In case you haven't noticed the wall-to-wall (but oh-so selective) media coverage, the incessant TV and radio ads (and spots on other media), the late night comedy, the hate-filled shouting, or have simply avoided even opening your mailbox for the last month or so,
There's an election coming up on Tuesday.
:)
While millions of Americans have already voted (full disclosure time: I am one of those millions), millions more will be voting Tuesday.
If you haven't already done so, please make sure you vote on Tuesday.
In addition to a race for president that features two main candidates who present the starkest difference between two candidates for that office in US history, there are scores, in fact, hundreds, of down ballot races that have even more effect on our daily lives that are also up for election.
If you don't know where your polling place is (AZ only) -
Arizona SOS' polling place locator is here (This one should include all polling places in all counties, so if your county isn't listed below, use this one. It works for me here in Maricopa County)
Maricopa County's polling place locator is here
Pima County's polling place locator is here
Coconino County Elections page, including a list of polling places, is here
Apache County Elections page, including a list of polling places, is here
Santa Cruz County polling places are listed here
Other things to keep in mind in Arizona:
If you have an early ballot, it can be dropped off at any polling place in your county on Tuesday, and it will be counted.
If you vote in a precinct other than your own, you will have to cast a provisional ballot and IT WON'T BE COUNTED.
If there is a long line at your polling place, report it to your county party, and if you want your vote to be counted, STAY IN LINE. If an elections official encourages/suggests that you leave and come back later, this is an attempt at voter suppression.
Period.
Showing posts with label 2016 campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 campaign. Show all posts
Saturday, November 05, 2016
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Win or lose the election, Trump has already become the nation's "enabler in chief"
I am not saying that Trump did any of this, or even directed one (or more) of his followers to do these things. I don't have evidence to that effect.
But while I don't believe in accusing someone, even someone like Trump, of doing something reprehensible without some actual evidence (guess that means that I'll never be director of the FBI), neither do I believe coincidence.
From the Twitter feed of Ashley Killough, a producer/reporter for CNN -
From pics taken by Elizabeth Rogers, a friend, and friend of the blog, near 32nd Street and McDowell in Phoenix. The graffiti is new, going up in the last couple of days or so -
But while I don't believe in accusing someone, even someone like Trump, of doing something reprehensible without some actual evidence (guess that means that I'll never be director of the FBI), neither do I believe coincidence.
From the Twitter feed of Ashley Killough, a producer/reporter for CNN -
Screenshot of the Tweet:So this just happened near the press pen at Trump's Phoenix rally. Man chanting "Jew.S.A.!" pic.twitter.com/DpG9G6BtqO— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) October 29, 2016
From pics taken by Elizabeth Rogers, a friend, and friend of the blog, near 32nd Street and McDowell in Phoenix. The graffiti is new, going up in the last couple of days or so -
Arizona: It's a dry hate.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Ballot time in Arizona
...and elsewhere, as well, but since I live in AZ and my ballot covers AZ, that means this post will focus on AZ (or at least my little part of it).
There are races here in Maricopa County and elsewhere in the state that are important and interesting, but this post only covers those that are on my ballot.
President -
This one is easy -
Hillary Clinton is easily one of the two or three most qualified people to ever run for president.
Donald Trump is a buffoon (which is a word I use to describe someone when I don't want to use the more colorful part of my vocabulary).
And I thought this even before Trump's recently unearthed admission of a seduction technique that can best be described as "rape".
US Senate seat representing AZ -
Ann Kirkpatrick is nowhere near liberal enough to suit me, but she genuinely works to represent her constituents.
In addition to supporting Donald Trump until it was no longer "cool" to do so, John McCain has never met a war he didn't monger.
Another easy choice.
US Congressional seat, representing CD9 -
Skipping this race.
There are two Republicans in this race. Be it in this race or ones where an R is running and is uncontested, I will be skipping the race. Even in Arizona there are Republicans who are decent human beings and are (or were) honorable public servants.
They can no longer get through primaries here.
LD24 seats in the Arizona Legislature -
They face no challengers, but Sen. Katie Hobbs, Rep. Lela Alston, and Rep. Ken Clark do a great job representing the people of LD24 and merit an expression of our support and thanks.
Arizona Corporation Commission -
This is Arizona's utility regulator, and when the CEO of the largest regulated utility endorses three of the candidates, vote for the other two, and only the other two.
Those are Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, District 1 -
Skipping this race.
Maricopa County Assessor -
Skipping this race.
Maricopa County Attorney -
Diego Rodriguez.
County Attorney isn't just a "staff" job, where the person holding the position must have a particular skill set (the lawyer stuff), but must have integrity,
Bill Montgomery is the incumbent. Ask him on which side of the bars we can find Sean Pearce.
Maricopa County Recorder -
Adrian Fontes.
A county recorder doesn't do much that directly impacts voters, except for RUN ELECTIONS.
The current recorder, Helen Purcell, has held the post for decades (literally!).
It has been decades since an election here went of without a hitch.
It seems that in every cycle, something new goes wrong, but there is one constant - she always blames someone else for the problems.
The height of her chutzpah in this regard may have been when she blamed incredibly long voting lines during the presidential primary on voters actually, you know, "voting".
Maricopa County School Superintendent -
Michelle Robertson.
There are two candidates on the ballot.
Both are teachers.
One hates public education and Common Core (in short, he's Diane Douglas with a Y chromosome...and she is unfit to be state superintendent of public instruction).
The other one is Michelle Robertson.
She's highly intelligent, highly educated, and student-focused, and will make a great leader and advocate for Maricopa County schools.
Maricopa County Sheriff -
Paul Penzone, in another easy choice.
The incumbent, Joe Arpaio, a nationally-renowned nativist and publicity junkie, is facing criminal charges over the way he operates the agency.
Penzone is a decorated career public servant. Arpaio has been reduced to bald-faced lies.
It should be a walkover for Penzone, but it won't be - too many of Arpaio's supporters know he is a hater, but he hates the same way that they do.
Maricopa County Treasurer -
Joe Downs.
Like Robertson above, he's smart and knows his stuff.
Unlike his opponent, he doesn't believe in using public resources to campaign for public office.
Justice of the Peace, Arcadia Biltmore -
Skipping this race.
Constable, Arcadia Biltmore -
Carolyn Lane. She's unopposed, but she works her a** off and deserves an expression of thanks and support.
CAWCD (Central Arizona Water Conservation District, aka the governing board of the Central Arizona Project) -
For this race, voters can select five candidates. However, there are three outstanding ones - Alexandra Arboleda, Ben Graff, and Jim Holway. Voting for only those three will increase the likelihood of them winning seats.
Maricopa County Community College District governing board, At-Large seat -
Linda Thor.
Scottsdale Unified School District ballot questions -
"Yes" on both.
Just because the legislature hates public education and refuses to adequately fund it, doesn't mean we have go along with them.
Mayor of Scottsdale -
Bob Littlefield.
Bob is a die-hard Republican, and when he's mayor, we will disagree on pretty much everything that Democrats and Republicans disagree on.
But he genuinely cares about the city.
On the other hand, Jim Lane (the incumbent) and his accomplices on the City Council seem to mostly care about money from developers, holders of liquor licenses, and others that come before the council.
I may not agree with Littlefield on much, and reserve the right to not vote for him in a future election, but for this one, he meets the basic criteria necessary for all elected officials should meet (but most in AZ fail to meet) -
He gives a damn about the district/city that he is running to represent.
Scottsdale City Council -
Guy Phillips.
He's a tea party type, and one I wouldn't vote for under most circumstances.
However, Lane and his handlers keep running negative campaigns against him, so he gets my vote - much as I don't like his ideology, anybody that Jim Lane dislikes can't be all bad.
Proposition 490 (Scottsdale-specific ballot question) -
It appears to be a harmless cleanup of language in the city charter, but, while I am not familiar with all of the people who submitted an argument, the ones that I am familiar with have never supported a "good government" measure that doesn't directly benefit them.
Oh, and Jim Lane also endorsed this one.
No.
Back of the ballot:
Judges - AZ Supreme Court, AZ Court of Appeals and Maricopa County Superior Court -
Voting to retain all listed, except for Jo Lynn Gentry.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review does a good job of examining their own, and I am going with that.
Next cycle, I may not - Governor Doug Ducey and the majority in the Arizona Legislature are doing their level best to co-opt/corrupt the judicial branch, and they may make enough inroads toward that goal that next time, the Commission may not merit trust.
For now, however, they do.
Arizona ballot questions -
Proposition 205
Passage of this one would legalize the possession of marijuana for recreational use.
This one is controversial, in that many of the people and corporations that profit from the status quo oppose it. And have expended thousands (OK, millions) of dollars to defeat it.
Given that the vast majority of Arizonans understand that marijuana is not the "great evil" and opponents that profit from pharmaceuticals that are less effective than marijuana or the police state apparatus that has been constructed to wage the "War on Drugs", well, they've had to resort to misleading and false signs, TV spots, and more.
I am voting Yes.
Proposition 206 -
Passing this one would raise the state's minimum wage, in increments, to $12/hour by 2020. It would also result in employees being able to accrue paid sick leave.
Yes.
Duh.
