A staple of Arizona’s most conservative coalition of lawmakers is running to rejoin the state legislature.
Anthony Kern is seeking to once again represent the 27th legislative district, held by incumbent Republican State Sen. Kevin Payne. Kern and Payne are the only two Republicans in the race; three Democrats have filed statements of interest.
Kern last represented that district in the Arizona Senate from 2023 to 2025. Kern departed from the state legislature in order to make his unsuccessful run for the 8th Congressional District in 2024. Prior to the state senate, Kern represented the 20th legislative district in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2015 to 2021.
While in the legislature, Kern built a reputation as one of its more outspoken conservative members. This was reflected by his membership with the Arizona Freedom Caucus, and A-ratings for conservative lawmaking from the Conservative Political Action Committee, NumbersUSA, American Conservative Union, National Rifle Association, and Keep Arizona Free.
Kern held a number of committee leadership positions, including chairmanships of the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee and the House Rules Committee, and a vice chairmanship of the Senate Public Safety Committee.
President Donald Trump and Turning Point USA have been among a number of Republican powerhouses to take notice of Kern. Trump commended Kern as “an incredible fighter for election integrity,” and pardoned him from the 2020 Trump electors case put together by the Biden Department of Justice. Turning Point USA’s affiliate, Turning Point Action, has endorsed Kern.
Although the federal charges against Kern and other electors were dropped, Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes has pursued her own case. A court of appeals ruled last month in a loosely related case that Mayes illegally withheld communications in which she conspired with States United Democracy Center to prosecute Trump’s allies.
Prior to joining the legislature over a decade ago, Kern worked in municipal code enforcement and other public safety roles in the West Valley.
It appears that this background — combined with his repeated public commitments to limiting administrative rulemaking and expanding legislative oversight of regulations — has influenced a take from Kern that puts him at odds with other Republican lawmakers, though not with fellow conservatives.
Kern’s platform includes an opposition to automatic license plate readers (APLRs), such as the Flock Safety cameras. Unlike Kern, Payne as chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee sponsored a bill in support of APLRs earlier this year, SB 1111.
Other aspects of Kern’s platform include healthcare reform, proposing health providers must offer one single price for products and services, and health insurance premiums and medical expenses must be tax-free; and private property protections, proposing a removal of certain alleged loopholes to squatter prevention laws.
Kern has described himself as pro-life, an election integrity advocate, an opponent to illegal migration, and a supporter of parental rights and school choice.
He has lived in LD27 for nearly 40 years and attends Fresh Start Church in Peoria.
The Arizona Clean Elections Commission is scheduled to host the LD27 primary debate on June 22.
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Tucson Democratic State Senate candidate Rocque Perez is facing renewed scrutiny following resurfaced social media posts containing violent rhetoric and new attention to earlier allegations involving disputed online activity and deleted social media accounts.
The controversy comes as Perez seeks the Democratic nomination for Arizona’s Legislative District 20 Senate seat, where he faces state Rep. Alma Hernandez in a July primary.
Archived posts tied to Perez’s X account included violent political rhetoric dating back to 2020. The posts reportedly included statements such as “So kill them, do your duty baby girl” in response to complaints about conservative family members and “Someone throw this b—- off the capitol building roof please” in response to a post by Ivanka Trump. Other archived messages reportedly encouraged violence toward political opponents and referenced harming individuals in online settings.
The posts were first published by the California Globe in October and later independently corroborated through Archive.org.
Perez, now 27, told the Arizona Republic he was aware prior to entering politics that his past online activity would likely face public scrutiny and argued that the posts originated when he was 20 and 21 years old. At the time, he worked as a student employee at the University of Arizona in multicultural advancement and research communications roles, according to university employment records cited by the Republic.
“You wouldn’t be asking me these questions if this was any other 19, 20-year-old at the time,” Perez told the Republic.
Hernandez sharply criticized the rhetoric and rejected Perez’s explanation.
“To brush it off and say you were young and dumb, that’s not an excuse,” Hernandez told the Arizona Republic, calling the posts “unacceptable for anyone seeking public office.”
The resurfaced posts have also revived attention to earlier reporting involving Perez’s online presence.
