by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Nov 27, 2024 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
Since the results of the 2024 election came in, much of the focus has been on President-elect Donald Trump’s historic win—and rightfully so. Trump won every single swing state in a massive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, and he beat her in the popular vote too.
But Kamala Harris wasn’t the only significant loser to come out of November’s election.
Here in Arizona, teachers’ unions and other anti-school choice groups, like Save Our Schools Arizona (SOSAZ), made the 2024 election a referendum on school choice. And they lost big!
Much of their work began earlier this year, when Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs came into legislative session (just like she did in 2023) with her top priority being to regulate the wildly popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program out of existence. But it didn’t work. Despite the noise from Hobbs, legislative Democrats, the legacy media, the teachers’ unions, and other anti-school choice groups, only minor changes were made to the ESA program through the budget, with most of it remaining untouched.
This failure fell on the heels of other similar failures…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 24, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Republican members of the Arizona Legislature recently received their committee assignments as lawmakers eye the start of the quickly approaching session in January.
Earlier this month, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen announced the members of his caucus who would chair and co-chair the committees within his chamber.
Senator John Kavanagh will chair the Committee on Appropriations, while Senator David Farnsworth will be the vice chair. Senator Farnsworth will chair the Committee on Education, while Senator-Elect Carine Werner will be the vice chair. Senator J.D. Mesnard will chair the Committee on Finance, while Senator-Elect Vince Leach will be the vice chair. Werner will chair the Committee on Health & Human Services, while Senator T.J. Shope will be the vice chair. Senator David Gowan will chair the Committee on Military & Border, while Senator Janae Shamp will be the vice chair. Shope will chair the Committee on Natural Resources, while Senator-Elect Tim Dunn will be the vice chair. Senator-Elect Mark Finchem will chair the Committee on Federalism, while Senator-Elect Hildy Angius will be the vice chair. Senator Wendy Rogers will chair the Committee on Judiciary & Elections, while Kavanagh will be the vice chair. Senator Jake Hoffman will chair the Committee on Government, while Rogers will be the vice chair. Senator-Elect Kevin Payne will chair the Committee on Public Safety, while Angius will be the vice chair. Senator Shawnna Bolick will chair the Committee on Regulatory Affairs, while Senator Frank Carroll will be the vice chair.
On the House side, committee leadership assignments were announced six days after their Senate Republican counterparts.
Representative John Gillette will chair the Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Committee, while Representative Rachel Jones will be the vice chair. Representative Walt Blackman will chair the Government Committee, while Representative Lisa Fink will be the vice chair. Representative Selina Bliss will chair the Health & Human Services Committee, while Representative Ralph Heap will be the vice chair. Representative Tony Rivero will chair the International Trade Committee, while Representative Michele Peña will be the vice chair. Representative Quang Nguyen will chair the Judiciary Committee, while Representative Khyl Powell will be the vice chair. Representative Lupe Diaz will chair the Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, and Peña will be the vice chair. Representative Gail Griffin will be the chair of the Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, and Representative Chris Lopez will be the vice chair. Representative David Marshall will be the chair of the Public Safety & Law Enforcement Committee, and Representative Pamela Carter will be the vice chair. Representative Laurin Hendrix will be the chair of the Rules Committee, while Representative Neal Carter will be the vice chair. Representative Leo Biasiucci will be the chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, while Representative Teresa Martinez will be the vice chair. Representative Beverly Pingerelii will be the chair of the Science & Technology Committee, while Representative Justin Wilmeth will be the vice chair. Representative Justin Olson will be the chair of the Ways & Means Committee, while Representative Nick Kupper will be the vice chair.
President Petersen’s leadership style is on full display in his latest assignments for the Senate Republicans. Over the past two terms, he has weathered two challenges from Senator David Gowan, including an extremely competitive campaign in 2022. However, despite the repeat match-up, Petersen has twice assigned Gowan to lead the Committee on Military & Border. This magnanimous treatment has helped unite the caucus, focusing members on the task at hand of stopping Governor Katie Hobbs’ radical agenda from taking hold in Arizona.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Nov 23, 2024 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
Though most attention was directed at the top of the ticket in the 2024 election, many groups on the Left waged high stakes on flipping Arizona’s barely Republican-controlled legislature.
In the two years since the 2022 election, when Republicans dwindled to 31 members of the 60-member House and 16 members in the 30-member Senate, Democrats have been busily planning and building their election takeover. After sweeping the top 3 statewide offices, including the Governorship, 2024 was the inflection point in the story of how Arizona went from red – to purple – to blue.
But that didn’t happen.
Under the leadership of Governor Hobbs and an orbit of well-funded organizations that raised upwards of $10 million to target key swing districts in Arizona, the Left failed to secure their legislative victories. Instead, the Republican-controlled Arizona House and Senate, in fact, expanded their majorities. Despite being outspent in every single race, Republicans now hold 33 members in the House and 17 members in the Senate, a small but meaningful gain. It’s a disaster for Katie Hobbs, who is already fighting low favorability and criticism by her own party for her inability to best Republican legislative leadership and rack up any wins for the Left’s agenda…
>>> CONTINUE READING >>>
by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 17, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Fresh off their successful efforts to keep a majority in the Arizona Legislature, Senate Republicans voted to keep their chamber’s leader for another term in office.
