was sworn into his fifth term in the U.S. House when the 119th Congress convened on Friday, January 3, 2025. Since entering office in 2017, Biggs has proved himself to be one of President Donald J. Trump’s fiercest defenders, while staking out one of the most conservative legislative records in his chamber. He will be a key member of the caucus to watch over the next two years as his party seeks to navigate a razor-thin majority in the House to send key pieces of legislation to the White House.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 4, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Democrats are targeting three incumbent congressional Republicans for defeat in the next election.
In December, House Majority PAC (HMP) released its list of initial seats around the country that it was looking to flip for the 2026 General Election. In that list, three Arizona congressional Republicans were included: David Schweikert, Eli Crane, and Juan Ciscomani.
The memo from HMP largely blamed the failure to recapture the U.S. House of Representatives on President Donald J. Trump’s greater-than-anticipated victory across the country, writing, “Unfortunately, Trump’s lead in the 2024 popular vote created incredibly tough headwinds for our candidates, and we faced a national environment that trended towards 6% more Republican than 2020. In spite of these challenges and clear disappointments, House Democrats significantly overperformed the top of the ticket and the political environment – all thanks to our quality candidates and your help.”
The HMP memo added that, “Headed into the midterms with lessons learned from 2024, HMP is today launching a 2026 Recruitment Fund – which will allow us to recruit and prepare potential candidates earlier than ever…We must ensure Democratic campaigns are set up for success – and that comes through conducting qualitative and quantitative research to develop specific messaging and strategies for individual races.”
Though Democrats poured many resources into attempts to flip seemingly vulnerable seats in Arizona, they came up short with Crane, Schweikert, and Ciscomani, who all held their own against the vaunted opposition. Schweikert and Ciscomani will always have to be wary of strong Democrat challenges to their incumbency due to the partisan makeup of their congressional districts. Both those members have proven extremely hardy to their political realities, focusing on commonsense solutions to problems and outstanding constituent services to help convince voters that they deserve another term in office.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 4, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona renters and landlords alike will get to breathe a sigh of relief this month when the Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT), applied by cities to rental payments every single month, is eliminated. While the cities that will no longer enjoy this source of tax revenue and lobbying groups like the League of Arizona Cities and Towns cry foul, local Republicans who pushed for the reform and the renters who pay it are celebrating.
Seventy-five cities across the state charge TPT on rentals ranging from 1.5% to 4%. Depending on rental rates, this could mean monthly savings of about $20-$50 per month based on estimates.
In a statement posted to X in November, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen touted the tax elimination writing, “Its happening. Renters are about to get relief from the rental tax repeal passed by the Republican led legislature. The rental tax repeal was an important part of our majority plan to deliver inflation relief. To get the governors signature we had to delay the effective date to Jan 1 2025. Many people said the Dems would take the majority and put the tax back in place. Fortunately for renters we held the Senate and the House. Here is an email from a property manager letting the tenants know their rent will be going down.”
Jake Beeson of Beehive Property Management told AZFamily, “It’s going to mean quite a bit for some tenants. We work with the Community Housing Partnership as one of our clients, which has low-income housing, and those rents are between $900 and 1,000 a month. So for a low-income family to have a 2% discount every month doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you’re paying $900 in rent every month, that’s $18. $18 is a whole month of discounted lunches at your kid’s school.”
The outlet noted that the rates in the valley can range from 2% in Mesa to 2.3% in Phoenix or 3% in Cave Creek. Some cities charge as much as 4%.
But not everyone sees the rental tax relief as a positive. Lee Grafstrom, a tax policy expert with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns told Fox10, “You’re not cutting any of the services that citizens are requesting and requiring, so, we still have to do all the same amount of work. We just have this much less money to do it.”
He stressed that cities could find themselves in budget shortfalls, expecting a combined loss of $230 million in tax revenue annually.
“We have to find a way to either cut services or make up that shortfall,” Grafstrom told Fox10. “This is a minor piece of a solution to a much larger problem, in terms of housing affordability.”
The League said in a statement, “Cities and towns across the state are facing a loss of over $230 million in their budgets, which support essential services like police, fire, parks, and more. Without state funding to make up for these losses, local governments will be forced to make tough decisions to balance their budgets, such as cutting jobs and services or raising local taxes—both unpopular choices. Local leaders are working to address these challenges before the repeal takes effect in January.”
The additional savings could see renters parlay the funds into more goods and services to offset inflation, which still tolls heavily on Arizona residents.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 4, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congresswoman Debbie Lesko’s eight-year tenure in the House of Representatives recently came to close. As she prepares to take office as a Maricopa County Supervisor, she shared a series of congressional speeches from her colleagues in the House congratulating her on her retirement and recounting her legislative accomplishments.
In an op-ed published by AZ Free News, Lesko looked back on her time in Congress noting her time various committees including Judiciary, Homeland Security, Rules, and Science, Space, and Technology. She also reflected on her time serving on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee along with the Homeland Security Subcommittee and the controversial Select Subcommittee on COVID-19.
Lesko wrote, “I strive to conduct myself honorably and in accordance with the desires of my district, and I will continue as long as I am in office. I will carry with me the memories of my service in the People’s House as long as I live. I appreciate all who have helped me to this point, and I will always be proud to be the U.S. Congresswoman from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. May God continue to bless our great nation.”
From Christmas Eve through the weekend several members of Congress took the podium to address Lesko’s retirement including Rep. Virginia Cox (R-NC), who highlighted her as “one of the kindest and most forgiving people I’ve ever met in my life.” She added that Lesko forgave her, becoming emotional as she wished the Congresswoman well.
Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) quipped that she initially met Lesko in a nail salon, eliciting laughs from her fellow Congress members. She noted that she never saw the Arizona Congresswoman “in a bad mood.” Fischbach alluded to Lesko’s upcoming service on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors saying, “I think that the people of Arizona and your county are going to be so incredibly well served, and you will do a wonderful job for them.”
Praise also came from members of the Arizona Congressional delegation with Rep. Juan Ciscomani telling the House that Lesko “is a conservative,” but is “just not angry about it.”
Congressman Andy Biggs told the gathered members that he first heard of Lesko when she served on a school board. He credited her with courage during her work on pension reform in the Arizona legislature. Biggs also joked at the reduction in staff that Lesko now faces, saying she’ll have just “one and a half staffers,” in her new role before being overcome with emotion.
Rep. David Schweikert echoed the sentiment of Ciscomani when he exclaimed, “Look, one of the magic things about Debbie Lesko is that she has proven, you can be conservative and not be angry about it! You can actually be joyful and kind and sweet and just a decent human being!” He stressed Lesko’s calm demeanor in contrast to his anger at times and remarked on her avoiding traveling with a laptop for a “stack of paper” on regular flights to and from Washington, D.C. He quipped, “They do make these things called laptops…”
Noting that Maricopa County is the fourth most populated county in the nation, Schweikert recalled his time as County Treasurer and added that he missed “those day when you could actually do things.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
