by Jonathan Eberle | Jul 23, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
In a tense and disorganized special meeting last week, the Arizona Democratic Party voted to remove Chair Robert Branscomb after just six months in office. The ouster followed months of infighting, public disputes with elected officials, union clashes, and growing concerns over the party’s financial health heading into the 2026 election cycle.
Branscomb, who was elected chair in January after unseating incumbent Yolanda Bejarano, faced mounting criticism from party leaders and lawmakers. Arizona’s top Democratic elected officials—including U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes—issued a rare public rebuke earlier this year, expressing a loss of confidence in his leadership.
Despite technical problems that plagued the meeting, 476 party committee members voted to remove Branscomb through the party’s preferred voting method, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required by Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) bylaws. Some members cast votes by email due to glitches in the party’s online voting system, though the total vote count remains unclear.
“Today’s recall effort is rooted in misrepresentation, divisive tactics and does not reflect our democratic values,” Branscomb said during the meeting. He argued that his removal was not about party unity but about “distraction and dividing us at a time when unity is more important than ever.”
Several lawmakers and party officials cited concerns over Branscomb’s ability to lead Democrats to victory in the next election. “Donors have told me directly they’re sitting out until the party gets its act together,” said State Representative Aaron Márquez.
The July 16 meeting stretched on for hours as frustrations mounted over procedural confusion and technical failures. Several members said they did not receive links to vote on the quorum, raising fears that they would be disenfranchised. Over two and a half hours were spent troubleshooting the party’s online voting platform.
Much of the confusion appeared to stem from tensions between party officers and ADP Executive Director Michael Ruff, who was tasked with managing the voting system. Some staff members claimed in Zoom chat messages that they had offered to help with the process but received no response.
ADP Vice Chair Melissa Galarza criticized the disorganization, saying, “I just feel like this was not well planned, the staff was not prepared for it, Michael Ruff did not prepare us, we had a lack of conversation about this meeting.”
A new election to select the party’s next chair is scheduled for September. Branscomb has the option to challenge his removal in that meeting. Until then, ADP Vice Chair Kim Khoury will serve as interim chair.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jul 2, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
All is not well in the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) according to a video posted online by National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Spokesman Ben Petersen. The video appears to depict ADP Treasurer Greg Freeman excoriating State Party Chairman Robert Branscomb and calling for his ouster for “burning cash, botched fundraising & looming bankruptcy.”
Petersen described the video in a post to X as a “NEW EPISODE of @AZDemParty IN DISARRAY.” He added, “Dems’ treasurer torches party leadership for burning cash, botched fundraising & looming bankruptcy[.] ‘On pace for the worst fundraising year in the past decade[.]’ ‘The only possible outcome…is ineffectiveness or bankruptcy.’”
In a statement, Petersen called the discord shown in the video, a “stunning internal revolt,” writing, “Arizona Democrats’ stunning internal revolt exposed a party in free fall, burning cash while alienating voters. As Democrats elevate socialists as the face of their party, Republicans are passing middle class tax cuts and the biggest border security investments in generations that will directly benefit hardworking Arizonans.”
In the video, a man, appearing to be Freeman, can be heard saying, “Our fundraising has been historically poor in 2025, and we are on pace for the worst fundraising year in the past decade. As another comparison, we have raised less than 1/3 of what we raised at this point in 2021, and there is no sign of this trend changing.”
He warned, “At the current rate of spending and fundraising we will be unable to pay our staff or our mortgage or both very soon. The only possible outcome for the Arizona Democratic Party, if the chair stays in place, is ineffectiveness or bankruptcy.”
Freeman then called for the removal of Chairman Branscomb saying, “I do believe that this situation can be righted and that the relationships with our elected officials and financial partners can be mended. But those damaged relationships cannot be repaired by the same person that presided over their decline. Removing the chair is the only way.”
According to reporting posted to X by Mary Jo Pitzl of the Arizona Republic, the executive board of the Arizona Democratic Party issued a censure against Chair Branscomb as well as Executive Director Michael Ruff “based on Branscomb’s refusal to explain to the board why his staff accessed and spread the email of a board member to a ‘known political ally’ outside of official party channels.”
The email purportedly “outlined a pitch to talk to party members and persuade them that Branscomb must vacate the chairs seat” and according to the board, promoted a “false narrative.”
Brahm Resnick of 12News obtained a copy of the censure letter and posted it to X suggesting that the “Chair’s rocky tenure could come to a head at a State Committee meeting 7/16.”
