by Corinne Murdock | Dec 3, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
In an exclusive poll for AZ Free News, nearly 4.5 percent more of Arizona voters revealed that they prefer former President Donald Trump over current President Joe Biden. The poll also showed that Arizona voters have a low favorability of Gov. Katie Hobbs.
When asked who they would vote for should Trump and Biden serve as the 2024 presidential candidates, 39.5 percent picked Trump and 35.2 percent picked Biden. 19 percent said they would pick a third party candidate, and five percent were undecided.
George Khalaf, president of Data Orbital who conducted the poll, told AZ Free News that the polling serves as a troublesome portent for Democratic candidates in 2024.
“Arizona Democrats should be very concerned that we enter 2024 with Governor Hobbs and President Biden both having favorability ratings that are under 40 percent,” said Khalaf. “Former President Trump’s ballot test advantage of nearly 4.5 percent shows a strong early position for Republicans in Arizona. Both of these data points are in line with broader numbers coming out nationally from other swing states.”
When asked about Hobbs, only 38 percent of voters found her favorable. The disapproval rating comes close to other recent polling published this month. Hobbs was one of seven governors with an approval rating below 50 percent. The Morning Consult reported the governor had a 48 percent approval and 40 percent disapproval rating.
The favorability rating marks an improvement from over the summer, when Hobbs dipped to a 40 percent approval rating via Morning Consult: second to last for least-liked governor.
23 percent found Hobbs to be strongly favorable, and 15 percent found her to be somewhat favorable. 27 percent found her to be strongly unfavorable, and 11 percent found her to be somewhat unfavorable. 16 percent were neutral or had no opinion on Hobbs. Two percent were undecided or refused to answer.
In terms of general favorability, apart from serving as the 2024 candidate, 42 percent of voters found Trump favorable, with 29 percent finding him strongly favorable and 13 percent finding him somewhat favorable. About four percent were neutral or had no opinion, and about one percent were undecided or refused to answer.
Comparatively, only 36 percent of respondents found Biden favorable, with 20 percent finding him strongly favorable and 16 percent finding him somewhat favorable. Six percent were neutral or had no opinion of Biden. About two percent were undecided on the issue or refused to answer.
Over 52 percent of respondents were females, while over 47 percent were males.
38 percent of respondents were Republicans, 32 percent were Democrats, 27 percent were independents or unidentified, and two percent were “other.”
When asked to identify themselves outside party lines and along ideological descriptors, 37 percent identified as conservative, 38 percent identified as moderate, 20 percent identified as progressive, and about three percent were undecided.
Voter age groups were nearly split evenly, with the exception of the elderly crowd. Only six percent of polled voters were 18 to 24, 12 percent were 25 to 34, 14 percent were 35 to 44, 15 percent were 45 to 54, 18 percent were 55 to 64, and 34 percent were 65 and older.
71 percent of respondents were white, 19 percent were Hispanic, four percent were African American, three percent were Asian or Pacific Islander, and four percent identified as “other.”
Most respondents had some college but no degree: nearly 42 percent. Over 24 percent had a bachelor’s degree, 15 percent had a graduate degree or higher, 15 percent had a high school degree or equivalent, and over two percent had less than a high school diploma.
Most of the respondents had better turnout for the general elections compared to the primary elections. Only 18 percent voted in all four of the last four primary elections, but nearly 50 percent voted in all four of the last four general elections.
The poll had an approximated four percent margin of error.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 3, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
U.S. Border Patrol (BP) agents nabbed 21 convicted sex offenders attempting to enter the country illegally in just over a month; all but one were pedophiles.
Agents operating in the Del Rio Sector caught the offenders. 20 had committed sex offenses against children, with the sole other apprehended illegal immigrant convicted of a sexual assault involving sodomy. The sex offenses against children included rape, enticement, exposure, sexual contact, assault, and lewd and lascivious battery.
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) shared the BP update, reflecting that the apprehensions proved the severity of the ongoing border crisis.
“Great job by U.S. Border Patrol, but this just shows how serious our border crisis is!” said Lesko. “We MUST secure the border NOW.”
These latest apprehensions are part of the trend of serious offenders capitalizing on the effectively open border policy of the Biden administration.
In June, Del Rio Sector agents marked the apprehension of their 86th sex offender for the 2023 fiscal year. It is currently the 2024 fiscal year; BP runs its fiscal year from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Overall, there have been over 284 illegal immigrants with criminal sexual offense convictions apprehended at the border this past fiscal year. That total marked a slight decline from the past two years: the 2021 fiscal year endured the worst totals at 488 illegal immigrants with criminal sexual offense convictions apprehended, followed by the 2022 fiscal year at 365. The 2018 and 2019 fiscal years were markedly low, with 80 and 58 apprehensions, respectively.
In all, the last fiscal year there were over 2.4 million illegal immigrant encounters along the southern border.