There are races here in Maricopa County and elsewhere in the state that are important and interesting, but this post only covers those that are on my ballot.
President -
This one is easy -
Hillary Clinton is easily one of the two or three most qualified people to ever run for president.
Donald Trump is a buffoon (which is a word I use to describe someone when I don't want to use the more colorful part of my vocabulary).
And I thought this even before Trump's recently unearthed admission of a seduction technique that can best be described as "rape".
US Senate seat representing AZ -
Ann Kirkpatrick is nowhere near liberal enough to suit me, but she genuinely works to represent her constituents.
In addition to supporting Donald Trump until it was no longer "cool" to do so, John McCain has never met a war he didn't monger.
Another easy choice.
US Congressional seat, representing CD9 -
Skipping this race.
There are two Republicans in this race. Be it in this race or ones where an R is running and is uncontested, I will be skipping the race. Even in Arizona there are Republicans who are decent human beings and are (or were) honorable public servants.
They can no longer get through primaries here.
LD24 seats in the Arizona Legislature -
They face no challengers, but Sen. Katie Hobbs, Rep. Lela Alston, and Rep. Ken Clark do a great job representing the people of LD24 and merit an expression of our support and thanks.
Arizona Corporation Commission -
This is Arizona's utility regulator, and when the CEO of the largest regulated utility endorses three of the candidates, vote for the other two, and only the other two.
Those are Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, District 1 -
Skipping this race.
Maricopa County Assessor -
Skipping this race.
Maricopa County Attorney -
Diego Rodriguez.
County Attorney isn't just a "staff" job, where the person holding the position must have a particular skill set (the lawyer stuff), but must have integrity,
Bill Montgomery is the incumbent. Ask him on which side of the bars we can find Sean Pearce.
Maricopa County Recorder -
Adrian Fontes.
A county recorder doesn't do much that directly impacts voters, except for RUN ELECTIONS.
The current recorder, Helen Purcell, has held the post for decades (literally!).
It has been decades since an election here went of without a hitch.
It seems that in every cycle, something new goes wrong, but there is one constant - she always blames someone else for the problems.
The height of her chutzpah in this regard may have been when she blamed incredibly long voting lines during the presidential primary on voters actually, you know, "voting".
Maricopa County School Superintendent -
Michelle Robertson.
There are two candidates on the ballot.
Both are teachers.
One hates public education and Common Core (in short, he's Diane Douglas with a Y chromosome...and she is unfit to be state superintendent of public instruction).
The other one is Michelle Robertson.
She's highly intelligent, highly educated, and student-focused, and will make a great leader and advocate for Maricopa County schools.
Maricopa County Sheriff -
Paul Penzone, in another easy choice.
The incumbent, Joe Arpaio, a nationally-renowned nativist and publicity junkie, is facing criminal charges over the way he operates the agency.
Penzone is a decorated career public servant. Arpaio has been reduced to bald-faced lies.
It should be a walkover for Penzone, but it won't be - too many of Arpaio's supporters know he is a hater, but he hates the same way that they do.
Maricopa County Treasurer -
Joe Downs.
Like Robertson above, he's smart and knows his stuff.
Unlike his opponent, he doesn't believe in using public resources to campaign for public office.
Justice of the Peace, Arcadia Biltmore -
Skipping this race.
Constable, Arcadia Biltmore -
Carolyn Lane. She's unopposed, but she works her a** off and deserves an expression of thanks and support.
CAWCD (Central Arizona Water Conservation District, aka the governing board of the Central Arizona Project) -
Maricopa County Community College District governing board, At-Large seat -
Scottsdale Unified School District ballot questions -
Just because the legislature hates public education and refuses to adequately fund it, doesn't mean we have go along with them.
Mayor of Scottsdale -
Bob is a die-hard Republican, and when he's mayor, we will disagree on pretty much everything that Democrats and Republicans disagree on.
But he genuinely cares about the city.
On the other hand, Jim Lane (the incumbent) and his accomplices on the City Council seem to mostly care about money from developers, holders of liquor licenses, and others that come before the council.
I may not agree with Littlefield on much, and reserve the right to not vote for him in a future election, but for this one, he meets the basic criteria necessary for all elected officials should meet (but most in AZ fail to meet) -
He gives a damn about the district/city that he is running to represent.
Scottsdale City Council -
Guy Phillips.
He's a tea party type, and one I wouldn't vote for under most circumstances.
However, Lane and his handlers keep running negative campaigns against him, so he gets my vote - much as I don't like his ideology, anybody that Jim Lane dislikes can't be all bad.
Proposition 490 (Scottsdale-specific ballot question) -
It appears to be a harmless cleanup of language in the city charter, but, while I am not familiar with all of the people who submitted an argument, the ones that I am familiar with have never supported a "good government" measure that doesn't directly benefit them.
No.
Back of the ballot:
Judges - AZ Supreme Court, AZ Court of Appeals and Maricopa County Superior Court -
Voting to retain all listed, except for Jo Lynn Gentry.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review does a good job of examining their own, and I am going with that.
Next cycle, I may not - Governor Doug Ducey and the majority in the Arizona Legislature are doing their level best to co-opt/corrupt the judicial branch, and they may make enough inroads toward that goal that next time, the Commission may not merit trust.
For now, however, they do.
Arizona ballot questions -
Proposition 205
This one is controversial, in that many of the people and corporations that profit from the status quo oppose it. And have expended thousands (OK, millions) of dollars to defeat it.
Given that the vast majority of Arizonans understand that marijuana is not the "great evil" and opponents that profit from pharmaceuticals that are less effective than marijuana or the police state apparatus that has been constructed to wage the "War on Drugs", well, they've had to resort to misleading and false signs, TV spots, and more.
I am voting Yes.
Proposition 206 -
Passing this one would raise the state's minimum wage, in increments, to $12/hour by 2020. It would also result in employees being able to accrue paid sick leave.
Yes.
Duh.
Saturday, September 03, 2016
Some primary surprises (and some "not surprises") on Tuesday...
Note: All results are tentative and subject to change as late-arriving mail in ballots and provisional ballots are counted. Most races seem settled, though there are a few that may flip. And at least a couple seem headed for recounts...
Note2: Results from Maricopa County-specific races are from the website of the Maricopa County Recorder; results from races that cover other counties or the entire state are from the website of the Arizona Secretary of State.
Note3: The geographic descriptions used are for reference only, to give a general idea of where a district is located. They are not, nor are they meant to be, definitive descriptions of the geographic area covered by a particular district.
I actually think that the a few of the primary results will serve to help Democrats make some gains, but this is turning out to be a weird electoral cycle.
In other words, no predictions.
On the Democratic side...
...In CD2 (Tucson and Southern AZ), former legislator Matt Heinz defeated former legislator Victoria Steele.
...In LD7 (Northern AZ including the Navajo nation), current state legislator Jamescita Peshlakai defeated Steven Begay for the nomination for state senate.
...In LD26 (Tempe and West Mesa), a contentious primary resulted in Juan Mendez (Senate), Athena Salman and Isela Blanc (House) defeating David Lucier (Senate), Celeste Plumlee (incumbent), and Michael Martinez (House). While the Democratic nominees are likely to win in November, it remains to be seen if some feathers (on both sides) are permanently ruffled.
...In LD27 (South Phoenix and SW Maricopa County), incumbent state senator Catherine Miranda defeated her stepdaughter Maritza Miranda Saenz for the Democratic nomination for state senate. Catherine Miranda is so well-respected and personally popular that people are already lining up to take her on in 2018.
...In LD29 (West Phoenix), State Rep. Martin Quezada defeated incumbent State Sen. Lydia Hernandez, who is known as a Republican in everything but name.
...In LD30 (West Central Phoenix and Glendale), the three way race for two nominations for the House is still too close to call, with newcomer Ray Martinez in second place, 144 votes ahead of incumbent Jonathan Larkin.
...In LD9 (North and NW Tucson) friend and fellow blogger Pamela Powers Hannley won the second Democratic nomination for a House seat.
Congrats Pam!
On the Republican side...
...In the primary race for Maricopa County Recorder, beleaguered incumbent Helen Purcell is ahead of apparent 9/11 Truther (based on some of his tweets) Aaron Flannery by 185 votes. This one is close enough that a recount may be needed here, which would involve another beleaguered incumbent, Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan.
...In the primary race for the Republican nomination in CD5, state legislator (and renowned would-be tinhorn dictator) Andy Biggs is leading perennial candidate Christine Jones by 9 votes. Regardless of how this one turns out, expect a recount here. No matter how enthusiastically Biggs declares victory.
...In a bit of a surprise to many observers, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu won the Republican nomination in CD1. He's a "colorful" character, so much so that the DCCC is already running TV spots in the race.
...In the primary race for Maricopa County School Superintendent, incumbent Don Covey came in a surprising third in a three way race. And it wasn't even a close third...
Democrat Michelle Robertson awaits in November.
...In the primary race for the nomination for Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace (far northern Phoenix), incumbent Clancy Jayne came in third in the three way race. He's not a liberal or even a moderate by any definition, but even Republicans consider him to be an "unpleasant person".
