Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs promised a “major announcement,” leading up to a Monday press conference at the Port of Nogales on the state’s southern border with Mexico. And indeed, the border press event did highlight “Task Force SAFE,” a joint military-U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation deploying Arizona National Guardsmen to aid in intercepting drug smuggling. However, Hobbs also told reporters that Phoenix would not tolerate what she called Trump’s “misguided policies,” namely his promise of mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
As reported by 12News, Hobbs told reporters, “I will work with the administration when it benefits Arizonans and if I need to stand up to them because their actions will harm Arizonans, I will do that.”
She continued targeting Trump’s deportation vow, specifically saying, “We don’t know what a mass deportation plan will look like, what resources will be involved. I’m here to protect Arizonans, and I will do that.”
When asked if she would allow state law enforcement to participate in any mass-deportation action, Hobbs told ABC News, “We will not be participating in misguided efforts that harm our communities. And I’ve been incredibly clear about that.”
JUST IN: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs bumbles through interview, says she will not let the Trump administration deport illegal aliens in Arizona.
Hobbs added, “Those efforts are going to divert needed resources that we need here on these drug interdiction, and smuggling and trafficking efforts to keep harm out of our communities. We need those resources here. And coming here today and seeing this operation firsthand just underscores that. That working in partnership here is how we can best secure the border.”
When asked what worries her about mass deportation, Hobbs told ABC, “I think the diversion of law enforcement from the work that they do everyday to keep our communities safe, people hiding in fear, we saw that under previous state policies here and it harms communities. It tears families apart. And that’s not going to happen on my watch.”
Despite reports that Hobbs is seeking to clothe herself in the garb of a moderate, noting her refusal to join the “Governors Safeguarding Democracy” (GSD) with fellow Democrat governors J.B. Pritzker (Illinois) and Jared Polis (Colorado), Hobbs recently described the legislature she has to work with as “run by literal insurrectionists and indicted fake electors,” who send her “garbage,” prompting a record shattering 216 vetoes.
According to AZCentral, Hobbs replied to calls to join the GSD saying, “I don’t think that’s the most productive way to govern Arizona. As governor, I have and will continue to stand up against actions that hurt our communities. But I will work with anyone who is doing what is right for Arizona.” Some have taken that as an indication of her willingness to work with the incoming Trump administration and the now-overwhelmingly Republican-controlled Congress.
Hobbs’ commentary from Nogales would seem to put Arizona Democrats’ concerns of the governor potentially moderating her stance against the core policies of the GOP to rest. But should 2024 electoral trends carry through to 2026, it could foreclose on the possibility of her re-election.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen has chosen to recuse himself from the alternate electors case after reports revealed a series of emails he sent to his colleagues that openly defended Vice President Kamala Harris and urged other jurists to do likewise.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the controversy that preceded Cohen’s recusal centered around a series of emails in which he demanded that his fellow judges and commissioners stand in defense of then-Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. The Judge offered these emails in response to criticisms levied against Harris that she was a “DEI Hire.” Cohen particularly characterized the issue in racial and gender-based terms calling upon white men in particular to defend Harris, along with any colleagues who identified as “person(s) of color.”
Cohen wrote in part, “It does matter if your chromosomes are made up of ‘XY.’ It matters even more if your skin color is characterized as ‘white’ or Caucasian. We must speak out. We must tell those within our circles of influence that this s**t must stop. NOW! We cannot allow our female colleagues to feel as if they stand alone when there are those who may intimate that their ascension was anything other than based upon exceptionalism. We cannot allow our colleagues who identify as being a ‘person of color’ to stand alone when there are those may claim that their ascension was an ‘equity hire’ rather than based solely upon exceptionalism. We no longer can stay silent merely because others are exercising their right to free speech — we, too, have that same right and must exercise it.”
Attorneys representing Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a defendant alongside several other prominent Republican figures facing charges for their participation in an alternate slate of Electoral College votes during the 2020 Presidential Election, told the Associated Press that Judge Cohen “bears a deep-seated personal political bias that overcame his professional judgment.”