Not counting last month, the first month in the 2024 fiscal year, President Joe Biden’s administration has seen over 6.37 million illegal immigrant encounters along the southern border. October set another record, with nearly 241,000 illegal immigrant encounters compared to the 2023 and 2022 fiscal years, which endured over 231,500 and 164,800 encounters respectively.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 3, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The Maricopa County Superior Court is refusing to facilitate any further investigations into the 2022 election by former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
On Thursday, Judge John Hannah ruled in Lake v. Richer against Lake’s petition to obtain all Maricopa County ballot envelopes from the 2022 election; despite their status as public record, Hannah expressed concern over the potential harm that could occur to voters, including future voter fraud, harassment of voters, and identity theft.
“The ballot affidavit envelopes from the 2022 election include the signatures of some 1.3 million Maricopa County voters, each conveniently presented with the voter’s name, address, and telephone number on the same page,” said Hannah. “Disclosure of the ballot affidavit envelopes therefore would create a risk of widespread fraud where none exists at present.”
Hannah cited testimony from two voters who had strangers appear at their homes to question the 2022 election. The judge also said that the perception of potential identity theft would dissuade voters from casting early mail-in ballots.
The judge further rejected Lake’s claim that voters lack a privacy interest concerning their ballot affidavit envelope signatures. He pointed out that Lake had failed to identify cases in which Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer had wrongly verified an individual ballot using a faulty signature match.
“An individual has a privacy interest in his or her signature precisely because the signature serves as a badge of personal identification for legal documents and in commercial transactions,” stated Hannah.
Hannah concluded with a comparison of Lake’s petition to the famed Aesop Fable about the goose who laid the golden egg. The judge said that Lake had overlooked democratic self-governance in an effort to vindicate her cause.
“Ms. Lake regards the electoral process much like the villagers in the famous fable regarded the goose that laid the golden egg, except that her goose failed to lay the egg she expected. She insists that something must have gone wrong. If only she could cut open the electoral process and examine each of its 1.3 million pieces, she says, she would be able to figure out what happened and show that the prize has been there waiting for her all along. And even if she doesn’t find what she’s looking for, she suggests, the act of disassembly will strengthen everyone’s confidence that the machinery produces reliable outcomes. We will know it lays the right eggs.”
Richer said that Thursday’s ruling was vindication for his opposition to Lake’s investigatory attempts. Richer had testified that release of the ballot envelopes would lead to reduced voter participation and even disenfranchisement.
“After six hours on the witness stand… I was right on the law. Again,” said Richer.
Lake’s campaign indicated that the ruling prioritized prospective safety over transparency.
“Silly us. We thought transparent elections were in the best interest of our state,” said the campaign.
Though she has continued her challenge of the 2022 election, Lake announced last month that she is running for Senate in 2024.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 2, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer announced a legal action over the 2022 election, angering some of the state’s legislative Republicans.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Kris Mayes revealed that “the State Grand Jury has returned an indictment charging Peggy Suzanne Judd and Terry Thomas ‘Tom’ Crosby with the felony offenses of Interference with an Election Officer and Conspiracy.”
In a statement issued in conjunction with the announcement, Mayes said, “The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable. I took an oath to uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry the duties and responsibilities of their offices.”
According to the indictment, Judd and Crosby are alleged to have “conspired to delay the canvass of votes cast in Cochise County in the November 2022 General Election,” and to have “knowingly interfered with the Arizona Secretary of State’s ability to complete the statewide canvass for the 2022 General Election.”
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs cheered on the indictments, posting, “To give Arizonans the free & fair elections they deserve, we must hold those who seek to undermine our democracy accountable. Thank you, AG Mayes, for protecting our democracy & enforcing the law without fear or favor.”
Republican lawmakers were not as complimentary toward Mayes. Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman issued a lengthy statement, attacking the decision and the process for these indictments, calling it “a disgusting weaponization of the AZ Attorney General’s office.” Hoffman said that “this is ELECTION INTERFERERNCE by an extremist AG who wants to chill any future efforts by local election officials to challenge potentially inaccurate elections.” He predicted that these indictments would set a precedent that would be used against other local officials and encouraged Arizona County Supervisors to “leverage every tool you have at your disposal to make it clear to the entire AG’s office that weaponizing Arizona’s government has harsh consequences.”
Both Senator Anthony Kern and Representative Jacqueline Parker threatened Mayes with impeachment for these indictments.
Parker also broached the idea of indicting other County Supervisors around the state to ensure “equal treatment under the law in AZ.”
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Representative Oscar De Los Santos praised the action, writing, “A grand jury of everyday Arizonans has indicted two MAGA politicians for conspiring to prevent the certification of a free and fair election. Criminals who conspire to undermine our democratic republic and the rule of law must be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
These Cochise County indictments from the State Grand Jury may be the start of Mayes’ actions against Republicans on the election front. The Democrat Attorney General is believed to be progressing in her investigation over the presidential alternate electors from the Arizona Republican Party in 2020. Not much is known about this investigation or the timeline for any possible indictments, but legal action over this matter would undoubtedly create an exponentially greater firestorm with Republicans than the expressed outrage over the Cochise County indictments.