The board wrote in part, “The Chair’s repeated failures to comply with direct instructions from the Executive Board coupled with his prior breach of responsibility in circulating internal communications for personal political gain demonstrate a continuing pattern of disregard for accountability, transparency, and unity. It also undermines the Board’s good-faith efforts to support the Chair’s leadership since the beginning of his term.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Arizona Democratic Party has been beset by infighting with party leadership and top elected Democrats at odds as far back as April 2025 when Branscomb accused his predecessor of undermining him and both sitting U.S. Senators for Arizona of threatening him over disagreements with his decisions. As recently as June 1st, Branscomb told Pitzl in a meeting days before that the party’s state of spending and low fundraising has led to diminished funds after the ADP’s executive committee rejected a budget proposal from him.
Shortly before the reveal of the fiscal cliff, Branscomb suspended his vice chair, Kim Khoury, and accused her of working against him. He claimed she had engaged “in political activity directed against party leadership while holding an executive officer role.”
At the time, one Democratic donor anonymously voiced their concerns to the media saying anonymously, “Why would I write a check when we’re losing everything? We’re losing the airwaves. We’re losing the tech battle. We’re losing the ground game. They have yet to prove that they have learned any real lessons yet. So either people start to wake up or we lose again.”
Since the June 1st report, the situation within the ADP leadership appears to have worsened significantly.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Jun 1, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) will go broke by the end of this year, according to the party’s own leadership.
News of the party’s financial woes emerged after ADP’s executive committee rejected a budget from the party’s new chairman, Robert Branscomb, in a recent meeting per Arizona Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl.
ADP’s committee reportedly cited the current state of spending and low fundraising for the diminishing funds.
This new development emerged shortly after Branscomb suspended his vice chair, Kim Khoury, through email. Branscomb accused Khoury of working against him — accusations he’s leveled against others early on in his leadership.
“[You engaged] in political activity directed against party leadership while holding an executive officer role,” said Branscomb.
And in recent months, there were reports of infighting between party leadership and the state’s top elected Democrats.
In a tell-all email issued last month, Branscomb provided a 90-day “candidate update” in which he accused his predecessor, Yolanda Bejarano, of undermining him and both U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of threatening him over his decision making. Kelly and Gallego were supportive of Bejarano’s reelection, as were Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
In a joint response to the accusations, Fontes, Gallego, Hobbs, Kelly, and Mayes said they had only sought to support Branscomb from the beginning.
“We’ve spent the last several months meeting regularly with the chair and working to support the party through the transition,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, his statement today includes many false claims and is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks.”
ADP is facing financial struggles despite the millions in heavy outside spending given as assistance in key state legislative races across the state last fall — expenditures that surpassed the more successful Republicans, even.
In January, ADP faced accusations of financial wrongdoing from one of the ADP vice chairs at the time, Will Knight. The former treasurer, Rick McGuire, was accused of “self-dealing.” Bejarano denied Knight’s request for an audit of the party’s finances, and denounced the accusations as “defamatory” and “false and damaging.”
ADP’s troubles are consistent with the issues facing the national Democratic Party. Although Democrats outraised and outspent Republicans in last year’s election, they gained only one seat in the House and lost four seats in the Senate — resulting in a Republican control of the Senate that reflected the most gains for either party in a decade.
Major donors to the Democratic Party vented their frustrations to mainstream media this week.
“Why would I write a check when we’re losing everything? We’re losing the airwaves. We’re losing the tech battle. We’re losing the ground game. They have yet to prove that they have learned any real lessons yet,” said one donor anonymously. “So either people start to wake up or we lose again.”
A survey in March of Democratic voters by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found only one-third felt optimistic about the party’s future.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 22, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) is strained by infighting, with party leadership and top elected Democrats at odds.
ADP Chairman Robert Branscomb issued a tell-all email over the weekend revealing the politics within the party. Branscomb’s email — styled as “a candidate update on the past 90 days” — focused primarily on accusing his predecessor of undermining him and both U.S. Senators of threatening him over his decision making.
Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego supported Branscomb’s opponent for the chairmanship, Yolanda Bejarano — as did Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Branscomb accused the party’s former executive director, Morgan Dick, of resistance and “outright obstruction” during the transition. Branscomb alleged false accusations were made against him in staff chats; banking information was withheld; the state party workspace was emptied of computers, furniture, and transitional documents; and staff were encouraged to resign. For those reasons, Branscomb said, he let Dick go and replaced her with political director Michael Ruff. Dick denied Branscomb’s allegations.
Following Dick’s removal, Branscomb alleged Senator Kelly attempted to control his staffing decisions. Then, following Ruff’s appointment, Branscomb alleged both senators threatened to withdraw their support for the party.