On Tuesday, Senate President Warren Petersen won reelection from his colleagues in the chamber. Petersen faced a brief challenge from another member, but earlier that day, it was reported that the incumbent president would have a clear field to the nomination.
In a statement after his victory, Petersen said, “My esteemed colleagues of the AZ Senate have re-elected me by acclimation as Senate President. I am grateful for their confidence. The media got something right. This is the most conservative legislature in history. We will continue to deliver a conservative agenda that will protect liberty and promote prosperity.”
Petersen added, “With our expanded majority we will make sure our communities are safe and that our kids have the best educational opportunities possible. We will continue to lower taxes and eliminate government waste. We will work with the Trump administration to make sure our border is safe. We will secure our water supplies and our elections.”
Senator Janae Shamp was elected as the Majority Leader, and Senator Frank Carroll as the Majority Whip.
Shamp wrote, “I am truly honored and humbled by the trust The Republican Majority Caucus has placed in me to lead the Arizona State Senate. Together, we will work toward policies that strengthen Arizona, promote opportunity for all, and ensure that our state remains a beacon of freedom, prosperity, and personal responsibility. We will move forward with a united vision, grounded in our shared values, and with a commitment to serving the people of Arizona with integrity and purpose.”
Both Petersen and Shamp are two of the most conservative members of the Arizona Senate. According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Shamp has a 93% lifetime score, and Petersen has a 94% score. Senator Carroll also checked in with a 96% score in the 2024 legislative session.
The leadership elections for Republicans in the Arizona Senate this month marked a drastic change from two years ago, when Petersen faced large uncertainty due to races that had not been called yet and a very competitive challenge for the role of the chamber’s President. Since winning that election and becoming Senate President, though, Petersen has staked a claim to his leadership responsibilities, He has united his caucus in deft opposition to Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs’ radical agenda, managed to advance some conservative priorities in the face of a bitterly divided Arizona government, and joined state and national efforts to defend several laws in the absence of Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Petersen also spent much of his time in the lead-up to the November General Election campaigning for vulnerable and new members of his conference, earning even more goodwill among Republicans. Despite vicious attempts from local and national Democrats to overturn control of the state legislature, Petersen’s efforts to keep the majority paid off in a big way as Republicans expanded their majority after votes across the state were eventually tabulated.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Nov 15, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) indicated that top Democratic leaders were to blame for their party’s massive election losses at the state and federal levels.
In a statement from Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) reposted by ADP, executive director Elsa O’Callaghan said that “down-the-ballot Democrats” in Arizona and across the nation were unable to overcome “top-of-the-ticket” troubles. O’Callaghan didn’t specify what those troubles were or who was behind them.
“We are deeply grateful for the candidates who put their lives on hold and stepped up to run, the staff who gave it their all, and the supporters who donated their time and money to protect Arizona’s future. Final results are now tallied and Arizona’s legislative chambers will remain in Republican control. Across the country, down-ballot Democrats worked tirelessly to combat top-of-the-ticket trends. It is now clear that those trends proved to be insurmountable. Too much is at stake to abandon our mission — especially with an extreme presidential administration coming into power. The work continues.”
Donald Trump won Arizona by over 52 percent of the vote (1.7 million votes), where Kamala Harris gained over 46 percent of the vote (1.5 million votes) — a difference of nearly 187,000 votes among 3.2 million voters. Comparatively, Joe Biden won by .3 percent of the vote back in 2020, a difference of just over 10,400 votes among 3.3 million voters.
Arizona Republicans flipped a net total of three seats in the state legislature: one in the senate and three in the house (and the loss of one other seat). That grew the Republican majority to 17 in the Senate and 33 in the House.
In the Senate, Republicans flipped one seat: LD4, with Republican challenger Carine Werner ousting incumbent Democrat Christine Marsh by 52 percent of the vote (over 5,400 votes).
In the House, Republicans flipped three seats: LD4, with Republicans Pamela Carter and Matt Gress securing both seats; LD13, with Republicans Jeff Weninger and Julie Willoughby securing both seats; LD16, with Republicans Teresa Martinez and Chris Lopez securing both seats.
Democrats flipped one seat in the House: LD17, ousting Republican Cory McGarr for Democrat Kevin Volk while Rachel Jones retained her seat.
Arizona Democrats failed to flip any congressional seats. They also failed to win the hotly-contested District 6 seat held by incumbent Juan Ciscomani.
Democrats did successfully win the open Senate seat left by independent Kyrsten Sinema. Democrat Ruben Gallego emerged victorious over Republican Kari Lake, winning 50 percent of the vote over Lake’s 47 percent.
Although Democrats fell short of securing the Arizona legislature, they did see a certain win with a significant ballot reform.
Arizonans approved a constitutional right to abortion up to birth: 62 percent were in favor (1.9 million voters) versus 38 percent against (1.2 million voters).
However, Arizonans also approved a ballot measure to allow police to arrest illegal immigrants entering the U.S — 63 percent (1.9 million) were in favor, while 37 percent (1.1 million) were against.
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