Arizona attorney Mark L. Williams, who represents former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told the AP, “Given the statements the judge made, I think it’s appropriate that he recuse himself.”
He added, “The way I see it, the case against Mr. Giuliani and the other defendants is falling apart and I think the attorney general should just wind down the case and dismiss it.”
Michael Colombo of Dhillon law group, writing on Hoffman’s behalf in a motion for recusal, explained, “The utter contempt Judge Cohen displayed against President Trump in his Aug. 29 email makes it clear that Senator Hoffman — who is on trial for exercising his First Amendment rights as a supporter of President Trump — cannot receive a fair trial before Judge Cohen.”
Columbo also took aim at Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes writing, “While Judge Cohen is entitled to his political opinions and speech, his rhetoric and exhortation precisely mirrors the evidence of hostile partisan political zealotry at the heart of the motions to dismiss that have been languishing before the Court for months. In short, the evidence before the Court of the Attorney General’s unlawful retaliation against Defendants includes her demonization of Republicans as well as her Chief Deputy comparing Republicans to Nazis and the Defendants in this case to Vladimir Putin.”
He added, “Even if Judge Cohen can somehow separate his apparent detestation of President Trump from his adjudication of a case that centers around defendants’ political activity in support of President Trump, the appearance of impropriety is a stain on this case that cannot be removed.”
Cohen, scheduled to retire in January, defended his actions in the text of his order, and even doubled down claiming, “This judicial officer expressed in an email support for the exceptionalism of the judicial officers of Maricopa County and was a stand for decency and respect. What was contained in the email is not reflective of bias.”
Per Courthouse News, all scheduled hearings are now vacated and the case is on hold pending the assignment of a new judge.
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.”
🚨 The AZ Dem finger pointing is officially getting started! In a pathetic statement that was reposted by @AZDemParty, @A_DLCC blames the “top of the ticket” for their failures in AZ… but which “top of the ticket” are they referring to? @KamalaForAZ or @KatieHobbs? Or BOTH? pic.twitter.com/YKXsO1Jbsb
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.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Americans sent a resounding message to the Democrat Party on Tuesday evening, rejecting the pronoun-declaring, virtue signalers whose radical ideas include normalizing humans identifying as animals and men competing in women’s sports.
For years Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media have lectured the American people about morality, inclusivity and the all-importance of identity politics. We have been told that not embracing a far-left radical agenda makes us bigots, racists and misogynists.
Clearly, the American people have had enough.
President-elect Donald Trump won all seven battleground states, captured the popular vote (the first Republican to do so in decades) expanded the map in blue states like California, New York and Virginia, and flipped traditional Democrat counties such as Miami Dade in Florida and Hispanic-heavy Starr County in Texas.
Trump’s message on the economy and immigration and closing the campaign with messages like, “It doesn’t have to be this way,” and “Trump will fix it,” given that nearly 75% of Americans believed the nation was on the wrong track, resonated with voters across the board.
Trump won married women by a large margin (so much for the gender gap), along with married men (e.g. parents). He also won suburban voters, Catholics, Protestants, those making $50,000 or less, those with no college degrees, Gen X (between the ages of 45-64), and first-time voters.
Trump also improved with non-traditional Republican voters including urban voters, Latinos and black men.
Simply put: Trump won the majority of America. He won suburban parents who want good schools and safe communities for their children. He won the hardworking folks in rural areas with no college degrees. He improved with young people who want to buy their first home but can’t afford to thanks to inflation.
The effects of Trump and the complete repudiation of the Democrat agenda happened down the ballot as well. Republicans now control the Senate with significant victories by Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, Tim Sheehy in Montana and Bernie Moreno in Ohio.
The House remains in play, and it is possible that the GOP enters Washington next January with the trifecta: White House, Senate and House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Party, once the party of the working class, has now become the party of out-of-touch elitists.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) put it this way: “It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”
Vice President Kamala Harris’ success was limited to high income voters (those making $100,000 or more and those making $200,000 or more), those with bachelor’s or advanced degrees, and those who have no religious affiliation.
