Governor-elect Katie Hobbs’ endorsement for the new Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) chair indicates a deep party divide.
Hobbs endorsed Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a member of her transition team — but other top Democratic leaders endorsed the apparent successor, ADP Vice Chair Yolanda Bejarano. The announcement confirmed railbird talk that Hobbs’ transition team had someone in mind other than Bejarano.
As we look to the future, I know @Steve_Gallardo is the leader we need to build on our party’s winning momentum these last 4 years and ensure Arizona continues to elect Democrats who share our values and will turn our priorities into realities.
Hobbs appears to be attempting to gin up greater support for Gallardo. The outgoing secretary of state has issued public endorsements several times over the past few weeks. Additionally, two of her other transition team members — Valleywise Health Board Chairwoman Mary Rose Wilcox and Arizona Education Association (AEA) President Marisol Garcia — endorsed Gallardo.
The current chair, State Sen. Raquel Terán (LD-26), announced earlier this month that she wouldn’t seek re-election due to her appointment as Senate Minority Whip. A day later, Bejarano announced her candidacy in a since-deleted tweet. However, in the remaining tweet thread, Bejarano said that she could end the “dangerous agenda” of Republicans.
“And with Republicans doubling down on their dangerous agenda that has all but ended the right to an abortion, defunded our public schools, villainized immigrants instead of working to fix the system, and denied our fair and free elections, our work has never been more important,” wrote Bejarano.
In 2024, we have to win back the State House and State Senate and elect more Democrats to Congress, in addition to securing our U.S. Senate seat and Arizona’s 11 presidential electoral votes.
The coalition @AZDemParty + @MissionForAZ built in 2020 won races that many National Dems had written off.
As the next AZDems Chair, union organizer and Vice Chair @yolitorosentado will leverage this momentum to deliver even more wins for Dems across AZ. https://t.co/GXueIhz9LB
Bejarano is also the Communication Workers of America (CWA) union’s national legislative and policy field director.
Apart from Hobbs and her transition team, Gallardo’s endorsements came from former Arizona Senate President and Pinal County Supervisor Pete Rios, primaried State Rep. Cesar Chávez, UFCW Local 99 union, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Arizona chapter.
Over the last few weeks, Gallardo has hit the media trail to inspire more support.
Gallardo is also a board member for the Phoenix Union High School District, and former board member for the Cartwright Elementary School District. Gallardo serves as the second vice chair of the County Supervisors’ Association. He is also on the Ryan White Planning Council and the Valley Metro Regional Transportation Advisory Board.
Prior to serving on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Gallardo served for 10 years in the state legislature, going on to become House Minority Whip and then Senate Minority Whip. Gallardo also served as a campaign finance administrator in the Maricopa County Elections Department for 14 years, engaging in efforts to increase voter turnout.
Gallardo has also served on the Arizona Civil Right Advisory Board and the Maryvale Village Planning Committee, as well as been a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), and Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).
In 2006, Gallardo chaired a ballot initiative that established minimum wage in Arizona. Since then, the state minimum wage has increased from $6.75 to $13.85 (starting Jan. 1). The federal minimum wage is $7.25.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Tuesday, State Sen. Raquel Terán (LD-26) stepped down as the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) chair.
Terán shared that her new appointment as State Senate Minority Leader, as well as her ongoing legislative duties, moved her to not seek re-election.
“Right now, I feel my skills are most useful in the Senate to help get things done for Arizonans. We have incredible opportunities with a Democratic Governor and our mighty 14 Democrats, however we are faced with my challenges with the GOP majorities,” stated Terán. “While I wish I could do both, it would not be fair to the people of Arizona to serve as Chair if I could not give the role my undivided attention.”
— Raquel Terán #BlackLivesMatter (@RaquelTeran) December 6, 2022
ADP Vice Chair Yolanda Bejarano announced interest in taking over Terán’s role.
“With Republicans doubling down on their dangerous agenda that has all but ended the right to an abortion, defunded our public schools, villainized immigrants instead of working to fix the system, and denied our fair and free elections, our work has never been more important,” stated Bejarano.
I couldn't be more excited to announce my candidacy to serve as the Chair of @AZDemParty. In 2022, we saw historic wins due to early investments and Democrats working together to make sure Arizonans knew what we stood for and got out to vote. But we also know there’s more to do.
However, according to the Arizona Agenda, Governor-elect Katie Hobbs’ team indicated that they had a different candidate in mind. Their group reportedly met for lunch on Wednesday to discuss their preferred candidate.
