Arizona’s Corporation Commission will be completely governed by Republicans after the party experienced a clean sweep of three contests during November’s General Election.
Republicans emerged victorious over their Democrat opponents for three Corporation Commissioner spots on the ballot. Those individuals were newcomers Rachel Walden and Rene Lopez, and incumbent Lea MárquezPeterson, finishing in that order. MárquezPeterson received 100,000 more votes than the fourth-place candidate.
After winning the election, Walden released a statement, saying, “It is a great honor to be elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission. Thank you. To all of the volunteers who knocked on doors, made calls on my behalf, and put up signs. I am so grateful for all of the grassroots efforts. But I am especially grateful for the hundreds of thousands of votes. Thank you for trusting me to serve on the Arizona Corporation Commission. I look forward to serving you to make sure our utilities are affordable and reliable.”
It is a great honor to be elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission. Thank you to all of the volunteers who knocked on doors, made calls on my behalf, and put up signs. I am so grateful for all of the grassroots efforts. But I am especially grateful for the hundreds of… https://t.co/6FUWT30Haqpic.twitter.com/A2i4ITyU54
— Rachel Walden – Commissioner Elect (@waldenpatriot) November 12, 2024
Lopez wrote, “Thank you to everyone for your vote and to: Jessica, Brianna, Andrew & family for your sacrifices in supporting me on this journey. All the PCs, LDs, clubs, Rep Women’s clubs for the opportunities, your work and support. Rachel and Lea for the year long grind. We did it!”
Thank you to everyone for your vote and to: -Jessica, Brianna, Andrew & family for your sacrifices in supporting me on this journey. -All the PCs, LDs ,clubs, Rep Women's clubs for the opportunities, your work and support. – Rachel and Lea for the year long grind. We did it! https://t.co/w9G4aiwatz
MárquezPeterson said, “Thank you to every campaign volunteer and supporter across the state. I’m honored to continue to serve at the Arizona Corporation Commission for a second term!”
Thank you to every campaign volunteer and supporter across the state. I’m honored to continue to serve at the @CorpCommAZ for a second term! https://t.co/8v97A9SkU1
In an exclusive statement to AZ Free News about the coup for Republicans, current Commissioner Kevin Thompson, said, “Despite liberal activist groups spending millions of dollars this cycle to defeat Republican Commission candidates, Arizona voters demonstrated they want Commissioners who will ignore activist politics and prioritize reliability and affordability for ratepayers.”
Thompson added, “The current Commission has focused on the long term reliability of our grid and doing what is best for Arizona, not the activists who want to turn us into another California at the expense of ratepayers. I’m confident the incoming Commission will build upon that work and make sure Arizona remains successful and affordable for the foreseeable future.”
Despite Democrats winning the major statewide offices in 2022 (Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State), Republican majority control of this Commission has been a bright spot for those attempting to keep leftwing policies from taking root and blossoming in Arizona. According to its website, the ACC works to ensure “safe, reliable, and affordable utility services,” and Republicans have been instrumental in directing policies to do just that for the state. Without a single Democrat on the panel going forward, starting in January, Republicans will have even more of an opportunity to enact their vision for Arizona utilities and other areas within their jurisdiction on the Commission.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him 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.
With votes continuing to be tabulated in Arizona, Republicans appear to be tracking toward a return to power in one or both of the chambers in the state legislature.
Over the past two years, Arizona Republicans have narrowly controlled the state House and Senate, giving them the ability to hold Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs in check. Both major political parties poured significant resources into competitive seats over the past year to wrestle a majority for the next legislative session.
As of Wednesday night, Republicans are leading in 16 of the 30 contests for State Senate. Two of those races – District 2 (Shawnna Bolick) and District 4 (Carine Werner) are currently within 2,000 votes. Of the 14 seats that Democrats are leading, three – District 9 (Eva Burch), District 17 (John McLean), and District 23 (Brian Fernandez) – are also within 2,000 votes at this time.
On the House of Representatives side, as of Wednesday night, Republicans are leading in 32 of the 60 contests. Democrats have an advantage in the other 28 races. Results in District 2, 4, 9, 13, 16, 17, and 23 may be fluid in the coming days with additional votes being factored in the candidate’s respective favor.
Control of the legislature is vital to the agenda of the next two years, when Governor Hobbs will be facing re-election and working to enact more of her policy directives to demonstrate her value to the state. Should Democrats manage to win a majority of both the state House and Senate, Hobbs and her legislative allies would be able to pass left-leaning priorities and sign those into law. One of these targets would be the historic Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, which has been under tremendous scrutiny and criticism by Hobbs and other Democrats since it was expanded during Republican Governor Doug Ducey’s administration a few years ago.
The winners of the campaigns for state House and Senate will be sworn in for the new legislative session in early January.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona officials recently took time to recognize the state’s correctional officers.
Last week, the Arizona Legislature celebrated Arizona Correctional Professionals Day.
The Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus “X” account posted, “Senate Republicans unequivocally support our men and women in public safety, and we are proud to celebrate Arizona Correctional Professionals Day at the Capitol. These dedicated men and women are a crucial community within our public safety sector and play an important role in protecting our citizens, as well as the rehabilitation of those who are incarcerated.”
Senate Republicans unequivocally support our men and women in public safety, and we are proud to celebrate Arizona Correctional Professionals Day at the Capitol!