“Let me be clear: no state party chair should be threatened or intimidated by any elected official for making a decision in the best interest of our party,” said Branscomb. “The idea that both Arizona Senators would withdraw support because I did not choose their preferred candidate is not only troubling — it’s a threat to the integrity and independence of our party. I will not be coerced, and I will not be silenced.”
Kelly, Gallego, Hobbs, Fontes, and Mayes issued a joint response disputing Branscomb’s claims. The state’s top Democratic elected officials vowed they had met with Branscomb regularly and supported him through the transition. However, they didn’t express surprise at the publication of Branscomb’s letter.
“We’ve spent the last several months meeting regularly with the chair and working to support the party through the transition,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, his statement today includes many false claims and is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks.”
Following the Saturday letter from the ADP chair, LD22 Democrats experienced a more localized form of infighting at their Monday meeting. The Arizona Republic’s Mary Jo Pitzl reported precinct committee members had attempted unsuccessfully to remove their district’s entire board, specifically citing displeasure with newly elected district chair Leezah Sun.
Sun couldn’t attend the LD22 Democrats meeting in person due to an active restraining order against her. Sun earned the restraining order following workplace harassment complaints filed by city of Tolleson employees; a Maricopa County Superior Court judge found Sun to be a threat to the employees’ physical safety and barred her from contacting the employees or entering the Tolleson Civic Center.
Sun was formerly a lawmaker in the state legislature. Sun resigned from the House last February to avoid expulsion after the House Ethics Committee found she violated ethics rules with a pattern of disorderly behavior. Undeterred by effectively having been ousted from the legislature, Sun ran for and won a seat on the Tolleson Union High School District governing board. The board also elected her to be their president.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 19, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) faced accusations of financial wrongdoing from one of its leaders, days before the party’s convention and officer elections.
The accusations come from ADP Vice Chair Will Knight. In a letter to Chair Yolanda Bejarano last week, Knight accused their treasurer, Rick McGuire, of “self-dealing” and the party of improper reporting. Knight requested an audit of the party’s finances. Bejarano denied the request.
Bejarano called the allegations “defamatory” as well as “false and damaging” in response to the letter, per reporting by the Arizona Capitol Times. The chair said that McGuire received the $66,000 over the course of two years for work done as an independent contractor “beyond his voluntary role as Treasurer.”
Specifically, Bejarano said that McGuire provided consulting services for ADP umbrella organizations that often incurred “substantial fines” from finance errors, namely county parties and legislative district committees. As noted by the Capitol Times, party bylaws don’t prohibit ADP leadership from working as contractors (though they may not work as employees of the party).
The payments to McGuire were for handling finance questions from party members — described as “treasurer training and support” in public reporting — and they were disclosed with the Federal Election Commission and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, says Bejarano.
“The Party does not have extra resources to placate unreasonable claims,” said Bejarano. “What exactly would a costly independent audit show that a review of publicly available information would not?”
ADP paid McGuire $36,000 in 2023 and $30,000 last year. In addition to handling ADP finances, McGuire has worked as an executive producer at Health & Medical Multimedia.
Bejarano said that she, along with ADP’s staff, an attorney specializing in state campaign finance, and compliance firm, all reviewed and found there to be no problems with McGuire’s contracts or their reporting.
Knight, an attorney and decriminalization director of the National Homelessness Law Center, alleged that his efforts to investigate the payments to McGuire were refused. Knight requested financial documents in early 2023 following a budget presentation shortly after his election to the vice chairmanship.
ADP communications director Patricia Socarras explained McGuire’s ongoing payments were a continuation of similar agreements arranged by prior party leadership.
“The Arizona Democratic Party is held to very high reporting standards by both federal and state law, which we enthusiastically meet because we believe all Arizonans should have that transparency from their local parties,” said Socarras. “Mr. Knight’s claim is baseless and a distraction from the hard work that we have ahead to ensure Democrats are prepared to win in 2026.”
The infighting emerged as ADP headed into the election of its next slate of officers during its convention.
Bejarano faced several opponents: Robert Branscomb, an insurance agent, president of the Phoenix Chapter of the National African American Insurance Association, member of Sen. Mark Kelly’s African American Advisory Board, and ADP vice chair; Cathy Ransom, 2022 Democratic candidate for State House District 1; and Dave Braun, an attorney and long-time state committeeman.
During the meeting on Saturday, Democrats rejected Bejarano and elected Branscomb as party chair. McGuire was also ousted as treasurer in favor of Greg Freeman.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
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