While the trend of recipients of ESA/school vouchers misusing the public money they've been given has gotten a lot of press coverage recently (it's gotten so bad that AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne appeared on Channel 12's Sunday Square Off to defend his failures. Of course, his "defense" was a desperate attempt to shift the blame on to certain Democratic women, like Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and his predecessor as SPI, Kathy Hoffman), the Republican majority in the AZ legislature is adamant in their refusal to do anything to rein in that misuse of public funds.
Maybe that refusal is rooted in the myriad, often internecine, ties that R members of the legislature have to STOs and charter schools.
The are 90+ STOs that have been certified to receive donations for individual income tax credits and 90+ STOs that have been certified to receive donations for corporate tax credits (there is a LOT of overlap between the two) (the lists have URLs that indicate they are from 2023, but the lists were updated on 8/8/2025).
Certain legislators reported (on their financial forms) their ties to STOs and private/charter schools -
From State Representative Michael Way:
Charter schools seem to be a profit center for the Way family
From House Speaker Steve Montenegro:
From Representative David Marshall:
He doesn't specifically call it (the STO) out, but the church was certified (allowed) to accept tuition tax credit donations from 12/16/2022 to 9/30/2023 .
From Representative Alexander Kolodin -
Arizona School Choice Trust (ACST) received more than $71m is tuition tax credit donations from CY98 thru FY24.
From Senator Shawna Bolick -
Not only does she work for Choose A School, her organization has strong ties to Kolodin's ACST.
From Choose A School's website -
There's a reason that I used the word "internecine" earlier.
Of course, the person who may find STOs and School Tuition tax credits the most lucrative is former legislator Steve Yarbrough.
According to records from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), he's part of two organizations that are certified to receive STO donations.
While the the address for ACSTO goes to a PO box, many STOs list their addresses as PO boxes or private mail drops. In and of itself, that's not evidence of criminal behavior.
On the other hand, the address for School Choice Arizona goes to a building that's owned by Yarbrough, according to the Maricopa County Assessor. That org doesn't have to go far to talk to its landlord.
The two Yarbrough organizations collected nearly 17% of the millions of dollars given to STOs in FY2024 (the latest year for which data is available.)
AZ Department of Revenue annual reports on STO tax credits are here.
One interesting development:
This organization, Simply STO, is one that I couldn't find in ACC records. However they may be registered under a different name, so to use a phrase I've used before - in and of itself, that's not evidence of criminal behavior.
The org's website does not list any names or even a phone number. Their contact page is a contact form, and not even an email. Again, that's not evidence of criminal behavior.
Lastly, the address they give tracks back to a "rent a desk" place designed to give small organizations a cheap street address. Again, that's not evidence of criminal behavior.
Taken together though, it is interesting and begs a few questions.
From Arizona Capitol Times, written by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services -
Feud between 2 GOP officials clouds English leaner issue
A decade-old political spat between two Republicans could affect whether one Supreme Court justice can decide the legal way to teach English in Arizona schools to those who are not fluent.
In a surprise move, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has asked Justice Bill Montgomery to sit this case out. Horne’s attorney, Dennis Wilenchik, said it’s all because of actions by Montgomery when he was Maricopa County attorney — actions that, at the time, involved possible criminal charges against Horne.
Guessing that's a typo in the headline - they probably meant "learner", not "leaner".
Basically, a rerun of last week's post -
Nada is scheduled for the week...
Part of my Sunday morning routine is to watch Sunday Square Off at 8 a.m. on KPNX (Phoenix channel 12), with Brahm Resnick.
Today, they reported a rumor that current CD1 Congressman, David Schweikert, is looking at running for AZ Governor.. The rumor was originally floated by Schweikert and later confirmed by his camp.
My guess is that it's not going to happen - if he differentiates himself by running as MAGA-lite, he'll be smoked in the MAGA-dominated R primary, and if he embraces his inner MAGAt, the MAGA types won't believe him and will vote for Karrin Taylor Robson or Andy Biggs anyway, both being endorsed by Cheeto.
Having said all that, I agree with the R member of the panel on the show, who opined the Schweikert may have sending a message to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
The message being that they'll need to spend some money in order to retain the seat.
More interesting was the speculation that he may retire completely - while he's thought of as vulnerable, he's been in one office or another since 1991 and he's 63 - he may simply not to want to deal with hassle of running for office.
He personally is considered to be vulnerable (he has some ethical issues), the district, while not overwhelmingly R, isn't actually that competitive.
From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -
Wow!!!
There's two whole committees on this week's schedule at the Arizona legislature this week! Two!
Of course, there's a holiday the following week, so they may be doubling up in lieu of doing anything in the aftermath of the holiday.
On Monday, 8/25 - Nada.
On Tuesday, 8/26
Joint Ad Hoc Study Committee on Correctional Practices and Facility Safety meets at 10 a.m. in HHR1. On the agenda: no bills; two presentations/testimony about the Arizona Department of Corrections.
