Schweikert jumps out of the CD1 race and into the AZGovernor race: that sound you will soon hear will be dominos falling

This is a "horserace-y" kind of post.  I will criticize the MSM for focusing on horserace issues in their stories on politics, but I'm not MSM so I can do this.

While most of the stories/talk about David Schweikert's impact on the Republican primary for Governor of Arizona, but his switch of primary races affects more than a single contest.

While his move affects many, even all, races on the ballot (open seats in Congress are rare, so everyone and their grandmother is looking at entering the race), I'll just focus on two here - Congressional District 1 (CD1) and Legislative District 3 (LD3).

All of the incumbents in those districts are currently Republicans.

The voter registration advantage in CD1 favors Rs, but is seen as poachable by Ds.

Perhaps less poachable now that the ethically-challenged Schweikert has stepped aside, but still poachable.

A lot of people, mostly Democrats, are looking at the race; however, *many* Rs are rumored to be considering entering the race.

Among the folks being talked about: Gina Swoboda, current chair of the AZGOP, and at least two sitting state legislators, Joe Chaplik and Matt Gress.  Others may be looking at the race, self-funding business folks and Cheeto-friendly celebrities, but I don't know who they are yet.

CD1: These are the people who have filed Statements of Interest (SOIs) with the AZ Secretary of State (AZSOS) and/or formed committees with the FEC:

*** = Incumbent and announced candidate for Arizona Governor.

The date listed is the date the potential candidate filed the SOI and/or most recently formed a committee with the FEC.

The ID Number for committees is the number given to them by the FEC.

The LD3 district basically covers North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills as is [ahem] less poachable (OK, I think it's a safe R district) -

LD3 State Representative: These are the people who have filed Statements of Interest (SOIs) with the AZ Secretary of State (AZSOS) and/or formed committees with the AZSOS

* = Incumbent

** - Incumbent and announced candidate for Arizona SOS.

The date listed is the date the potential candidate filed the SOI and/or most recently formed a committee with the AZSOS.

The ID Number for committees is the number given to them by the AZSOS.

This race, already wide open with incumbent Alexander Kolodin running for AZSOS, may be further upended if incumbent Chaplik chooses to mount a campaign for CD1.

The incumbent State Senator, John "I never met a government check I don't like...for me, anyway" Kavanagh of Fountain Hills, may be too old for a run at Congress (far from a sure thing); even if he won, he may not want to deal with the cross country travel necessitated by such a victory.

Note: not everyone who files an SOI or forms a committee will appear on a ballot.  In fact, many probably won't.  Also, it's still early - people not on either list may yet enter one of these races.

Legislative schedule - week starting 10/5/2025

Wow!  There's another WHOLE meeting this week!

Of course, I expect that this one will be all about Senate Republicans using the meeting as a platform for bashing the things they want bash - public schools in general, and Tolleson Union High School District in particular (and truth be told, they seem to have earned some bashing) and the Arizona Department of Housing.

On Monday, 10/6 - Nada.

On Tuesday, 10/7 

-

Joint Legislative Audit Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just some bashing.

On Wednesday 10/8 and Thursday, 10/9 - nada.

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/28/2025

Wow!  There's another WHOLE meeting this week!

Of course, I expect that this one will be all about Senate Republicans using the meeting as a platform for bashing the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS, or Arizona's version of Medicaid).

On Monday, 9/29 and Tuesday, 9/30 - 

Nada.

On Wednesday, 10/1 

-

Senate Health and Human Services meets at 1 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda:  no bills, no presentations.  

Just comments about AHCCCS.

On Thursday, 10/2 -

Nada

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/21/2025

The isn't much going on at the legislature, but there are signs of life down there.

On Monday, 9/22 and Tuesday, 9/23 - 

Nada

On Wednesday, 9/24 

-

Vulnerable Adult System Study Committee meets at 1 p.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills.

On Thursday, 9/25 -

Nada.

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/14/2025

Did anything interesting happen this week or is expected to happen next week? :)

Nothing is on the schedule at the Arizona Legislature -

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/7/2025

Basically, a rerun of last week's post -

Nada is scheduled for the week...

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/31/2025

Nada is scheduled for the week..

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/24/2025

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.

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/17/2025

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

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/10/2025

As with last week, there's nothing on the schedule at the legislature.

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/3/2025

There's absolutely nothing on the legislative schedule at this point.

That may change, so keep an eye out, but as it's August, I don't expect that to change.

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/27/2025

There's no legislative activity scheduled to take place at the Capitol, but there is one committee meeting scheduled in Payson.

Can you say "Taxpayer-funded road trip"?!?

On Monday, 7/28 - nada.

On Tuesday, 7/29 

-

Fire Preparedness Committee House Ad Hoc meets at 10 a.m. at Gila Community College - 201 N. Mud Springs Rd, Payson, AZ 85541.  On the agenda: presentations from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and SRP.  

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/20/2025

Now that the legislature has adjourned, there isn't much going on down there, but there a little bit going on this week.