...In the primary race for the nomination for Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio lapped the field, setting up a November battle with his 2012 challenger, Democrat Paul Penzone.
...In the primary race for the nomination for Moon Valley JP (north central Phoenix), political newcomer Andrew Hettinger more than doubled up former state legislator Carl Seel. Seel is also regarded by many as an "unpleasant person".
...In the primary race for state senate in LD5 (Western and NW AZ), state legislator Sonny Borrelli (R-anger control issues) defeated former state senator Ron Gould (R - The South Will Rise Again!). This was a race where most non-crossburning observers hoped both candidates would find a way to lose.
...In the primary race for state senate in LD18 (Ahwatukee, south Tempe, west Chandler), in an upset, Frank Schmuck defeated incumbent Jeff Dial. Wiseass bloggers and headline writers all over the state just smiled a little wider.
Democrat Sean Bowie awaits in November.
...In the primary race for state house in LD1, dark money darling David Stringer is ahead of Chip Davis for the second nomination there.
However, as interesting as some of the races here may have been, none brought joy to the internet as did the defeat of Angela Corey, the Florida prosecutor who got George Zimmerman a complete walk for murdering a black man but was able to get 20 years for Marissa Alexander for NOT killing one.
She is one elected official that no one is going to miss when she's gone.
Note2: Results from Maricopa County-specific races are from the website of the Maricopa County Recorder; results from races that cover other counties or the entire state are from the website of the Arizona Secretary of State.
Note3: The geographic descriptions used are for reference only, to give a general idea of where a district is located. They are not, nor are they meant to be, definitive descriptions of the geographic area covered by a particular district.
I actually think that the a few of the primary results will serve to help Democrats make some gains, but this is turning out to be a weird electoral cycle.
In other words, no predictions.
On the Democratic side...
...In CD2 (Tucson and Southern AZ), former legislator Matt Heinz defeated former legislator Victoria Steele.
...In LD7 (Northern AZ including the Navajo nation), current state legislator Jamescita Peshlakai defeated Steven Begay for the nomination for state senate.
...In LD26 (Tempe and West Mesa), a contentious primary resulted in Juan Mendez (Senate), Athena Salman and Isela Blanc (House) defeating David Lucier (Senate), Celeste Plumlee (incumbent), and Michael Martinez (House). While the Democratic nominees are likely to win in November, it remains to be seen if some feathers (on both sides) are permanently ruffled.
...In LD27 (South Phoenix and SW Maricopa County), incumbent state senator Catherine Miranda defeated her stepdaughter Maritza Miranda Saenz for the Democratic nomination for state senate. Catherine Miranda is so well-respected and personally popular that people are already lining up to take her on in 2018.
...In LD29 (West Phoenix), State Rep. Martin Quezada defeated incumbent State Sen. Lydia Hernandez, who is known as a Republican in everything but name.
...In LD30 (West Central Phoenix and Glendale), the three way race for two nominations for the House is still too close to call, with newcomer Ray Martinez in second place, 144 votes ahead of incumbent Jonathan Larkin.
...In LD9 (North and NW Tucson) friend and fellow blogger Pamela Powers Hannley won the second Democratic nomination for a House seat.
Congrats Pam!
On the Republican side...
...In the primary race for Maricopa County Recorder, beleaguered incumbent Helen Purcell is ahead of apparent 9/11 Truther (based on some of his tweets) Aaron Flannery by 185 votes. This one is close enough that a recount may be needed here, which would involve another beleaguered incumbent, Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan.
...In the primary race for the Republican nomination in CD5, state legislator (and renowned would-be tinhorn dictator) Andy Biggs is leading perennial candidate Christine Jones by 9 votes. Regardless of how this one turns out, expect a recount here. No matter how enthusiastically Biggs declares victory.
...In a bit of a surprise to many observers, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu won the Republican nomination in CD1. He's a "colorful" character, so much so that the DCCC is already running TV spots in the race.
...In the primary race for Maricopa County School Superintendent, incumbent Don Covey came in a surprising third in a three way race. And it wasn't even a close third...
Democrat Michelle Robertson awaits in November.
...In the primary race for the nomination for Desert Ridge Justice of the Peace (far northern Phoenix), incumbent Clancy Jayne came in third in the three way race. He's not a liberal or even a moderate by any definition, but even Republicans consider him to be an "unpleasant person".
...In the primary race for the nomination for Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio lapped the field, setting up a November battle with his 2012 challenger, Democrat Paul Penzone.
...In the primary race for the nomination for Moon Valley JP (north central Phoenix), political newcomer Andrew Hettinger more than doubled up former state legislator Carl Seel. Seel is also regarded by many as an "unpleasant person".
...In the primary race for state senate in LD5 (Western and NW AZ), state legislator Sonny Borrelli (R-anger control issues) defeated former state senator Ron Gould (R - The South Will Rise Again!). This was a race where most non-crossburning observers hoped both candidates would find a way to lose.
...In the primary race for state senate in LD18 (Ahwatukee, south Tempe, west Chandler), in an upset, Frank Schmuck defeated incumbent Jeff Dial. Wiseass bloggers and headline writers all over the state just smiled a little wider.
Democrat Sean Bowie awaits in November.
...In the primary race for state house in LD1, dark money darling David Stringer is ahead of Chip Davis for the second nomination there.
However, as interesting as some of the races here may have been, none brought joy to the internet as did the defeat of Angela Corey, the Florida prosecutor who got George Zimmerman a complete walk for murdering a black man but was able to get 20 years for Marissa Alexander for NOT killing one.
She is one elected official that no one is going to miss when she's gone.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Proposition 123: Read the fine print, folks
In a few days, early voting will start for May's special election when the voters will consider Proposition 123, a plan approved by the legislature to get the voters to get the lege out from under a court order to properly fund public education.
Since I may be the only observer in the state to not weigh in on the measure, it's time for me to do so.
For readers with short attention spans:
For readers with longer attention spans:
When Arizona became a state, millions of acres of land were set aside in a trust administered by the state. It was allowed to sell off a portion of those lands every year with the revenue being earmarked to help support a number of beneficiaries, primarily public education in Arizona.
If approved, the measure would allow the governor and the legislature to sell off state trust lands at a faster pace, bringing down the overall value of the trust, ostensibly using the increase in short term revenue to bolster public education funding here in Arizona.
The measure is something that is actually *bad* for Arizona public education, and even worse, it doesn't look like that the authors of the measure ever intended help public education.
People as ideologically diverse as five current and former Arizona state treasurers and former congressman Ron Barber think this is a bad idea.
These aren't people with whom I am often in agreement (including Barber, they are, one and all, far too conservative), but they are right on this.
Their evaluations of Prop 123 are far more eloquent than anything I can come up...but that won't stop me from chiming in with a few points. :)
Firstly, it's a scheme to sacrifice the future to pay for the present.
There are fables/aphorisms/fairy tales/whatevers to that fit here -
For people who are weary of the constant battle to support education in Arizona, or have just become so desperate to temporarily stave off further damage to the state's education system, there's the one pointing out the lack of wisdom in "eating your seed corn".
From TheFreeDictionary.com (linked above) -
For the people who look upon the state's trust lands with covetous eyes, there's the one about a goose and some golden eggs.
From UMass.edu -
Secondly, there's the people who are supporting the measure oh-so enthusiastically, almost piously.
Sharon Harper, the chairman of the political committee formed to spend money, is the CEO of Plaza Companies, a large real estate firm/speculator, and W.J. "Jim" Lane is the mayor of Scottsdale. A place where the most appropriate Christmas gift for the majority on the city council (of which he is the undisputed leader, both legally and practically) would be lip splints.
Needed because when a deep-pocketed developer walks into the room, they pucker up so intensely that they may sprain something.
This committee has raised nearly $4 million to spend in support of the scheme -
In contrast, the committee formed to oppose the measure has raised slightly less -
The committee is strongly supported by big business, getting more than $1.2 million in funding from business entities -
To be sure, the people behind those business entities are ponying up some of the personal money (one page from the same campaign finance report) -
To be blunt, these are people whose definitions of "right and wrong" overlap with their definitions of "sufficient and insufficient ROI".
Thirdly, and perhaps most damning of all, there's the "fine print" of the proposal.
Not only is there nothing that forbids the legislature from cutting General Fund appropriations for public education by the same amount of revenue generated by trust land sales (or more!), there is "poison pill" language that allows the lege to massively cut education under circumstances that the lege itself can create.
The text of the proposal, from the bill passed by the lege (emphasis added) -
The way that this is written, the lege could enact more corporate tax cuts, further reducing state revenue.
And increasing the percentage of education spending as a portion of general fund expenditures (without actually increasing education spending) to the point where they could legally further reduce education spending.
Secretary of State (and Chief of Voter Suppression) Michele Reagan is on board with this scheme too, judging by the rather slanted ballot language crafted by her office -
People like Doug Ducey and the lege favor Proposition 123, and that's reason enough to oppose it -
The next time that either one supports something that benefits civil society will be the first time.
Information on Proposition 123, including things like ballot arguments filed both in favor of and in opposition to the measure can be found here.
Since I may be the only observer in the state to not weigh in on the measure, it's time for me to do so.
