2020 established Arizona as a purple state going blue, but the latest voter registration data indicates that the state may be shifting back to red. The data appears to align with predictions that the new legislative maps would favor Republicans.
The Yellow Sheet Report first reported the voter base shift. They obtained the data from DeMenna Public Affairs, a Phoenix-based government relations, public affairs, and political consulting firm.
LD9 went from slightly Democratic at a 2.6 percent advantage, to slightly Republican at a .071 percent advantage. The Senate seat will either be taken by State Senator Tyler Pace (R-Mesa), Republican candidate Robert Scantlebury, or Democratic candidate Eva Burch. House LD9 candidates are Republican candidates Mary Ann Mendoza and Kathy Pearce, and Democratic candidates Lorena Austin and Seth Blattman.
LD4 and LD13 increased Republicans’ advantage from 3.4 to 11.25 percent and 1.6 to 7 percent, respectively.
The only Senate candidates for LD4 are State Senators Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix) and Christine Marsh (D-Phoenix) — if the data forecasts the outcomes, it appears Barto will take the seat. The House race will see sole Democratic candidate Laura Terech face off against two of the six Republican candidates: John Arnold, Kenneth Bowers Jr., Vera Gebran, Matt Gress, Jana Jackson, and Maria Syms.
Senate LD13 candidates are State Senator J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler) versus either one of two Democrats: Cindy Hans or Michael Morris. As for the House seats, State Representative Jennifer Pawlik (D-Chandler) will face two of the five Republicans running: Josh Askey, Ron Hardin, Liz Harris, Don Maes, and Julie Willoughby.
LD2 increased steadily from a Republican lead of 3.8 to 6.28 percent. That may not bode well for State Representative Judy Schwiebert (D-Phoenix), the lone Democratic candidate running for one of the House seats. She may end up facing State Representative Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) and one of the other Republican candidates: Christian Lamar, Pierce Waychoff, Neil Desanti, and Reynold Ramsey.
State Representative Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix) is uncontested in the Senate LD2 primary, and will face off against one of the two Democratic candidates: Jeanne Casteen or Victoria Thompson.
LD8 Democrats lost just under 45 percent of their advantage, dropping from 27.5 to 12.36 percent. State Senator Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) retains a decent margin against either of the Republicans running for the Senate seat: Roxana Holzapfel or Todd Howard. Vying for the House seats are State Representatives Melody Hernandez (D-Tempe) and Athena Salman (D-Tempe) as the Democratic candidates, with Republican candidates Caden Darrow and Bill Loughrige.
LD12 Democrats lost just under 66 percent of their advantage, dropping from 53.9 to 35.36 percent. State Representative Mitzi Epstein (D-Chandler) will likely win the Senate seat against either one of the Republican challengers: David Richardson or Suzanne Sharer. As for the House seat, five Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the seats: Democratic candidates Patty Contreras, Sam Huang, A.J. Kurdoglu, Stacey Travers, and Paul Weich versus Republican candidates Jim Chaston and Terry Roe.
Only one legislative district shrunk for Republicans: LD16, where the advantage dropped from 3.6 to 1.04 percent. That makes the Senate race tighter for State Senator T.J. Shope (R-Phoenix) and Republican Daniel Wood, either one of whom may face Democrat Taylor Kerby. State Representative Teresa Martinez (R-Oro Valley) has two other Republicans in the race, Rob Hudelson and Braden Biggs, and one Democrat, Keith Seaman.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
An outpouring of condolences continues in response to the announcement that former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel died Saturday due to unspecified health complications.
“How very tragic. The hearts and prayers of Arizonans are with Allister’s family, colleagues and close friends,” Gov. Doug Ducey stated after Adel’s death was revealed. “May she Rest In Peace.”
I’m shocked and devastated to learn that my friend, Allister Adel, passed away earlier today. My heart is broken for her husband and two young children that she leaves behind. Please join me in praying for the family as they grieve during this difficult time. RIP Allister. 💔 pic.twitter.com/TDcbZJ5ZFF
Similar sentiments were shared on Twitter by Arizona LD28 Republicans.