Alleged Sex Worker Tied to Adelita Grijalva Scrubs Social Media Accounts.
In February, the California Globe reported that social media accounts allegedly connected to Perez and others tied to Tucson-area political circles had been deleted or scrubbed following scrutiny. The publication later published screenshots from an X account it alleged Perez used to promote an OnlyFans account known as “ThatLocalBoy,” citing material supplied by a source. According to the report, the account included photographs of Perez and sexually explicit promotional content linked to OnlyFans activity.
Another Gay Activist With Ties to Rep-Elect Adelita Grijalva Scrubs Social Media.
Perez denied those allegations when questioned by the Republic and said he never operated an OnlyFans account.
“Not at any point did I put out anything like this,” Perez told the newspaper.
The Republic reported it could not independently confirm Perez operated the alleged OnlyFans account and noted that the account in question no longer exists. Perez further declined to specifically confirm or deny whether photographs and sexually oriented posts associated with the account belonged to him, telling the paper he was “not going to relegate what was me or not me.”
Perez graduated from the University of Arizona in 2022 with a degree in political science. He previously served briefly as an appointed Tucson City Council member, and currently serves as the executive director of the Southern Arizona Education Council, formerly known as the Metropolitan Education Commission.
Budget negotiations between Arizona Senate Republicans and Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration are continuing at the Capitol after the Governor vetoed the Senate Republican budget proposal on May 5th.
The Republican plan included one of the largest tax cuts in Arizona history while fully funding education and public safety priorities.
Hobbs described the budget as “unbalanced and reckless.”
In her veto letter she stated, “This budget is unbalanced and reckless. With it, Arizona would default on our debt obligations, endanger vulnerable children, slash critical public safety funding, and pay for tax breaks to billionaires, data centers and special interests by kicking Arizonans off their healthcare and taking food off their tables. Arizonans cannot afford chaotic and dysfunctional Washington-style budgeting in our state government. I have made it clear that I will engage in good-faith negotiation. But I will not sign a budget that brings Washington-style chaos and dysfunction to Arizona’s budget. Let’s get back to the negotiating table and get serious about delivering for Arizonans. I am ready when you are.”
Despite the Governor’s public criticism, her team returned to negotiations almost immediately. On Thursday, May 14th, Governor Hobbs lifted the month-long bill signing moratorium she had imposed on April 13th.
The moratorium had been conditioned on Republicans publicly releasing a budget proposal and engaging in what she described as “good-faith” negotiations. It has severely limited the Senate’s ability to conduct normal floor business for weeks, stalling progress on unrelated legislation and disrupting the regular legislative process.
Senate Republicans noted that work never stopped despite the moratorium and recent media reports. Members have continued meeting with stakeholders, addressing constituent issues, reviewing legislation, and participating in budget discussions nearly every day.
This last week, the Senate Committee on Director Nominations convened to consider Governor Hobbs’ nominee, Brig. Gen. John Conley, to lead the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.
The Republican budget proposal, unveiled on April 27, fully conformed Arizona’s tax code with federal changes made through President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” It funded the tax relief through targeted fund sweeps and reductions to most state agencies outside of core priorities.
Senate Republicans remain focused on completing a responsible budget that controls spending, protects core priorities such as education and public safety, and delivers historic tax relief for Arizona families facing affordability challenges.
The Senate returned last week for additional floor work, committee activity, and ongoing budget negotiations. With the moratorium now lifted, Senate leaders expressed optimism that both the budget process and the broader work of the Legislature can move forward without further delays.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona Senate Republicans announced on Monday that they passed a $17.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 that includes $1.45 billion in tax relief over four years and spends approximately $800 million less than Governor Katie Hobbs’ proposal.
The budget, approved by the Legislature and sent to Hobbs, is based on updated April revenue projections that showed a $200 million decrease in available resources.