Terán assumed the chairmanship early last year. In September, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected Terán to take over the senate seat vacated by alleged child sex abuser Tony Navarrete.
In an interview with Arizona PBS on Tuesday, Terán dedicated the ADP’s key wins this year to organization and greater engagement with voters. Specifically, Terán cited their progressive infrastructure in the state.
“There is a progressive infrastructure—there is a grassroots movement,” stated Terán. “This is not a fluke. This is not luck. This is the fact that we are able to build strong coalitions.”
Terán aligns with most mainstream Democratic Party beliefs: universal health care, abortion rights, tuition-free college, climate change policies modeled after the Green New Deal, permanent early voting, same-day voter registration, legalized ballot harvesting, pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants, stricter gun control, Critical Race Theory (CRT), banning discrimination based on religious beliefs, gender transition procedures for minors, stripping hospital and nursing home visitation rights during pandemics, and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Earlier this year, Terán backed a dark-money fueled ballot initiative to roll back voter ID, allow same-day voter registration, allow outside money in election offices, and thwart challenges to future ballot initiatives and election results. The court system invalidated that initiative.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden nominated Phoenix attorney Roopali Desai as a candidate for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Desai is best known for her election law work. Some of Desai’s most prominent recent work included her representation of the Arizona Secretary of State’s office after the 2020 general election. Desai served on Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ transition team from December 2018 to January 2019.
In court filings to the Arizona Republican Party’s challenge to the state’s mail-in early voting system, Desai characterized challenges to election integrity as “legally baseless” means to an end of restricting voter rights. In her work, she echoed progressive challenges to election integrity doubts as a threat to democracy.
“Their claims are part of a broader ongoing effort to sow doubt about our electoral process to justify infringing voting rights,” wrote Desai.
Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen ruled earlier this month that mail-in voting didn’t violate the state constitution.
Roopali Desai is an exceptional attorney and will make an exceptional judge. I am thrilled with her nomination and grateful for all the work she has done on behalf of this office. She has always stood with us in defending Arizona's voters. https://t.co/uxGEESWsCL
— Secretary Katie Hobbs (@SecretaryHobbs) June 15, 2022
Desai also sued to stop the State Senate’s Cyber Ninjas-led audit on behalf of the Arizona Democratic Party. That lawsuit failed; Desai then sued for open records access to the audit. That case is still underway.
Desai also served as counsel for Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) successful challenge to the state’s mask mandate ban last November, a ruling that overturned a number of laws tied to the state budget.
On other school matters, Desai defended a challenge to Prop 305 in 2017 — a ballot initiative brought by Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS), a public school activist organization opposing school choice expansion. Voters rolled back school choice expansion through the ballot initiative in November 2018. Desai joined SOS’s board of directors in January 2019, and has served on it since.
Desai wrote the 100-word ballot initiative summary for Prop 208, then defended challenges to it. The Arizona Supreme Court sided with Desai on the ballot initiative summary. However, the Maricopa County Superior Court struck down Prop 208 as unconstitutional in March.
Desai also wrote the 100-word ballot initiative summary for Prop 207, which legalized marijuana for adults over 21 years old.
In the past, Desai served as legal counsel for the campaigns of Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona (PFFAZ), and the United Phoenix Firefighters Association.
I’ve known Roopali for over 10 years. She's a trusted legal expert highly regarded across the political spectrum in Arizona, known for her integrity and fairness. Glad to see the President nominate her to serve as a U.S. Judge. https://t.co/SdOl4u1VUL
USA Today named Desai one of their 12 national honorees for 2022 Women of the Year. Desai is also a professor of practice with the University of Arizona (UArizona) James E. Rogers College of Law. Desai earned her bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from UArizona, later earning her Master of Public Health and a law degree from the university.
Along with Desai, Biden’s circuit court nominees were Eastern District of Louisiana Judge Dana Douglas for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bradley Garcia for the D.C. Circuit.
Biden’s latest district court nominees were Puerto Rico District Court Clerk María del Antongiori-Jordán for Puerto Rico District Court, Puerto Rico Court of Appeals Judge Gina Méndez-Miró to the Puerto Rico District Court, Puerto Rico District Court Magistrate Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé for Puerto Rico District Court, and attorney Jerry Blackwell for the Minnesota District Court.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Democratic Party hired a new staffer, Josselyn Berry, known for her support of defunding police and the infamous cop killer and FBI Most Wanted Terrorist, Assata Shakur. After escaping from prison, Shakur received political asylum in Cuba where she resides currently.