For readers with short attention spans:
It's more than a bad idea; it's a scam. I am voting against it and recommend that you also vote against it.
For readers with longer attention spans:
When Arizona became a state, millions of acres of land were set aside in a trust administered by the state. It was allowed to sell off a portion of those lands every year with the revenue being earmarked to help support a number of beneficiaries, primarily public education in Arizona.
If approved, the measure would allow the governor and the legislature to sell off state trust lands at a faster pace, bringing down the overall value of the trust, ostensibly using the increase in short term revenue to bolster public education funding here in Arizona.
The measure is something that is actually *bad* for Arizona public education, and even worse, it doesn't look like that the authors of the measure ever intended help public education.
People as ideologically diverse as five current and former Arizona state treasurers and former congressman Ron Barber think this is a bad idea.
These aren't people with whom I am often in agreement (including Barber, they are, one and all, far too conservative), but they are right on this.
Their evaluations of Prop 123 are far more eloquent than anything I can come up...but that won't stop me from chiming in with a few points. :)
Firstly, it's a scheme to sacrifice the future to pay for the present.
There are fables/aphorisms/fairy tales/whatevers to that fit here -
For people who are weary of the constant battle to support education in Arizona, or have just become so desperate to temporarily stave off further damage to the state's education system, there's the one pointing out the lack of wisdom in "eating your seed corn".
From TheFreeDictionary.com (linked above) -
| To eat the corn which should be saved for seed, so as to forestall starvation; - a desperate measure, since it only postpones disaster. | |
| any desperate action which creates a disastrous situation in the long-term, done in order to provide temporary relief. |
For the people who look upon the state's trust lands with covetous eyes, there's the one about a goose and some golden eggs.
From UMass.edu -
One day a countryman going to the nest of his goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played on him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found that it was an egg of pure gold.
Every morning the same thing occured, and he grew rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.
Greed often overreaches itself.
Secondly, there's the people who are supporting the measure oh-so enthusiastically, almost piously.
Sharon Harper, the chairman of the political committee formed to spend money, is the CEO of Plaza Companies, a large real estate firm/speculator, and W.J. "Jim" Lane is the mayor of Scottsdale. A place where the most appropriate Christmas gift for the majority on the city council (of which he is the undisputed leader, both legally and practically) would be lip splints.
Needed because when a deep-pocketed developer walks into the room, they pucker up so intensely that they may sprain something.
This committee has raised nearly $4 million to spend in support of the scheme -
In contrast, the committee formed to oppose the measure has raised slightly less -
The committee is strongly supported by big business, getting more than $1.2 million in funding from business entities -
To be sure, the people behind those business entities are ponying up some of the personal money (one page from the same campaign finance report) -
To be blunt, these are people whose definitions of "right and wrong" overlap with their definitions of "sufficient and insufficient ROI".
Thirdly, and perhaps most damning of all, there's the "fine print" of the proposal.
Not only is there nothing that forbids the legislature from cutting General Fund appropriations for public education by the same amount of revenue generated by trust land sales (or more!), there is "poison pill" language that allows the lege to massively cut education under circumstances that the lege itself can create.
The text of the proposal, from the bill passed by the lege (emphasis added) -
2. Article XI, Constitution of Arizona, is proposed to be amended by adding section 11 as follows if approved by the voters and on proclamation of the Governor:11. Schools; inflation adjustments; exceptions; definitionsSection 11. A. On or before February 1 of each year, if the state transaction privilege tax growth rate and the total nonfarm employment growth rate are each at least one percent, but less than two percent, the director of the office of strategic planning and budgeting, or its successor agency, and the director of the joint legislative budget committee, or its successor agency, shall jointly notify the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. On receipt of the notification, the legislature is not required to make the inflation adjustments required by section 15-901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, for the next fiscal year.B. On or before February 1 of each year, if the state transaction privilege tax growth rate and the total nonfarm employment growth rate are each less than one percent, the director of the office of strategic planning and budgeting, or its successor agency, and the director of the joint legislative budget committee, or its successor agency, shall jointly notify the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. On receipt of the notification, the legislature shall not make the inflation adjustments required by section 15-901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, for the next fiscal year.C. Beginning in fiscal year 2024-2025, on or before February 1 of each year, if the total amount of general fund appropriations for the Arizona department of education, or its successor agency, is at least forty-nine percent but less than fifty percent of the total general fund appropriation for the current fiscal year, the director of the office of strategic planning and budgeting, or its successor agency, and the director of the joint legislative budget committee, or its successor agency, shall jointly notify the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. On receipt of the notification, the legislature:
1. Is not required to make the inflation adjustments required by section 15-901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, for the next fiscal year.
2. May reduce the base level for the next fiscal year by the amount of the inflation adjustments required by section 15‑901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, made for the current fiscal year.
D. Beginning in fiscal year 2024-2025, on or before February 1 of each year, if the total amount of general fund appropriations for the Arizona department of education, or its successor agency, is at least fifty percent of the total general fund appropriation for the current fiscal year, the director of the office of strategic planning and budgeting, or its successor agency, and the director of the joint legislative budget committee, or its successor agency, shall jointly notify the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives. On receipt of the notification, the legislature:
1. Is not required to make the inflation adjustments required by section 15-901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, for the next fiscal year.
2. May reduce the base level for the next fiscal year by two times the amount of the inflation adjustments required by section 15-901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, made for the current fiscal year.
E. If the inflation adjustments required by section 15‑901.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, are not required to be made or are prohibited from being made pursuant to this section for a fiscal year, the omitted inflation adjustment amounts:
1. Are not required to be paid or distributed in any subsequent fiscal year.
2. Become a part of the calculation of the base level for subsequent fiscal years.
F. If base level reductions are made pursuant to subsection c or D of this section for a fiscal year, the reduced amounts:
1. Are not required to be paid or distributed in any subsequent fiscal year.
2. Do not become part of the calculation of the base level for subsequent fiscal years.G. This section preserves the authority vested in the legislature pursuant to this constitution.H. For the purposes of this section:1. "Total nonfarm employment growth rate" means the percentage change in the seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment in this state from the final month of the most recent calendar year to the final month of the immediately preceding calendar year, as reported by the Arizona department of administration or its successor agency.2. "State transaction privilege tax growth rate" means the percentage change in the revenues derived from the state transaction privilege tax that are distributed to the state general fund from the most recent calendar year to the immediately preceding calendar year, as reported by the Arizona department of revenue or its successor agency.3. NonseverabilityIf any portion of this proposition is finally adjudicated invalid, the entire proposition is void.4. The Secretary of State shall submit this proposition to the voters at a special election called to be held for that purpose on May 17, 2016 as provided by article XXI, Constitution of Arizona.
The way that this is written, the lege could enact more corporate tax cuts, further reducing state revenue.
And increasing the percentage of education spending as a portion of general fund expenditures (without actually increasing education spending) to the point where they could legally further reduce education spending.
Secretary of State (and Chief of Voter Suppression) Michele Reagan is on board with this scheme too, judging by the rather slanted ballot language crafted by her office -
People like Doug Ducey and the lege favor Proposition 123, and that's reason enough to oppose it -
The next time that either one supports something that benefits civil society will be the first time.
Information on Proposition 123, including things like ballot arguments filed both in favor of and in opposition to the measure can be found here.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Don't bother staying up late to see the results of the Arizona presidential primary
The Presidential Preference Election in Arizona (what we folks here call our presidential primary) is over. At least it will be after some stragglers in Maricopa County vote.
(The consistent ineptitude/malice of Maricopa County's chief elections officer, Helen Purcell, can and will be the subject of a separate post in the near future.)
The MSM pundits will soon declare one or the other candidate to be the "winner", even though most of them know full well that pledged Democratic delegates in Arizona are awarded proportionally, with candidates needing to reach 15% of the vote to earn any delegates.
Given that there are two main candidates (Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton) running fairly evenly (with Clinton ahead) nationwide, both should attain that 15% threshold easily.
Based on that, the "winner" will be expected to earn more than half of Arizona's pledged delegates, but nowhere near all of them.
Except that it's not quite that simple.
The Arizona Democratic Party does, in fact, award its pledged delegates proportionally, and 15% is the minimum vote threshold needed by any candidate to receive some.
Where it gets complicated is in the fact that delegates are awarded based on *Congressional District* and the 15% threshold applies to each district's votes.
From the Delegate Selection Plan crafted by the Arizona Democratic Party -
To sum up, mathematically, a candidate could "lose" statewide, but still end up with more pledged delegates than the "winner" if he or she wins in a couple of districts by a large enough margin to shut out the other candidate while finishing far behind the other candidate in the other districts, but still earning enough of the vote in those places to break the 15% threshold.
Or to sum up the "sum up", don't go to bed thinking you know how the Arizona primary turned out.
It won't be "over" until all of the district level results are tallied.
(The consistent ineptitude/malice of Maricopa County's chief elections officer, Helen Purcell, can and will be the subject of a separate post in the near future.)
The MSM pundits will soon declare one or the other candidate to be the "winner", even though most of them know full well that pledged Democratic delegates in Arizona are awarded proportionally, with candidates needing to reach 15% of the vote to earn any delegates.