In other words, Harris’ coalition consisted of a bunch of rich snobs or “smarty pants,” to quote longtime Democrat strategist David Axelrod.
Many Democrat strategists will say the loss was because Harris’ $1 billion war chest was unwisely spent. They will blame bad messaging, and a heavy focus on the abortion issue instead of the economy. They will say they had a bad candidate, or there wasn’t enough time to run a full campaign (which would be ironic, given it was the Democrat machine that installed Harris at the last minute).
But the rot runs much deeper. For the betterment of the nation, Democrats would do well to use this time for introspection and re-evaluating their principles.
Republicans had to undergo a restructuring following former President Barack Obama’s back-to-back victories in 2008 and 2012. Now, it’s the Democrats’ turn to do some self-reflecting. Until they do, Republicans will enjoy majorities in Washington and in state governments, winning races up and down the ballot for years to come.
But we live in a two-party system – for now. If one of our major parties continues to cater to radicals while isolating the majority of Americans, yes, it is a recipe for their side to continue to lose elections, but it is also bad news for the country. America is better off when both Republicans and Democrats operate in common sense and challenge each other on the best economic policy or how to solve the immigration crisis.
Doubling down and ignoring the will of the people will extinguish the Democrat Party for good.
Carly Atchison Bird is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation and the former national spokeswoman for the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign. She is the founder and president of Bird’s Eye Consulting and lives in Virginia Beach.
Attorney General Kris Mayes has ended her investigation into president-elect Donald Trump over his speech.
Mayes began an investigation into Trump over his argument that former congresswoman Liz Cheney should have to fight in a war before advocating for bringing the U.S. into another one. Mayes claimed to the Arizona Republic that this recent change of heart from her office came from their sudden realization that Trump’s remarks were protected by the First Amendment.
During a Halloween day event in Arizona, Trump had called Cheney a “radical war hawk” and a “deranged person” whose desires for war were rooted in her lack of intimate understanding of it. The topic of her had come up after conservative pundit Tucker Carlson had asked the president-elect how he felt about Cheney campaigning against him despite her father, Dick Cheney, having been a Republican and former vice president.
“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” said Trump. “Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face. They’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying ‘Oh gee, let’s send 10,000 troops into the mouths of the enemies.’ She always wanted to go to war with people.”
Cheney responded by calling Trump a “dictator” who had threatened her life.
“This is how dictators destroy free nations,” said Cheney. “They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant.”
This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant. #Womenwillnotbesilenced#VoteKamalahttps://t.co/URH5s929Sa
The next day, Mayes announced her investigation into Trump over his remarks. Mayes claimed at the time that Trump’s speech may have been a death threat.
“I have already asked my criminal division chief to start looking at that statement, analyzing it for whether it qualifies as a death threat under Arizona’s laws,” said Mayes. “I’m not prepared now to say whether it was or it wasn’t, but it is not helpful as we prepare for our election and as we try to make sure that we keep the peace at our polling places and in our state.”
Mayes made the announcement of her investigation just days before Election Day.
Although Mayes dropped her investigation into Trump’s remarks, she said her office wouldn’t be dropping its case against him and his 2020 electors, who face multiple felonies related to conspiracy and forgery. Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator in that case.
“We’re going to stay focused on the case we brought,” said Mayes. “Those are serious charges, they are state charges and they are not affected one bit by Donald Trump’s reelection to the presidency.”
Mayes also claimed in a recent press conference that Trump presents a threat to the state and federal constitutions, especially the Project 2025 plan drafted by the Heritage Foundation in 2023.
“I do not believe that in electing Donald Trump Arizona voters voted to shred the U.S. and Arizona constitutions,” said Mayes. “If Donald Trump tries to do that [Project 2025], he will have to go through me first.”
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