The growing dispute between the Republican-led legislature and Attorney General’s Office could have major implications for the state’s budget negotiations in 2024. Earlier this year, Attorney General Mayes expressed disappointment over the lack of resources appropriated to her office in the compromise between legislative Republicans and Governor Hobbs. At the time, Mayes said, “Today, we see a budget proposal moving forward that appears to be politically expedient for a few, but wholly inadequate for the majority of people in our state.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 1, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s leading Democrat continues to push for a constitutional amendment to allow abortion in the state.
On Tuesday, Governor Katie Hobbs took to her personal “X” account to announce that she had signed a petition to send an abortion initiative to the 2024 ballot.
Hobbs said, “Today, I joined Arizonans across the political spectrum and added my name to support the ballot measure to enshrine a right to abortion in our state’s constitution. As a domestic violence advocate, as a mother, and as governor, I will always defend Arizonans’ freedoms.”
The governor then shared a link to the group’s (Arizona for Abortion Access) page to garner more awareness for increased signatures across the state.
This wasn’t the first time that Hobbs had weighed in to support the initiative. Back in August, she posted, “As a lifelong advocate for Arizonans’ reproductive freedom, I’m thrilled that we will have the opportunity to make our voices heard next November. Once and for all, we will make clear that the government should not have a say in women’s personal healthcare decisions.”
Arizona for Abortion Access has until July 3, 2024, to gather 383,923 valid signatures to refer this initiative to the November 2024 ballot. If successful, the initiative would amend the state’s constitution to install abortion as a right in Arizona.
Earlier this year, one of Arizona’s top pro-life leaders, Cathi Herrod from the Center for Arizona Policy, came out in fierce opposition to these efforts, alerting her followers that this measure “would tear down virtually all pro-life precautions and make it nearly impossible to regulate abortion.” Herrod also explained how, if passed, the constitutional amendment would likely allow the likelihood of abortion at all stages of life in the womb, stating, “The broad exemption of ‘mental health’ of the mother after viability is widely understood, even in the courts, to mean virtually anything the abortion provider wants it to mean, including stress or anxiety. Even barbaric partial-birth abortion is legal under this exemption.”
Arizona for Abortion Access lists endorsements from the ACLU of Arizona, Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health, Healthcare Rising Arizona, Arizona List, NARAL Arizona, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, on its website.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 1, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A major U.S. Border Patrol sector’s social media communication about the ongoing crisis on the ground has gone dark.
Last week, John R. Modlin, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, posted to “X” that his sector’s “social media accounts will be paused until further notice in light of the ongoing migration surge.” Chief Modlin expressed his appreciation for viewers’ “understanding and continued support during this challenging time.”
The post from Chief Modlin garnered significant attention – and subsequent outrage – as individuals opined on the reasons for the stoppage of the flow of weekly information from this sector on these accounts. Chief Modlin appeared to delete his post later, adding an update, writing, “Apologies for my earlier hastily written statement. To be clear, it is my intention to remain transparent.”
Chief Modlin explained that “in light of the ongoing migration surge, all Tucson Sector Border Patrol social media accounts will be temporarily reduced to maximize our available staffing in support of our current operational challenges. At this time, all available personnel are needed to address the unprecedented flow. The social media team will return once the situation permits.”
The CBP leader did reveal that his sector would “continue to post our Week in Review statistics, demonstrating the continued efforts of our agents and staff.”
The Tucson Border Sector has long been one of the nation’s most dangerous along the U.S.-Mexico boundary due to the proliferation of deadly drugs (such as fentanyl) and ‘gotaways.’ However, in the latter half of this year, this sliver of the border has become the busiest sector in more ways, attracting tens of thousands of individuals who are apprehended by agents. Chief Modlin’s regular posts on the work Tucson agents have done to triage the happenings on the ground have been extremely instructive for outsiders and stakeholders to understand the breadth of the crisis that continues to be exploited and exponentially grow with each passing month.
In the first month of Fiscal Year 2024, October, this sector reported over 55,000 encounters of illegal immigrants, which was a 140.8% increase over the previous year’s numbers for that month (22,938). Tucson Sector Officials recorded almost 374,000 arrests during the recently completed fiscal year.
These numbers, already significantly high for a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border, do not represent the number of ‘gotaways’ escaping detection and making their way around the interior of America’s homeland. Nor do these figures fill in another major gap of the border crisis, which is the rampant drug smuggling that occurs all throughout the border – but especially in the Tucson sector. Drug cartels and smugglers occupy the time of border agents with thousands of arrests per day, while running drugs and ‘gotaways’ through other unmanned corridors. These dangerous factors of the porous border continue to haunt law enforcement at all levels as they attempt to do everything they can to protect innocent men, women, and children from harm.
The skyrocketing numbers from the Tucson sector make it all the more important for government officials and agents on the ground to be as transparent as possible about the handling of this crisis.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