Given that there are two main candidates (Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton) running fairly evenly (with Clinton ahead) nationwide, both should attain that 15% threshold easily.
Based on that, the "winner" will be expected to earn more than half of Arizona's pledged delegates, but nowhere near all of them.
Except that it's not quite that simple.
The Arizona Democratic Party does, in fact, award its pledged delegates proportionally, and 15% is the minimum vote threshold needed by any candidate to receive some.
Where it gets complicated is in the fact that delegates are awarded based on *Congressional District* and the 15% threshold applies to each district's votes.
From the Delegate Selection Plan crafted by the Arizona Democratic Party -
To sum up, mathematically, a candidate could "lose" statewide, but still end up with more pledged delegates than the "winner" if he or she wins in a couple of districts by a large enough margin to shut out the other candidate while finishing far behind the other candidate in the other districts, but still earning enough of the vote in those places to break the 15% threshold.
Or to sum up the "sum up", don't go to bed thinking you know how the Arizona primary turned out.
It won't be "over" until all of the district level results are tallied.
Sunday, March 06, 2016
Ballot time in Arizona: Presidential primary edition
Full disclosure time: I am on the Permanent Early Voting List and have already voted in Arizona's Presidential Preference Election, and I voted for Bernie Sanders for president. Nothing about this post should be considered to be an endorsement...but if I was going to make one... :)
...A few thoughts as we approach the date of Arizona's presidential primary (Tuesday, March 22) -
- Everyone has their own "big issue" that they use as a litmus test when choosing which candidates to support. Mine is "will she/he work in the best interest of all of her/his constituents, and not just her/his donors and supporters". I can disagree with a candidate on an issue and still vote for that person, so long as I am convinced that their "guiding light" is the best interest of their constituents (example: Harry Mitchell would drive me up a wall with some of his votes in Congress, but I never doubted his respect, affection, and dedication to the people of Tempe or his district [when he held a "district" office, not a Tempe office]).
Of all of the candidates on both sides of the political aisle, I think that Bernie Sanders does the best job of meeting that criteria, which is why he won my vote.
- At this point, tt looks as if the horrific Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican Party, which should make life easier on the eventual Democratic nominee, whoever that may be. However horrific he may be as a candidate and as a human being though, his nomination doesn't guarantee a Democratic win.
Not even close.
One way for Democratic activists to enhance Trump's chances in the general election is if the supporters of the two main Democratic candidates, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, refuse to "bury the hatchet" after the nominee is selected.
There have been some hurt feelings on both sides as (alleged) supporters of one candidate spout things that are demeaning toward the supporters of the other candidate.
My advice to partisans of both candidates:
When someone you personally know and respect goes "below the belt" in criticisms of your favored candidate or his/her supporters, discuss (or argue :) ) the matter with them.
When someone you don't know or have never even heard of does the same thing, ignore them.
- Related to the above paragraph, please read the one above that one. It serves as evidence that one can express support for a candidate without insulting another candidate or his/her supporters.
Note: Expressing support for one candidate does not in itself constitute an insult to another candidate. If you feel that someone civilly expressing support for a candidate that you don't support to be an insult, stay away from politics.
Your sensibilities are far too tender.
- Supporters of some of the candidates have been touting their preferred candidate's "resume". While the job of "President of the United States" is not an entry-level position (looking at you, Donald Trump), "resume" is not the deciding factor with most voters.
If it was, Barack Obama wouldn't have won in 2008; Bill Richardson (experience in Congress, as a cabinet secretary, state governor, ambassador to the UN, nominations for a couple of Nobel Peace Prizes, etc., in other words, "resume out the wazoo") would have.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Committees and candidates update
While there may be (OK, probably "will be" :) ) some last minute entries, we are now in late February. Most of Arizona's races are defined.
The most contentious race on the Democratic side of the ballot is shaping up to be the race for the three legislative seats in LD26 (most of Tempe and the much of west Mesa).
Current legislators Andrew Sherwood and Juan Mendez are both going for the state senate slot from the district. Sherwood was appointed to the slot to fill the vacancy in the Senate left by the resignation of Ed Ableser; Mendez is currently a member of the House.
On the House side of the ballot there, there are six declared candidates (and a few rumored ones, too) for the two seats -
Isela Blanc, who I don't know much about, but looks to be part of the Tempe Community Council
Michael Martinez, president of the Maricopa County Young Democrats
Steve Muratore, blogger (withdrawn)
Cameron Oberlin, who I don't know much about
Celeste Plumlee, current state representative (appointed to fill the vacancy created when Sherwood moved to Senate)
Athena Salman, with First Things First, and a community activist in Tempe
David Lucier, a prominent community advocate for Tempe and for veterans
On the Republican side, and I freely concede that my insight into R internal politics can be a little murky, but it looks like that the legislative races in LD5 (most of western Arizona north of Yuma) may be the most contentious.
The last elected state senator there, Kelli Ward, resigned to spend her time mounting a primary challenge to John McCain, who is up for reelection to the US Senate in 2016. Susan Donahue was appointed in her place, but she has already stated that she will not seek election to a full term in the Senate.
Running for the R nomination for LD5 Senate:
Sonny Borrelli, a colorful current state representative
Ron Gould, a colorful former state senator
Running for the R nomination for LD5 House:
Regina Cobb, current state representative
Sam Medrano, former member of the city council in Bullhead City
Paul Mosley, a financial advisor in Lake Havasu City
...In Maricopa County, the R nomination for county sheriff will either be the most boring race in the state (if Joe Arpaio is on the ballot) or the wildest race in the state (if Arpaio doesn't, or can't, run). There are currently four Republicans with open committees for the job, and more may yet enter (depending on what Arpaio does).
Candidates with open committees for the R nomination:
Roger Baldwin
Mike Bodak
Marsha Hill
Dan Saban
...Still at the Maricopa County level, the most "interesting" candidate is one who is running for a seat on the governing board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
That's a relatively low profile race at a relatively low profile level (except for the race for sheriff, which will garner national attention, regardless of who's running).
The candidate in question in one Jonathan Gelbart.
To the best of my knowledge, he's not a "bay at the moon" Republican (who tend to get most of the attention in Arizona politics).
Nope, the "interesting" part of his candidacy is listed right on his campaign paperwork -
He's not just a "manager" for BASIS, one of the largest charter school operators in the country, he's the manager of new school development for them.
Insert your own fox/hen house cliche here...
...In Scottsdale, Bob Littlefield, a former member of the Scottsdale City Council, has formed a committee to challenge incumbent mayor Jim Lane.
Littlefield is a staunch Republican, as is Lane.
While Littlefield and I (and for that matter, Lane and I) will disagree on pretty much every issue that Republicans and Democrats will disagree on, Littlefield genuinely cares for Scottsdale.
I can't honestly say that about Lane.
...At the federal level -
- Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has finally filed his paperwork to be a candidate for Congress. Three months late and listing the wrong district. But that paperwork has been filed, and corrected, so he is a candidate in CD1.
- A putatively Independent candidate has filed to run against Raul Grijalva for the seat that Grijalva holds, and that candidate has what may be the best committee name of this, or any other cycle -
"Eat Bacon For Congress".
- Perennial candidate Wendy Rogers (LD17 State Senate in 2010, CD9 in 2012 and 2014) has filed to run for the R nomination in CD1.
- Levi Tappan of Page has formed a committee for a run for the D nomination in CD1 in 2016. Which is interesting, because when he won a seat on the Page City Council in 2013, he was a Libertarian.
That's an interesting two-step, and an unusual one. Transitions from Green to Democrat, Democrat to Republican, or Republican to Libertarian (or vice-versa in each case) are rare, but not unheard of. Skipping a step, like going from Green to R, is something that I've never heard of.
"Libertarian to Democrat" is something else that is so rare as to be unheard of.
- Ross Groen, formerly the campaign manager for Mark Brnovich's campaign for Arizona Attorney General and a former Congressional aide to Trent Franks, has filed for the R nomination in CD9.
After this, unless the situation merits (i.e. - one or more "big names" get into a race, or a campaign gets crazy, like with a candidate mooning an audience [and in the "Year of Trump", that's not out of the realm of possibility]), this will be the last committees update post until ballots are set.
The most contentious race on the Democratic side of the ballot is shaping up to be the race for the three legislative seats in LD26 (most of Tempe and the much of west Mesa).
Current legislators Andrew Sherwood and Juan Mendez are both going for the state senate slot from the district. Sherwood was appointed to the slot to fill the vacancy in the Senate left by the resignation of Ed Ableser; Mendez is currently a member of the House.
On the House side of the ballot there, there are six declared candidates (and a few rumored ones, too) for the two seats -
Isela Blanc, who I don't know much about, but looks to be part of the Tempe Community Council
Michael Martinez, president of the Maricopa County Young Democrats
Steve Muratore, blogger (withdrawn)
Cameron Oberlin, who I don't know much about
Celeste Plumlee, current state representative (appointed to fill the vacancy created when Sherwood moved to Senate)
Athena Salman, with First Things First, and a community activist in Tempe
David Lucier, a prominent community advocate for Tempe and for veterans
On the Republican side, and I freely concede that my insight into R internal politics can be a little murky, but it looks like that the legislative races in LD5 (most of western Arizona north of Yuma) may be the most contentious.