Up until recently, Berry served as the communications director for the Arizona State Senate Democratic Caucus. She assumed that role in March 2020. It was less than two months into that job and several days after George Floyd’s death that she quoted Shakur, whose remarks were loosely paraphrasing the final sentences in Karl Marx and Frederick Engels’ Communist Manifesto.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
The Arizona Senate Democrats also shared the quote on their Twitter feed. They later removed the offending tweet and issued a formal apology after it stoked controversy. Berry didn’t delete her tweet.
In their apology statement, the Arizona Senate Democrats claimed ignorance of Shakur’s criminal history and status as a wanted terrorist.
“This is a quote used frequently in social justice and activism circles and we know her as an author and well-known commentator on civil rights. Yet it has come to our attention her past criminal conviction and current status,” wrote the Arizona Senate Democrats. “The use of the quote was not intended as an endorsement, but to emphasize issues of social justice and we regret the inclusion of the quote, but stand by the rest of the statement. We remain focused on the murder of Black Americans and finding solutions to address systemic racism in this country.”
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) May 29, 2020
Berry graduated from Arizona State University’s (ASU) Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she was also a Barrett, The Honors College student.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
One of the most prominent lawyers for the Democratic Party (DNC), Marc Elias, announced last Friday that he submitted a motion to intervene in a case challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s no-excuse mail-in voting system. Elias filed on behalf of the Senate Democrats (DSCC), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and the Arizona Democratic Party in the case Arizona Republican Party v. Hobbs.
Not only does Elias specialize in election litigation, he’s been involved in the elections themselves. His December 2017 testimony detailed his role in Hillary Clinton’s Russigate hoax: how he came to hire the intelligence firm Fusion-GPS for the DNC and Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, who then ordered the debunked dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele and sourced by analyst Igor Danchenko, a Russian citizen who resided in Virginia. The FBI arrested Danchenko for the “Steele dossier” early last November.
Today, @dscc, @dccc, @DNC and @azdemparty filed a motion to intervene in the Arizona Republican Party’s legal action seeking to end early and absentee voting in Arizona – the dominant form of voting in the state.https://t.co/xD1JAEIP5n
Elias could be considered a fixture within the Democratic Party establishment. The Jewish New York native worked with the DNC since 1993, notably serving as general counsel for two of the last three Democratic presidential candidates’ campaigns: John Kerry in 2004, then Hillary Clinton in 2016. Elias also followed former President Barack Obama from his days in the Senate all the way to the White House, earning a distinction by 2011 relayed in a Politico profile of being Obama’s “top lawyer.” Although lawyer Bob Bauer was technically Obama’s general counsel, Elias was a critical player.
Those are just the biggest names in American politics — the entire Democratic Party reportedly relies on Elias as their “go-to lawyer.” This was confirmed by fellow establishment members of the Democratic Party, such as former Federal Election Commission (FEC) chairman, Obama advisor, and Biden campaign counsel Robert Lenhard.
“For members of the House and Senate, there is no Democratic-side campaign finance lawyer who is more important than Marc Elias. That is without a doubt,” Lenhard told Politico. “While Bob Bauer served as White House counsel, Marc led that practice group and it thrived under his tutelage.”
Elias has been on all sides of the 2020 presidential election controversy, a predictable involvement considering his decades of redistricting fights, post-election litigation, and work with Big Tech giants Facebook and Google. Elias earned Google a win to effectively manipulate its search results with preferred candidates through its pay-per-click advertisement system, AdWords. The woman behind AdWords, Sheryl Sandberg, was picked up by Facebook in 2008.
Elias founded Democracy Docket on March 5, 2020, a Democratic Party voting advocacy group formed about a week after former President Donald Trump declared the ongoing national state of emergency over COVID-19. Democracy Docket operates out of Fairfax County, Virginia. To date, the group has been involved in nearly 330 cases, 150 of which they’ve won.
Last August, Elias left his legal firm of 28 years, Perkins Coie, to form his own: Elias Law Group.
Elias pledged to sue Arizona if the state legislature approves certain election integrity laws, such as: HB2596, which never made it to committee; HB2238, which passed the House and has yet to be considered in a Senate committee; HB2237, which passed the House and will soon be considered on the Senate floor; SB1058, approved by a Senate committee last month but not yet considered on the Senate floor; HB2170, which passed the House but has yet to be considered by a Senate committee; and HB2243, which passed the House and will soon be considered on the Senate floor.