One of the entries on the agenda is a rather vague "Expert testimony relating to the Department of Corrections". The agenda states that no public testimony will be taken at the meeting.
The press release from House Rs on the meeting says some of the testimony will be from "subject matter experts". Which may be the R way of saying "Who needs facts? We're just going listen to want to hear."
The press release states one purpose of the meeting will be to examine a rise in inmate deaths in state prisons. What the press release *doesn't* state is if the Rs controlling the committee want that number reduced or increased.
The press release goes on to say that another "focus" of the meeting will be to look into a "growing number of custody-level overrides".
Wonder if Ghislaine Maxwell will be one of the "subject matter experts" giving testimony.
On Wednesday, 8/27
Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: no bills; just testimony. Unlike the other meeting, the Rs running this one actually want testimony from members of the public...so long as they felt the "impact of" (OK, disagree with) an order from a family court.
On Thursday, 8/28 - Nada.
...Making official something that was already known, Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes filed Statements of Interest for the 2026 election, seeking reelection to the current offices.
Each has already formed a committee for reelection.
...In the "Arizona Republicans behaving badly" Department, State Senator Carine Werner used her position as a member of governing board of the Scottsdale Unified School District to insult a District employee.
From KJZZ, written by Bridget Dowd -
Scottsdale Unified board member faces backlash after publicly calling employee 'morbidly obese'
A Scottsdale Unified School District board member is facing backlash for calling a district employee "morbidly obese" during a public meeting.
The district’s director of Nutrition Services, Patti Bilbrey was giving a presentation about a program that distributes meals to kids over the summer.
...Speaking of "Arizona Republicans behaving badly", when good ol' reliable Warren Petersen (the President of the State Senate) isn't going after a Democratic Senator, Analise Ortiz, for telling people where ICE is in AZ, he's going after Arizona PBS for the way they handled a debate in 2022.
From KXNV, written by Ben Brown, dated 8/14/2025 -
Arizona lawmaker wants FCC to revoke state’s PBS broadcast license
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to revoke Arizona PBS’s broadcast license over what he claims was “viewpoint discrimination” during the 2022 gubernatorial race between Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs.
In a letter to the FCC, Petersen alleges “Arizona PBS violated legal rules, contractual requirements, and long-standing traditions to improperly put its thumb on the scale of the 2022 Arizona governor’s race.”
Well, unlike the last couple of weeks when there was nothing on the schedule at the legislature, there's a little going on.
But only a little.
And it's on the schedule for Monday.
On Monday, 8/18
Senate Health and Human Services meets at 2 p.m.in SHR1. On the agenda: no bills; presentations from Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS), Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona Attorney General's Office (AZ AG), and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO).
On Tuesday, 8/19, Wednesday, 8/20, and Thursday, 8/21 - Nada
It's early yet, so this is more an exercise in name recognition than anything else. Many of these folks won't run, either not considering it, or considering a run and ultimately passing on it.
Other names may/will consider running as we get closer to 2028.
Of course, Cheeto may attempt to cancel the 2028 elections, rendering this moot.
These (possible) candidates are rated from 1 - 5 Sinemas. Or no opinion as yet.
I consider Kyrsten Sinema to be the worst person to hold federal or statewide office in AZ in my lifetime (which is saying something given that group includes the likes of Paul Gosar, Rick Renzi, and Evan Mecham).
Anyone rated at four or five Sinemas is someone I won't vote for in a primary (Democratic). Three is a maybe.
No Republicans will be rated here, for two reasons: 1) The next time a decent human being makes it through a Republican primary will be the first time in a very long time, and 2) Cheeto will try to anoint/appoint his successor. It may be DeSantis, Abbott/Paxton, Miller, or even one of his sons (or someone else), but it won't be a woman.
Cheeto hates women.
I'll start close to home -
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) - Four Sinemas. He hasn't gone full Sinema yet, but he's well along that path.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) - Two Sinemas. Like all politicians, like all of us, he has an ego, but he hasn't become utterly self-focused.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) - Four Sinemas. Too self-focused.
Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) - No opinion as yet.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) - No opinion as yet.
Former VP Kamala Harris (D-CA) - I don't believe she is interested in running again; as such, I haven't formed a 2028 opinion as yet.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) - Three Sinemas.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) - No opinion as yet.
Pete Buttigieg - Three Sinemas.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Two Sinemas.
Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) - No opinion as yet.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) - I won't vote for anyone from NJ (or NY. The political class there seems to believe it's above society's standards of behavior.)
Gov. Josh Green (D-HI) - No opinion as yet.
Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) - Six Sinemas. No way in hell would I ever vote for him.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) - No opinion as yet. What little I know is positive though.
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) - As with Harris, I don't believe the 2024 VP candidate is interested in running again; as such, I haven't formed a 2028 opinion as yet.