The last elected state senator there, Kelli Ward, resigned to spend her time mounting a primary challenge to John McCain, who is up for reelection to the US Senate in 2016. Susan Donahue was appointed in her place, but she has already stated that she will not seek election to a full term in the Senate.
Running for the R nomination for LD5 Senate:
Sonny Borrelli, a colorful current state representative
Ron Gould, a colorful former state senator
Running for the R nomination for LD5 House:
Regina Cobb, current state representative
Sam Medrano, former member of the city council in Bullhead City
Paul Mosley, a financial advisor in Lake Havasu City
...In Maricopa County, the R nomination for county sheriff will either be the most boring race in the state (if Joe Arpaio is on the ballot) or the wildest race in the state (if Arpaio doesn't, or can't, run). There are currently four Republicans with open committees for the job, and more may yet enter (depending on what Arpaio does).
Candidates with open committees for the R nomination:
Roger Baldwin
Mike Bodak
Marsha Hill
Dan Saban
...Still at the Maricopa County level, the most "interesting" candidate is one who is running for a seat on the governing board of the Maricopa County Community College District.
That's a relatively low profile race at a relatively low profile level (except for the race for sheriff, which will garner national attention, regardless of who's running).
The candidate in question in one Jonathan Gelbart.
To the best of my knowledge, he's not a "bay at the moon" Republican (who tend to get most of the attention in Arizona politics).
Nope, the "interesting" part of his candidacy is listed right on his campaign paperwork -
He's not just a "manager" for BASIS, one of the largest charter school operators in the country, he's the manager of new school development for them.
Insert your own fox/hen house cliche here...
...In Scottsdale, Bob Littlefield, a former member of the Scottsdale City Council, has formed a committee to challenge incumbent mayor Jim Lane.
Littlefield is a staunch Republican, as is Lane.
While Littlefield and I (and for that matter, Lane and I) will disagree on pretty much every issue that Republicans and Democrats will disagree on, Littlefield genuinely cares for Scottsdale.
I can't honestly say that about Lane.
...At the federal level -
- Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has finally filed his paperwork to be a candidate for Congress. Three months late and listing the wrong district. But that paperwork has been filed, and corrected, so he is a candidate in CD1.
- A putatively Independent candidate has filed to run against Raul Grijalva for the seat that Grijalva holds, and that candidate has what may be the best committee name of this, or any other cycle -
"Eat Bacon For Congress".
- Perennial candidate Wendy Rogers (LD17 State Senate in 2010, CD9 in 2012 and 2014) has filed to run for the R nomination in CD1.
- Levi Tappan of Page has formed a committee for a run for the D nomination in CD1 in 2016. Which is interesting, because when he won a seat on the Page City Council in 2013, he was a Libertarian.
That's an interesting two-step, and an unusual one. Transitions from Green to Democrat, Democrat to Republican, or Republican to Libertarian (or vice-versa in each case) are rare, but not unheard of. Skipping a step, like going from Green to R, is something that I've never heard of.
"Libertarian to Democrat" is something else that is so rare as to be unheard of.
- Ross Groen, formerly the campaign manager for Mark Brnovich's campaign for Arizona Attorney General and a former Congressional aide to Trent Franks, has filed for the R nomination in CD9.
After this, unless the situation merits (i.e. - one or more "big names" get into a race, or a campaign gets crazy, like with a candidate mooning an audience [and in the "Year of Trump", that's not out of the realm of possibility]), this will be the last committees update post until ballots are set.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Running for president in AZ: if it got to be any more insider baseball, you would need a scorecard to tell the players apart
Of course, there are so many Republican candidates, you might need one for them anyway...
One of the overlooked parts of running for president is the rather mundane task of candidates making their way onto the ballot in all 50 states.
In Arizona, candidate can make it on to the primary ballot for a recognized party by submitting nomination paperwork and either certificates of ballot status for the candidate in two other primary states or 500 valid nomination petition signatures from voters in their primary's party (Democratic or Republican) or from 500 registered voters (Green or Libertarian).
Independent candidates have a slightly different procedure to follow, and if a candidate chooses to go that route, they will have to submit ~34,000 valid signatures. But at least they will go directly to the general election ballot.
While independent candidates have until September to submit their required nominating paperwork (the general election is in November), partisan candidate have until December 14 to do so (the primary is in March).
It's far too early for any independent candidates to have already submitted their paperwork, but a few partisan candidates have already done so.
And there is a lot of "insider baseball" going on.
On the Democratic side, so far:
Hillary Clinton - submitted certificates of her ballot status from the states of Michigan and New Hampshire.
Her campaign's local contact: Fred Duval, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona, a staffer in the White House during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton, and a friend of Arizona's current governor, Doug Ducey.
In other words, an insider's insider.
On the Republican side, so far:
Jeb Bush - submitted certificates of ballot status from Vermont and Idaho.
His campaign's local contact: Lisa James, a career PR flack and a bigwig in Arizona Republican circles (an insider).
Ted Cruz - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
His campaign's local contact is Constantin Querard, a Republican campaign consultant (another insider).
Ben Carson - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Local contact: Diane Ortiz-Parsons, a former vice-chair of the Maricopa County Republican Party (another insider).
Marco Rubio - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Local contact: Mark Brnovich, Arizona's Attorney General (yet another insider).
Rand Paul - submitted certificates of ballot status from Arkansas and Michigan.
Local contact: Shawn Dow of Fountain Hills. Politically active in far right Republican circles, but doesn't seem to be an insider.
Chris Christie - submitted certificates of ballot access from New Hampshire and Michigan.
Local contact: Wes Gullet, a Republican consultant and lobbyist, former candidate for mayor of Phoenix, and former aide to Sen. John McCain (yeah, another insider).
Significant candidates who, as of this writing, haven't filed in AZ:
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Republican Egomaniac Donald Trump of New York, New Jersey, Florida, and any other place where he hasn't yet worn out his welcome
One of the overlooked parts of running for president is the rather mundane task of candidates making their way onto the ballot in all 50 states.
In Arizona, candidate can make it on to the primary ballot for a recognized party by submitting nomination paperwork and either certificates of ballot status for the candidate in two other primary states or 500 valid nomination petition signatures from voters in their primary's party (Democratic or Republican) or from 500 registered voters (Green or Libertarian).
Independent candidates have a slightly different procedure to follow, and if a candidate chooses to go that route, they will have to submit ~34,000 valid signatures. But at least they will go directly to the general election ballot.
While independent candidates have until September to submit their required nominating paperwork (the general election is in November), partisan candidate have until December 14 to do so (the primary is in March).
It's far too early for any independent candidates to have already submitted their paperwork, but a few partisan candidates have already done so.
And there is a lot of "insider baseball" going on.
On the Democratic side, so far:
Hillary Clinton - submitted certificates of her ballot status from the states of Michigan and New Hampshire.
Her campaign's local contact: Fred Duval, the 2014 Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona, a staffer in the White House during the presidential administration of Bill Clinton, and a friend of Arizona's current governor, Doug Ducey.
In other words, an insider's insider.
On the Republican side, so far:
Jeb Bush - submitted certificates of ballot status from Vermont and Idaho.
His campaign's local contact: Lisa James, a career PR flack and a bigwig in Arizona Republican circles (an insider).
Ted Cruz - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
His campaign's local contact is Constantin Querard, a Republican campaign consultant (another insider).
Ben Carson - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Local contact: Diane Ortiz-Parsons, a former vice-chair of the Maricopa County Republican Party (another insider).
Marco Rubio - submitted certificates of ballot status from South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas.
Local contact: Mark Brnovich, Arizona's Attorney General (yet another insider).
Rand Paul - submitted certificates of ballot status from Arkansas and Michigan.
Local contact: Shawn Dow of Fountain Hills. Politically active in far right Republican circles, but doesn't seem to be an insider.
Chris Christie - submitted certificates of ballot access from New Hampshire and Michigan.
Local contact: Wes Gullet, a Republican consultant and lobbyist, former candidate for mayor of Phoenix, and former aide to Sen. John McCain (yeah, another insider).
Significant candidates who, as of this writing, haven't filed in AZ:
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Republican Egomaniac Donald Trump of New York, New Jersey, Florida, and any other place where he hasn't yet worn out his welcome
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Short attention span musing
...The race isn't over yet, not by a long shot, but Hillary Clinton went a long way toward securing the 2016 Democratic nomination for the presidency, and toward securing a general election victory, when she faced down the bullies masquerading as Republican members of Congress this past week.
And I am hardly the only person who thinks that.
For what it's worth, I am a supporter Bernie Sanders and believe that Clinton is *far* too close to Wall Street and other 1%'ers (and their lackeys).
I think Sanders is far more concerned with working to enhance the lives of average Americans than any other candidate, D or R.
Supporting him is an easy choice.
Having said that, she did incredibly well, staying cool, calm, and collected in the face of a marathon session thinly-veiled partisan bloviating dressed up as questioning.
Her biggest gain from the session won't be in attracting hardcore supporters of Sanders and the other Democratic candidates, it will be in attracting the support of voters who are late arrivals to the primary season. The image of Clinton facing Trey Gowdy and his merry bunch of cutthroats and not even batting an eyelash will be the main image in their minds when those voters figure out who they think is the best candidate.