“We grieve the loss of our fellow member Allister Adel and pray for her family and friends who stood beside her,” the group tweeted. “She will be remembered as a caring mother, first female elected Maricopa County attorney, a loyal friend and party member. She wished only to do good in her life.”
Adel is survived by her husband, David DeNitto, and two children. DeNitto serves a senior vice president and investment officer for Wells Fargo Advisors.
“My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. We are so very proud to call Allister wife and mom,” DeNitto said Saturday in a released statement. “We are asking that the press and the public honor her, her legacy, and our family by respecting our privacy at this difficult time.”
Adel, a Republican, was appointed as Maricopa County Attorney in 2019 when then-County Attorney Bill Montgomery joined the Arizona Supreme Court. She was the first woman to hold the office, to which she was elected by voters in November 2020.
Unfortunately, Adel spent election night in the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery for a head injury suffered when she fell at home. She remained in the hospital for several weeks and even after being discharged Adel spent much of early 2021 recuperating at home.
In August 2021, Adel admitted herself to a rehabilitation facility for several weeks for treatment of anxiety, an eating disorder, and alcohol abuse. However, her frequent absences from the office were not disclosed to the board supervisors or other elected county officials until September when Sheriff Paul Penzone became concerned with who was signing off on various legal advice to his office.
Those absences also raised further questions about who was managing the 1,000 employees of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and its $115 million budget. It also led to revelations that Adel had little direct involvement in strategizing many major Maricopa County legal decisions, including multiple lawsuits related to the Senate’s 2020 election audit.
Further scrutiny into how decisions were made by the criminal division in several high-profile controversies led in February to five of Adel’s chiefs asking her to resign. Their letter was shared with the State Bar of Arizona, the board of supervisors, and the media.
That resignation finally came as of March 25 when it was apparent Adel’s personal issues were distracting from the daily work of her office. It was later confirmed she was receiving in-patient treatment at the time her resignation was announced.
“I am proud of the many accomplishments of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office during my tenure, including policies that seek justice in a fair and equitable manner, hold violent offenders accountable, protect the rights of crime victims, and keep families safe,” Adel stated in a news release at the time.
Anni Foster, general counsel for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, tweeted that she was heartbroken for Adel’s family.
“I had prayed for a miracle for her,” Foster said. “Hoping she can now rest in peace and that everyone can let her family grieve in private.”
For Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, Adel’s sudden death serves as a reminder to remember others who may be going through difficult times.
“We never know the struggle the person next to us is going through,” he tweeted. “Today we should pray for her soul and for her family. We should also be praying for those having difficulties in their lives.”
Adel was a 2004 graduate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. She held a number of legal positions, including as a deputy county attorney for Maricopa County before serving as the chief administrative law judge for the Arizona Department of Transportation and then becoming general counsel for the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The latest endeavor from Arizona State University (ASU), a full-time online high school that awards university credits, offers a curriculum focused on woke ideologies on the taxpayer’s dime.
The bulk of the program relies on daily seminars in addition to online lessons, small-group tutorials, and peer tutoring. The sample of seminar subjects challenge students on ethical norms, such as editing the human gene pool, freedom of speech versus “freedom of reach,” social media moderation, and life extension. The seminars are student-led and supported by learning guides and guest experts.
All this at no cost to students who are Arizona residents. Instead, the state covers the cost. Students in other states would pay close to $10,000 a year, and students outside the country would pay nearly $13,000.
The program, ASU Preparatory Academy’s Khan World School, is poised to launch in August with 200 students to start. If all accepted students were Arizona residents this fall, that would cost taxpayers anywhere from $2 million to $2.6 million.
Rather than tests, the academic model emphasizes discussion with teachers, peers, and “industry experts” for learning and assessment. Students advance through a mastery-based model. At the end of the program, students will receive a transcript with final grades for college admissions and scholarships.