According to Senate Republicans, the plan includes a series of tax changes intended to provide cost-of-living relief, including eliminating state taxes on tips and overtime pay, increasing the standard deduction, allowing full deductions for child-care expenses, increasing the dependent tax credit by $25, and creating a $6,000 deduction for seniors age 60 and older with retirement or pension income.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senate Republicans Pass Historic $1.45 Billion Tax Relief Budget- Delivering Permanent Affordability for Families, Workers and Seniors While Protecting Core Services
The proposal also includes conformity with federal tax policy changes associated with Donald Trump’s tax cuts, which the Senate said would ensure Arizona taxpayers do not need to refile their 2025 state tax returns.
“This is a serious, disciplined budget that puts Arizona families first,” Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) said in a statement. “We cut taxes, protect essential services, and base every decision on real April revenue projections — not wishful thinking.”
He added, “In divided government, we faced the math, eliminated waste through targeted reforms, and delivered real results without raising taxes or growing government.”
The budget maintains current funding levels for K-12 education and public safety, preserves the voter-protected K-12 State Land Trust, and limits overall spending growth to 1.9 percent.
To address the projected shortfall, Senate Republicans said the plan includes policy changes aimed at reducing spending, including enhanced eligibility verification in public assistance programs such as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a 5% reduction in agency operating budgets excluding public safety and child welfare agencies, and the repeal of certain tax credits and subsidies, including solar incentives.
The budget does not reduce base pay for Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers or firefighters and does not modify existing data center incentives previously signed into law.
The plan also includes $4.75 million in emergency funding for the Department of Public Safety, which Senate Republicans said the agency had requested and that the governor had previously vetoed as a standalone bill.
The Arizona Senate Republican Caucus said the budget reflects the constraints of divided government and relies on no new taxes or fees.
“This budget reflects the reality of divided government,” Petersen said. “While Democrats were on the floor today saying we need to raise taxes, we are instead delivering historic tax relief without burdening taxpayers. Your business and your wallet are on the ballot this fall. Vote wisely.”
The proposal now awaits Hobbs’ action.
House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-LD29), Petersen, and other legislative Republican leaders are scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday at 1 p.m., according to a media advisory, to highlight the budget and urge Hobbs to sign the legislation.
Last week, the Arizona House of Representatives passed an Arizona First budget focused on increasing take-home pay, lowering costs, and protecting core services. The Arizona Senate is on track to approve it today. Governor Hobbs should sign it.
The fastest way to address an affordability crisis is simple: let people keep more of what they earn.
This budget returns $1.45 billion to taxpayers over the next three years. When government takes less, families keep more through bigger paychecks, larger refunds, and lower overall tax burdens.
Our plan raises the standard deduction so workers can keep more from each paycheck. It exempts tips and overtime pay so frontline workers see meaningful relief at tax time. It reduces the cost of raising a family by exempting childcare expenses from state taxes and increasing the per-child tax refund by 25%. And it supports seniors on fixed incomes by exempting retirement income for Arizonans age 60 and older.
The goal is straightforward: you keep more, and government takes less.
At a time when families are tightening their belts, government should do the same. Yet the governor’s proposal increased spending to $18.7 billion. The House budget spends $800 million less without compromising the core services Arizonans rely on. It reflects the same discipline families practice every day.
This plan shows that responsible leadership is still possible in divided government. It prioritizes stability, protects taxpayers, and delivers a balanced approach ahead of the new fiscal year.
It fully funds K-12 education with an inflation increase, provides $200 million for public school facility repairs, gives additional support to low-income students, and eliminates co-pays for reduced-price school meals. It protects the most vulnerable by funding congregate care within the Department of Child Safety, addressing rising costs for high-need individuals with developmental disabilities, and strengthening foster care support through community providers.
This is what responsible governing looks like: targeted tax relief, controlled spending, and a commitment to core priorities. It recognizes that affordability is not just a talking point. It is the defining issue for Arizona families.
Governor Hobbs now has a clear choice. She can embrace a balanced, responsible budget that lowers costs and delivers real relief. Or she can reject a plan that reflects the will of a divided government working in good faith.
The House has done its job. We cut taxes. We protected essential services. We kept spending in check.
For Arizona families feeling the strain of rising costs, this budget deserves the governor’s signature.
Steve Montenegro is the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives and serves Legislative District 29 in the West Valley, Goodyear, and Surprise. Follow him on X at @SteveMontenegro.