Mylie Biggs (R-Chip Off The Old Block) is a candidate for the state senate seat in LD14, currently held by Senate President Warren Petersen, termed out and running for Arizona Attorney General.
She's the daughter of Andy Biggs, a MAGA Congressman and 2026 candidate for AZ Governor.
From the website of the Arizona Secretary of State:
Her Statement of Interest (SOI) -
.Her committee information -
As of this writing, no other R has filed an SOI or formed a committee in order to challenge her in the primary (I expect that to change as the cycle goes on).
Given the overwhelming R registration advantage in the district, the victor in the R primary should win the general election.
However, she's made things interesting.
From KJZZ, written by Camryn Sanchez -
Biggs’ daughter said women shouldn’t hold public office. But she’s running for AZ state Senate
Congressman Andy Biggs’ daughter Mylie said women shouldn’t hold public office. But she’s running for a seat in the Arizona Senate.
Mylie Biggs, 25, is running for the Legislature in Arizona’s 14th legislative district, which encompasses most of Gilbert.
Last August, she appeared on a podcast called The Matt MacCurdy Program and said she thinks women should not hold office in general, but instead should run the home.
Assuming that she goes on to be victorious in the primary, she seems to be ready for membership in the R caucus -
She's already got "open hypocrite" part down pat.
Normally, this sort of hypocrisy would be disqualifying in a Democratic primary.
In an R primary? This may help her coast to victory.
As with last week, there's nothing on the schedule at the legislature.
Yesterday, San Tan Valley, an unincorporated area in northern Pinal County (but in the Phoenix metro area) voted on incorporation.
The results are still unofficial, but the ballot question appears to have passed resoundingly.
From Pinal County Elections -
There are 18 precincts in San Tan Valley; 16 have reported and two have not (as of this writing), but I'm guessing that there aren't enough voters in those two precincts to overcome the current 2-1 margin in favor.
According to Google, San Tan Valley has approximately 100K people in it -
While incorporation would probably make it the largest "town" in Pinal County but not the largest town in AZ.
Gilbert, with slightly under 300K folks, has that title. There are political costs and benefits to designations of "town" or "city."
And Gilbert has decided to remain a town.
Warren Petersen, currently the Republican president of the Arizona State Senate, is one of three candidates for Arizona Attorney General in the Republican primary in 2026 (for now - we're more than a year out from the election and I'm going by the number of committees formed for the race as of now. Not everyone who has formed a committee may gain ballot status, and other folks may jump into the race.)
The AZAG's office is currently held by Democrat Kris Mayes.
Regardless of how many candidates end up on the ballot, Petersen seems to be trying to lock up the support of the MAGAts who will vote in R primary by calling for a federal investigation of a Latina Democrat.
From AZMirror, written by Gloria Rebecca Gomez -
GOP leader wants the feds to investigate a Democrat’s Instagram posts about ICE activity
The top Republican in the Arizona Senate is calling for a federal investigation into a Democratic senator’s social media posts about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Sen. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, represents a Latino-majority district, and has been a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. When ICE agents began staking out the Phoenix immigration courthouse earlier this year to detain people showing up for mandatory hearings, Ortiz joined protestors in videotaping the arrests and blasting out social media alerts.
If this doesn't put him over the top, maybe he can get his cousin, Paul Petersen, disgraced former Maricopa County Assessor, human trafficker, scammer, and convict, to campaign for him.
MAGA types *like* traffickers.
Paul has been transferred to a federal minimum security prison in AZ, and the feds under Cheeto have a documented history of doing that for well-connected traffickers.
Last week, I wrote a post about how a personality conflict between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County Recorder had devolved into a popcorn-riffic lawsuit.
It seems like we are about to find out if popcorn travels in the heat.
From AZMirror written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -
Arizona lawmaker seeks bar discipline for attorney who published racist cartoons
A Republican state lawmaker has filed a complaint with the Arizona State Bar Association after a disgraced former state lawmaker who has faced child sex charges and espoused racist views posted racist AI-generated cartoons aimed at the lawmaker.
Stringer, a licensed attorney, owns and publishes Prescott eNews, an online news site that covers Prescott and the surrounding communities. He and the publication have been facing pointed criticism for publishing multiple AI-generated “political cartoons” that depict Prescott Valley Republican lawmaker Quang Nguyen in a racist manner.
While the Maricopa County soap opera should probably be aired on a Phoenix TV station, but as this one is only a call for "bar discipline" aired on a relatively small TV station. Like the one station in Prescott.
While I'm hardly a fan of Rep. Nguyen (he's a Trumpian wingnut), he's nowhere near as bad as David Stringer, who is (allegedly) Trumpian in his own way.
Plus, he's a hardcore bigot.
However, Stringer may have some allies in the state legislature. Nguyen's LD1 seatmates in the AZ legislature are Rep. Selina Bliss and Sen. Mark Finchem.