Specifics on curriculum weren’t offered. The program asserted that each student would receive their own custom plan.
Governor Doug Ducey called the program a “groundbreaking innovation.”
“Choice in education works and Arizona leads the nation in school choice!” tweeted Ducey.
Another groundbreaking innovation from @ASU, @michaelcrow, and Salman Khan!
Choice in education works and Arizona leads the nation in school choice! https://t.co/SzzjG6JnnL
ASU offered a quiz for students to determine their fit for the program. Only one of the seven questions related to academic competency.
The first question asks the student to select the desk that best represents their mind: “Albert Einstein’s Mess,” “Marie Curie’s Order,” or “Katherine Johnson’s Spotless.” The second question asks the student what time their alarm wakes them up: before the sun, before lunch, before dinner, or “lol, what alarm?”
A third question asks the student how many books they read in a month: none, one or two, or three or more. A fourth question asks the student who they turn to for answers: Google, their friend, their family, or themselves. A fifth question asks the student which animal best describes their learning pace: slothful, steady, or sprinting.
It’s not until the sixth question that the student is asked about something to do with core subjects. The student must answer a math question about where the vertex of a parabola would fall.
The seventh question reverts to a social question about the student’s way of thinking versus that of their friends.
Announcing Khan World School (https://t.co/b0rtuTMbcX ), a partnership with Arizona State University. It is a fraction of the cost of comparable world-class online high schools (and FREE to any Arizona resident). Please spread the word. pic.twitter.com/fr9M5AtVds
The online lessons are a mix of Khan Academy and ASU course content. In order to be admitted, students must be entering their freshman year of high school, proficient in Algebra I, earned grades A or B in 8th grade Math and English Language Arts, and in possession of a computer with a web camera and internet access. Algebra I proficiency appeared to be measured by proof of program completion. Other than that, admissions doesn’t require a GPA or any other academic standards.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Maricopa County Recorder isn’t just dedicated to elections — he’s dedicated to commemorative literature. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer bought multiple copies, or “a box,” of a book satirizing the Arizona Senate’s 2020 election audit, “Goodnight Audit,” a parody of the classic children’s book, “Goodnight Moon.”
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) April 27, 2022
“Goodnight Audit” author Trevor Nelson, a parent activist and marketing manager, shared Richer’s post.
Nelson’s tweet from early last May served as inspiration for the cover art of the book. The post played on the name of Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott), pointing out a fan left on in the abandoned room.
— Trevor Nelson 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 (@CTrevorNelson) May 6, 2021
The original inspiration for Nelson’s post came from Garrett Archer, ABC15 Data Analyst and former Arizona Secretary of State Senior Elections Analyst, who pointed out that the auditors left a fan running on site after they’d left for the day.
— GoodNightAuditFan (@GoodNightAudit) May 18, 2021
Several weeks later, Nelson launched a Twitter account to help fundraise for the parody book, @goodnightaudit. “Good Night Fan” was to be the book’s original title.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The Republican congressional candidate linked to QAnon’s origins claimed during a debate on Wednesday that the Keystone Pipeline caused Russia to invade Ukraine. The candidate, Ron Watkins, became famous for his controversial online persona offering 2020 election fraud claims and commentary.
“We wouldn’t even be in Ukraine if President Biden did not shut down the Keystone Pipeline on the first day. Because now that that’s shut down, we have to get our oil, and we’re getting our oil from Russia and we’re getting all these problems through the Ukraine and that would not have happened if Biden didn’t shut down the pipeline,” said Watkins. “We’ve got all of this oil coming from Russia to the United States and they wanted a better route to bring the oil through.”
The Arizona PBS segment “Arizona Horizon” hosted the debate featuring Watkins as well as State Representative Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake) and Andy Yates, a “40 Under 40” Phoenix businessman and community leader.
Watkins’ remarks were prompted by host Ted Simons’ question to candidates whether they supported foreign aid to Ukraine. All three candidates supported sending foreign aid to Ukraine. Watkins then claimed that the Keystone Pipeline caused the war.