...The Republican field of candidates in CD1 is growing, as Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, and David Gowan, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, have announced their candidacies (Ken Bennett, former AZSOS, and Gary Kiehne, a businessman, are already in the R field).
Babeu seems to be appealing to the pro-LGBT nativist portion of the GOP electorate. Lending new meaning to the term "microtargeting"...
On the other hand, Gowan has become renowned for his "tin ear", politically speaking.
In other words, my prediction is that these two will be fighting it out for third and fourth place. Unless someone else gets into the race (which may yet happen - perennial R candidate Wendy Rogers has been establishing ties to CD1).
Then they'll be duking it out over fourth and fifth place...
...News broke Saturday that a deal has been reached in the ongoing lawsuit over the state's consistent, and unconstitutional, underfunding of the state's education system. Details are sketchy at this point (OK, they're nonexistent at this point), but it looks likely that there will be a special session of the legislature during the first two weeks of November (after that, the calendar will turn to the holiday season, a period during which no non-Maricopa legislator wants to be in Phoenix)..
That issue will be worthy of a separate post (or posts) in coming days; today, however, it highlights the failure of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to do its job.
In LD26 (Tempe and west Mesa), there is a senate seat that was vacated at the end of September when Ed Ableser resigned to accept a job in Nevada.
Shortly after that, the Democratic PCs of LD26 sent the names of three nominees to fill the seat to the MCBOS.
Word then was that the supes were going to make the appointment at their meeting on October 21st.
They didn't.
This isn't the first time that they've played partisan games with the district - in 2012, there was a vacancy in the old LD17 House contingent (most of the old LD17 became most of the new LD26 after redistricting). At first, the supes refused to make an appointment, and then they tried to give it to someone who had just won election to the House to start his term limits clock early. Observers quickly figured out what the supes were intending to do, and that nominee withdrew his name for consideration for the appointment. Ultimately, nothing happened.
At the time, while there was some grumbling over the supes' high-handed tactics, in general people didn't sweat it that much - the appointment would have mostly been pro-forma as the lege was not in session and there was not any expectation of a special session.
Now, however, things are different.
Now, a special session of the lege is imminent, one regarding what is perhaps the issue that is most significant to average Arizonans - their children's education.
Now, as this looms, one of the areas of Maricopa County is significantly underrepresented.
Well, one thing is the same - the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is shirking its duty.
At this point, the supes don't have any regular meetings scheduled to take place before the likely dates of a special legislative session
And I am hardly the only person who thinks that.
For what it's worth, I am a supporter Bernie Sanders and believe that Clinton is *far* too close to Wall Street and other 1%'ers (and their lackeys).
I think Sanders is far more concerned with working to enhance the lives of average Americans than any other candidate, D or R.
Supporting him is an easy choice.
Having said that, she did incredibly well, staying cool, calm, and collected in the face of a marathon session thinly-veiled partisan bloviating dressed up as questioning.
Her biggest gain from the session won't be in attracting hardcore supporters of Sanders and the other Democratic candidates, it will be in attracting the support of voters who are late arrivals to the primary season. The image of Clinton facing Trey Gowdy and his merry bunch of cutthroats and not even batting an eyelash will be the main image in their minds when those voters figure out who they think is the best candidate.
...The Republican field of candidates in CD1 is growing, as Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, and David Gowan, speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, have announced their candidacies (Ken Bennett, former AZSOS, and Gary Kiehne, a businessman, are already in the R field).
Babeu seems to be appealing to the pro-LGBT nativist portion of the GOP electorate. Lending new meaning to the term "microtargeting"...
On the other hand, Gowan has become renowned for his "tin ear", politically speaking.
In other words, my prediction is that these two will be fighting it out for third and fourth place. Unless someone else gets into the race (which may yet happen - perennial R candidate Wendy Rogers has been establishing ties to CD1).
Then they'll be duking it out over fourth and fifth place...
...News broke Saturday that a deal has been reached in the ongoing lawsuit over the state's consistent, and unconstitutional, underfunding of the state's education system. Details are sketchy at this point (OK, they're nonexistent at this point), but it looks likely that there will be a special session of the legislature during the first two weeks of November (after that, the calendar will turn to the holiday season, a period during which no non-Maricopa legislator wants to be in Phoenix)..
That issue will be worthy of a separate post (or posts) in coming days; today, however, it highlights the failure of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to do its job.
In LD26 (Tempe and west Mesa), there is a senate seat that was vacated at the end of September when Ed Ableser resigned to accept a job in Nevada.
Shortly after that, the Democratic PCs of LD26 sent the names of three nominees to fill the seat to the MCBOS.
Word then was that the supes were going to make the appointment at their meeting on October 21st.
They didn't.
This isn't the first time that they've played partisan games with the district - in 2012, there was a vacancy in the old LD17 House contingent (most of the old LD17 became most of the new LD26 after redistricting). At first, the supes refused to make an appointment, and then they tried to give it to someone who had just won election to the House to start his term limits clock early. Observers quickly figured out what the supes were intending to do, and that nominee withdrew his name for consideration for the appointment. Ultimately, nothing happened.
At the time, while there was some grumbling over the supes' high-handed tactics, in general people didn't sweat it that much - the appointment would have mostly been pro-forma as the lege was not in session and there was not any expectation of a special session.
Now, however, things are different.
Now, a special session of the lege is imminent, one regarding what is perhaps the issue that is most significant to average Arizonans - their children's education.
Now, as this looms, one of the areas of Maricopa County is significantly underrepresented.
Well, one thing is the same - the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is shirking its duty.
 |
| The three nominees (L--R) State Rep. Andrew Sherwood, LD26 Chair Sam Pstross, State Rep. Juan Mendez |
At this point, the supes don't have any regular meetings scheduled to take place before the likely dates of a special legislative session
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Candidate and committees update
Some updates -
Federal offices:
...Shawn Redd, a Navajo businessman, has filed to run for the R nomination for US Senate.
..."Cranky Pants", no treasurer listed and a committee address of a mail drop in Litchfield Park, has filed to run for president as an independent (the filing is probably someone's idea of a practical joke, but it gives me an excuse to use the phrase "cranky pants" in a post that isn't about John McCain :) ).
Note: the first day for real candidates to file the paperwork necessary to appear on the ballot for Arizona Presidential Preference Election is November 13; the deadline is December 14 at 5 p.m. (AZ time)
State level offices:
...The races for the legislative offices in LD26 (parts of Tempe and Mesa) are getting complicated.
Incumbent state senator Ed Ableser (D) is resigning at the end of September in order to move to Nevada for a job.
Current State Rep. Andrew Sherwood and chair of the LD26 Democrats Sam Pstross are among those who have indicated an interest in being appointed to serve out the rest of Ableser's term in the Senate.
Michael Martinez, a candidate for JP in 2014, and Steve Muratore, a fellow blogger (full disclosure time: while Steve and I both have our individual blogs, we both contribute to Blog for Arizona), have formed committees to run for a House seat there (probably on the presumption that Sherwood will run for the Senate seat regardless of who is appointed to serve out the term).
Expect others to step up in both races...
...Judah Nativio, a member of the Queen Creek Unified School District's governing board, has filed for a run for the Republican nomination for on of the House seats in LD16. In 2008, in the then-LD18, he was the Democratic nominee for state senate (Russell Pearce won that particular election).
...Current state rep. Sonny Borrelli and former state senator Ron Gould have formed committees to run for the R nomination for the LD5 senate seat currently held by Kelli Ward, who is running for the US Senate seat held by John McCain.
...Pamela Powers Hannley, also a blogger and also a contributor to Blog for Arizona, has filed to run for the Democratic nomination for one of the LD9 House seats there. Incumbent Victoria Steele is running for Congress.
Maricopa County:
...Michael Bodak has filed to run for the Republican nomination for Maricopa County Sheriff. On his campaign website, he touts his lack of experience as his greatest qualification for the office.
...Leonore Driggs has filed to run for the Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace in the Arcadia-Biltmore justice precinct. Normally, I don't bother mentioning JP races in these posts (though since this is my justice precinct, I might have done so anyway :) ), but she merits some attention because she is the wife of State Senator Adam Driggs.
...A committee has formed to urge US Marshal David Gonzalez to run for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff. It is *not* a candidate committee. Their website is here.
Local races -
Mesa:
...Former state senator Jerry Lewis (R), best known for defeating the infamous Russell Pearce during Pearce's recall election is running for Mesa City Council, is targeting a seat held by current council member Dennis Kavanaugh. Kavanagh is retiring.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Maria Polletta -
Scottsdale:
...Dan Schweiker, a former member of the Paradise Valley Town Council, has formed a committee for a run at a seat on the Scottsdale City Council.
Tempe:
...Mike Jennings, a Tempe businessman and apparently thegolden child chosen candidate of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, has formed a committee for a run at the Tempe City Council.
Federal offices:
...Shawn Redd, a Navajo businessman, has filed to run for the R nomination for US Senate.