OK, just a little bit. :)

On Monday, 7/21 

-

At 9 a.m. Joint Legislative Audit Committee meets in HHR1.  On the agenda: three presentations, one of which involves ESAs (school voucher scam).  One portion will be given by the state's office of the Auditor General (controlled by the ESA enablers in the legislature) and the other portion will be given by the Arizona Department of Education (headed by ESA apologist Tom Horne).

It doesn't seem to be unreasonable to expect an ESA propaganda session.

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/13/2025

Again, nothing on the schedule this week -

Legislative schedule - week starting 7/6/2025

Not much to report this week, as the lege is out of session and many members are still on vacation.

Actually, nothing is scheduled for this week - no interim, ad hoc, or "special" committees.

Legislative schedule - week starting 6/29/2025

The Senate passed a budget to avoid a government shutdown and Governor Hobbs signed it into law, and the lege has gone home, so there is absolutely nothing scheduled for next week.

The Independence Day holiday next Friday may have have something to do with that.

Legislative schedule - week starting 6/22/2025 UPDATE

I'm guessing that a special session of the state legislature is coming our way.

On Tuesday, 6/24 

-

House Appropriation meets at 10 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: 13 bills, all related to the House Budget. all to be considered as part of a single motion.  No public comment need be solicited.

House Rules meets at noon in HHR4..  On the agenda: the 13 House budget bills.

The Committee of the Whole (COW) sessions 2 -8 are all pertaining to the House budget bill; COW1 has two bills on it that seem to have to be returned to the Senate, which has adjourned already.  So that COW session may (or may not) be cancelled.

No amendments to the House budget have been posted as yet, so if passed as is, the House budget will differ from the Senate budget. 

Meaning that, as of the end of the month, the State of Arizona will have no budget.

Legislative schedule - week starting 6/22/2025

Well, the Senate has adjourned for the year without the House passing a budget.  The House slated to consider one on Monday, but if they don't, or if anything they pass differs from what the Senate has passed, a special session may be necessary.

From AZ Mirror, written by Caitlin Sievers -

Political chaos erupts as Arizona Senate passes budget and ends session unilaterally

The Arizona Senate has officially ended its work for this legislative session after passing its budget bills in a marathon of amendments and votes on Thursday, just hours after a tentative agreement with Republicans in the House of Representatives fell apart and that chamber went home. 

The day was marked by long-winded speeches and fiery disagreements both between and within political parties. Just minutes after voting on the final budget bill a little before 2 a.m. Friday,  the Senate took a bipartisan vote to end the session — also known as sine die. That vote comes before the House has voted on the budget bills that just passed through the Senate, forcing the chamber to confront the June 30 deadline to pass the budget on its own. 

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 

On Monday, 6/23 

-

Senate Director Nominations meets at 1:15 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills; one director nomination, Karen Peters, AZ Department of Environmental Quality.

It's on the schedule for now, but given that Senate has bugged out, this one may be cancelled.

Legislative schedule - week starting 6/15/2025 UPDATE

Like an infestation of athlete's foot fungus, THEY'RE BAAACK.

The lege isn't on hiatus any longer and the people of Arizona are back in jeopardy.

Well, as predicted, the committee schedule has changed.

On Tuesday, 6/17  

-

Senate Appropriations meets at 9:30 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: 18 bills, including 16 budget bills.  There are two SCR bills on the agenda; SCR1041 would lift the aggregate expenditure limit for public schools in FY2026 and SCR1042 would do the same for FY2027.  Both have clauses requiring a 2/3 vote for passage.

House Rules meets at 1 p.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: two bills, neither budget-related.

House Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: five bills, four with strikers. The striker to HCR2031 would change it to a proposal to submit to voters a pay raise for teachers, including those employed by charter schools; the one for HCR2058 would, conditioned on voter approval of the first measure and this measure, do many things, including increasing reporting requirements related to teacher salaries on schools; the one for SB1082 would bar a "foreign principal from a designated country" from owning or acquiring real property in AZ (without identifying the country); and the one for SB1470 would freeze enrollment in and reduce funding for AHCCCS.

On Wednesday, 6/18 

-

Senate Director Nomination meets at 10 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, one director nomination - Karen Peters for the Department of Environmental Quality.

Legislative schedule - week starting 6/15/2025

There's only one committee meeting on the schedule at this point, but the budget bills have dropped.  Things could be added to the schedule at any time.  And even if they're not, there will lots of glad handing/arm twisting going on behind the scenes.

Schedules can, and frequently do, change at any moment when the legislature is in session.  So pay attention.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill become a very bad one. 

On Monday, 6/16 

-

Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Committee on Family Court Orders meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, no presentations.  Just some remarks and public testimony about orders from family court.

On Tuesday, 6/17, Wednesday, 6/18, and Thursday, 6/19 - Nada.  For now.

The House version of the budget is about a certain faction in the House membership getting their hate on for the "other."  I expect that the final budget will change,  Their hate won't.