These dedicated men and women are a crucial community within our public safety sector and play an important role in… pic.twitter.com/IBlocCMF3O
Senator T.J. Shope also issued a statement to highlight Arizona’s correctional officers. He wrote, “We celebrated Arizona Correctional Professionals Day at the Capitol this week, and I had the honor of welcoming these public servants at a BBQ lunch by presenting them with a legislative proclamation recognizing their work. Arizona is dedicated to providing reentry and rehabilitation services for incarcerated individuals so that they may become productive citizens contributing to our society after release.”
Shope added, “Our state’s nearly 8,000 correctional officers and security staff are crucial to this mission. Their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and bravery in the face of challenging circumstances is to be commended. They truly demonstrate exceptional commitment to upholding the rule of law, ensuring humane treatment of the incarcerated, and fostering an environment for positive behavioral change. For the past 12 years, l’ve been honored to represent the men and women working in our private and public correctional facilities in Pinal County. Thank you for your service!”
For the last 12 years, I’ve been honored to represent the men & women working in our public & private correctional facilities in Pinal County! I look forward to continuing to do so and I celebrate them and their service today and every day! #AZSenate#AZLeghttps://t.co/eR5Waj1ylD
Governor Katie Hobbs joined Shope and others to thank the men and women who serve in this specific line of work, declaring the week as “Correctional Officers and Employee Week.”
Keeping our communities safe is a noble calling & I’m so grateful to our correctional officers who work every day to build a safer Arizona.
In their honor, I declared May 5 – 11 Correctional Officers and Employee Week to thank them for their tireless work to protect us. pic.twitter.com/rb4vEXHCxg
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) May 8, 2024
At the end of the week, the “X” account for the Arizona Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation posted, “THANK YOU to the entire ADCRR family for your ongoing effort and service as we reimagine corrections across Arizona. We hope you had a great Correctional Officers and Employees Week.”
THANK YOU to the entire ADCRR family for your ongoing effort and service as we Reimagine Corrections across Arizona. We hope you had a great Correctional Officers and Employees Week! pic.twitter.com/Mt8lB0yVw8
— AZ DEPT OF CORRECTIONS, REHABILITATION & REENTRY (@AZCorrections) May 11, 2024
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A majority of Republicans in Arizona’s Legislature held the line Wednesday to preserve the state’s near abortion ban.
On Wednesday morning, the Arizona House of Representatives gaveled into session for the first time this week, giving a coalition of members the opportunity to repeal a broad abortion ban that the State Supreme Court had reinstated earlier this month.
Since the Arizona Supreme Court’s historic opinion on the statute, Democrats and some Republicans have sought to repeal the 1864 abortion policy, which has been ratified by the state legislature several times, including in a 2022 bill that established a 15-week abortion ban before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. A coalition attempted to call up a proposal, HB 2677, from Democrat State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, which would repeal the law. Members did not have a chance to vote on the bill due to a chaotic scene on the floor, that included a successful motion to recess and adjourn for the week.
Stahl Hamilton wasted little time on Wednesday in trying to call up her bill for consideration, but was thwarted by a point of order from Republican State Representative Jacqueline Parker, who highlighted a rule of the chamber giving the Speaker veto power over these procedures. Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham asked Speaker Ben Toma for his decision, and Toma exercised his right to veto Stahl Hamilton’s request. After a couple of split procedural votes to override the Speaker’s action, which Republican Representative Matthew Gress joined with Democrats, the House recessed without any progress in repealing the near abortion ban.
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs reacted to the latest from the State House, expressing her outrage over the inability to repeal the near abortion ban. She wrote, “Extremist Republicans in the Legislature have failed again to do the right thing. In just one week living under this new reality, women, doctors, and healthcare providers have already begun to feel the devastating effects of living under a total abortion ban. We cannot go on like this.”
Extremist Republicans in the Legislature have failed again to do the right thing. In just one week living under this new reality, women, doctors, and healthcare providers have already begun to feel the devastating effects of living under a total abortion ban. We cannot go on like…
Hobbs added, “I will continue to call on the Legislature to do its job and repeal this law. In the meantime, I remain committed to protecting the freedoms of every single Arizonan, and I am working to make sure women are able to access the care they need.”
A Republican running for State Representative pointed out that, unlike Hobbs’ claim that effects were already being felt, the law was not even in effect yet, due to instructions from the Arizona Supreme Court.
This is a lie. The law that the Supreme Court ruled on is still not in effect. So what effects are women in Arizona feeling from a law that is not in effect? https://t.co/0hIjgnCx8x
The Arizona Senate gaveled into its session in the afternoon and experienced a surprise action from Democrats, who, led by Senator Anna Hernandez, gained recognition for a motion to introduce a bill after the designated legislative deadline. Two Republicans joined with all Democrats to support Hernandez’s motion, which allows the chamber to fast-track a repeal of the controversial abortion law.
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) April 17, 2024
Both chambers adjourned for the week, leaving the near abortion ban intact through the weekend at least. If the abortion law in question is repealed, the state would likely revert to the recent 15-week abortion limit passed by lawmakers in 2022, marking the first time in the state’s history that the Arizona Legislature “affirmatively created a right to, or independently authorized, elective abortion” – as pointed out by the State Supreme Court in its opinion last week. That limit is sure to be expanded with a constitutional amendment that is likely to make the November General Election ballot.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