In response, Blackman criticized Watkins for daring to run for the U.S. Congress with ignorance of the major geopolitical conflict in Ukraine. He then offered Watkins a summarized lesson on the ongoing war.
“You’re trying to work on a national stage and you don’t even know why the war started in Ukraine? It had nothing to do with the Keystone Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline caused the inflation and the increase in our gas prices,” explained Blackman. “The reason why I went into Ukraine is because Russia wanted Ukraine as they had them pre-World War II and Ukraine wanted to be part of NATO.”
Watkins conceded without further debate.
“He’s right. I made a mistake,” responded Watkins.
One of the most embarrassing gaffes I’ve seen in a debate, ever.
In the GOP primary debate for #AZ02, Q-Anon adjacent activist Ron Watkins blames the invasion of Ukraine on … The Keystone XL Pipeline?
Viral social media posts characterized Watkins’ rhetoric as gaffe-ridden and ill-prepared. The criticism began with his introductory statements.
“If you send me to D.C., you will know that I will be fighting against this evil, and I will make sure we drive them back, and I will make sure that your rights are — are kept,” said Watkins.
Ron’s biggest mistake: thinking his ability to con Trump supporters into believing he was a secret agent would somehow carry over into the real world.
But Ron has the charisma you’d expect from a guy who collects samurai swords & spends all day on 8chan.pic.twitter.com/r2E2IYbWOY
Watkins, Blackman, and Yates are three in a crowded race to represent the second congressional district currently held by incumbent Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01).
In the Republican primary, they’re up against Eli Crane, a veteran and small business owner of “Shark Tank”-famous company Bottle Breacher; Mark Deluzio, a diversified businessman and active local GOP and community leader; Steven Krystofiak, a farmer and small business owner; and John Moore, the mayor of Williams.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Wednesday, Arizona became the first state to allow patients to access individualized treatments otherwise blocked by the FDA. The bill was dubbed the “Right to Try for Individualized Treatments,” an expansion of original Right to Try law allowing patients with life-threatening illnesses to undergo clinical trials of the treatments of their choosing.
Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill, SB1163, into law. The Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank, pioneered the original Right to Try law. That law also began in Arizona. It eventually received approval from Congress under former President Donald Trump.
Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said that the new law ensured protections for a fundamental right: the right to save one’s own life.
“The right to try to save one’s own life is one of the most precious rights of all,” said Riches. “America doesn’t have to wait for the FDA to reform itself in order to put patients first. States can and should act now to protect all Americans’ fundamental right to try to save their own life.”
Goldwater Institute Executive Vice President Christina Sandefur said that the law provided new hope for Arizonans. Sandefur called the law “Right to Try 2.0.”
As AZ Free News reported, the bill was inspired by the Riley family in Phoenix. Two of their three daughters, Keira and Olivia, were born with metachromatic leukodystrophy: a sudden, fatal disease that attacks nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Due to FDA restrictions, the Rileys had to seek treatment outside of the country. They were forced to raise tens of thousands of dollars at the height of the pandemic in 2020 in order to relocate to Italy for the five months they needed to access treatment for Keira. The experimental gene therapy was their last hope to save her life.
Olivia couldn’t qualify for the treatment because she was already symptomatic. As of this report, she was transferred to hospice. The average life expectancy for metachromatic leukodystrophy patients is six years.
Kendra Riley, the girls’ mother, spoke with conservative radio host James T. Harris about the bill’s enactment. Riley said that the next step would be to have the rest of the nation pass similar laws.
“You think if your child has one chance in the entire world to live a normal life, we should be able to have access to it in America,” said Riley. “The medicine is there but bureaucracy and insurance shouldn’t be holding it back. Everyone should have the right to a chance at a normal life. I truly hope this helps everyone.”
As they were rallying support for the bill, Sandefur characterized current law as immoral.
“It is unconscionable that an American patient has to travel to another country to Europe in order to be able to get access to a treatment that could save their lives,” said Sandefur.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