..."Cranky Pants", no treasurer listed and a committee address of a mail drop in Litchfield Park, has filed to run for president as an independent (the filing is probably someone's idea of a practical joke, but it gives me an excuse to use the phrase "cranky pants" in a post that isn't about John McCain :) ).
Note: the first day for real candidates to file the paperwork necessary to appear on the ballot for Arizona Presidential Preference Election is November 13; the deadline is December 14 at 5 p.m. (AZ time)
State level offices:
...The races for the legislative offices in LD26 (parts of Tempe and Mesa) are getting complicated.
Incumbent state senator Ed Ableser (D) is resigning at the end of September in order to move to Nevada for a job.
Current State Rep. Andrew Sherwood and chair of the LD26 Democrats Sam Pstross are among those who have indicated an interest in being appointed to serve out the rest of Ableser's term in the Senate.
Michael Martinez, a candidate for JP in 2014, and Steve Muratore, a fellow blogger (full disclosure time: while Steve and I both have our individual blogs, we both contribute to Blog for Arizona), have formed committees to run for a House seat there (probably on the presumption that Sherwood will run for the Senate seat regardless of who is appointed to serve out the term).
Expect others to step up in both races...
...Judah Nativio, a member of the Queen Creek Unified School District's governing board, has filed for a run for the Republican nomination for on of the House seats in LD16. In 2008, in the then-LD18, he was the Democratic nominee for state senate (Russell Pearce won that particular election).
...Current state rep. Sonny Borrelli and former state senator Ron Gould have formed committees to run for the R nomination for the LD5 senate seat currently held by Kelli Ward, who is running for the US Senate seat held by John McCain.
...Pamela Powers Hannley, also a blogger and also a contributor to Blog for Arizona, has filed to run for the Democratic nomination for one of the LD9 House seats there. Incumbent Victoria Steele is running for Congress.
Maricopa County:
...Michael Bodak has filed to run for the Republican nomination for Maricopa County Sheriff. On his campaign website, he touts his lack of experience as his greatest qualification for the office.
...Leonore Driggs has filed to run for the Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace in the Arcadia-Biltmore justice precinct. Normally, I don't bother mentioning JP races in these posts (though since this is my justice precinct, I might have done so anyway :) ), but she merits some attention because she is the wife of State Senator Adam Driggs.
...A committee has formed to urge US Marshal David Gonzalez to run for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff. It is *not* a candidate committee. Their website is here.
Local races -
Mesa:
...Former state senator Jerry Lewis (R), best known for defeating the infamous Russell Pearce during Pearce's recall election is running for Mesa City Council, is targeting a seat held by current council member Dennis Kavanaugh. Kavanagh is retiring.
From the Arizona Republic, written by Maria Polletta -
...As mentioned in the above article, so is Ryan Winkle.
After a 2 1/2-year hiatus, former state Sen. Jerry Lewis is itching to get back into politics — this time, at the municipal level.
The 58-year-old assistant superintendent of Sequoia Schools has filed to run for southwest Mesa's District 3 City Council seat, joining 36-year-old urban-development advocate Ryan Winkle in the race to replace Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh in January 2017.
Scottsdale:
...Dan Schweiker, a former member of the Paradise Valley Town Council, has formed a committee for a run at a seat on the Scottsdale City Council.
Tempe:
...Mike Jennings, a Tempe businessman and apparently the
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Donald Trump: Legit candidate or shiny object?
Some people think that GOP candidate for president Donald Trump is "sucking the air out of the room", making it impossible for the other candidates in the field to be heard or gain traction.
I think that instead he is providing cover for them. They get to say some of the most insane, bigoted, and hypocritical things but with public and MSM attention focused on Trump's latest bout of racism/misogyny/general misanthropy, only the GOP base hears the dog whistles of the rest of the field.
In other words, Trump is this cycle's Shiny Object.
In a week where Trump declined to repudiate two of his followers who assaulted and urinated on a homeless Hispanic man (Trump said only that his followers were "passionate"), the other candidates said and did (there is an anti-immigrant theme here, but their hatred is of the "well-rounded" variety):
- Ted Cruz - Went after former president Jimmy Carter the day after Carter announced that he has cancer
- John Kasich - Called for the banning of teacher's lounges in schools because he thinks that all teachers do there is complain
- Bobby Jindal - Wants to prosecute the mayors of "sanctuary cities" for any crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in their cities
- Rick Santorum - Stated that Congress can override the US Constitution and end "birthright citizenship"
- Ben Carson - Wants to further militarize the US border with Mexico
- Rick Perry - Flat out lied about improvement in high school graduation rates in Texas during his tenure as governor there
- Chris Christie - Likened the furor around Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for emails sent as part of her official duties as Secretary of State to his involvement in "Bridgegate"
- Jeb Bush - Embraced the nativist wing of the national GOP by defending the use of, and using, the ethnic slur "anchor baby"
- Marco Rubio - Doubled down on his embrace of "tinkle down" economic theory while speaking in Detroit, which may be the epicenter of the economic destruction wreaked upon the middle class by previous purveyors of "tinkle down" (OK, this is, relatively speaking, the mildest insanity of the week; still, it shows that Rubio is not ready for prime time)
- Carly Fiorina - Tried to weasel her way into gaining support from the anti-vaxxer wing of the GOP by advocating making vaccines for non-communicable diseases optional. One problem: every one of the main vaccines given to children as part of going to school is for a communicable disease
- Scott Walker - Said #BlackLivesMatter doesn't matter and isn't worthy of his attention
- Rand Paul - Announced that his campaign for president is toast. Oh, it's not *officially* over, but the KY GOP declared that he can run both for the nomination for the presidency and for reelection to his seat in the Senate. Which is their (and his) way of saying that Paul has no chance of winning the presidency
- Mike Huckabee - Signaled that a potential Huckabee administration won't have need for a Secretary of State, just a Bible reader
- Lindsey Graham, Jim Gilmore, and George Pataki? Not even GOP voters know that they are running
In most cycles, nearly every single one of the above examples would be cause for a major uproar; in the Year of Trump, they are barely a blip on the MSM's, and voters', radars.
So yes, Donald Trump is the 2016 presidential cycle's Shiny Object.
I think that instead he is providing cover for them. They get to say some of the most insane, bigoted, and hypocritical things but with public and MSM attention focused on Trump's latest bout of racism/misogyny/general misanthropy, only the GOP base hears the dog whistles of the rest of the field.
In other words, Trump is this cycle's Shiny Object.
In a week where Trump declined to repudiate two of his followers who assaulted and urinated on a homeless Hispanic man (Trump said only that his followers were "passionate"), the other candidates said and did (there is an anti-immigrant theme here, but their hatred is of the "well-rounded" variety):
- Ted Cruz - Went after former president Jimmy Carter the day after Carter announced that he has cancer
- John Kasich - Called for the banning of teacher's lounges in schools because he thinks that all teachers do there is complain
- Bobby Jindal - Wants to prosecute the mayors of "sanctuary cities" for any crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in their cities
- Rick Santorum - Stated that Congress can override the US Constitution and end "birthright citizenship"
- Ben Carson - Wants to further militarize the US border with Mexico
- Rick Perry - Flat out lied about improvement in high school graduation rates in Texas during his tenure as governor there
- Chris Christie - Likened the furor around Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for emails sent as part of her official duties as Secretary of State to his involvement in "Bridgegate"
- Jeb Bush - Embraced the nativist wing of the national GOP by defending the use of, and using, the ethnic slur "anchor baby"
- Marco Rubio - Doubled down on his embrace of "tinkle down" economic theory while speaking in Detroit, which may be the epicenter of the economic destruction wreaked upon the middle class by previous purveyors of "tinkle down" (OK, this is, relatively speaking, the mildest insanity of the week; still, it shows that Rubio is not ready for prime time)
- Carly Fiorina - Tried to weasel her way into gaining support from the anti-vaxxer wing of the GOP by advocating making vaccines for non-communicable diseases optional. One problem: every one of the main vaccines given to children as part of going to school is for a communicable disease
- Scott Walker - Said #BlackLivesMatter doesn't matter and isn't worthy of his attention
- Rand Paul - Announced that his campaign for president is toast. Oh, it's not *officially* over, but the KY GOP declared that he can run both for the nomination for the presidency and for reelection to his seat in the Senate. Which is their (and his) way of saying that Paul has no chance of winning the presidency
- Mike Huckabee - Signaled that a potential Huckabee administration won't have need for a Secretary of State, just a Bible reader
- Lindsey Graham, Jim Gilmore, and George Pataki? Not even GOP voters know that they are running
In most cycles, nearly every single one of the above examples would be cause for a major uproar; in the Year of Trump, they are barely a blip on the MSM's, and voters', radars.
So yes, Donald Trump is the 2016 presidential cycle's Shiny Object.
 |
| Pic courtesy Penn State U. |
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Committees update
These posts will become more frequent as the calendar moves toward the latter part of 2015 - people who are running for office in 2016 want to have everything set up so that they can start walking neighborhoods, meeting voters, and obtaining nomination signatures as soon as the heat breaks in most of AZ...
State level -
- LD21 state representative Rick Gray has formed a committee to run for the Republican nomination for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.
- Yavapai County supervisor Chip Davis of Cottonwood has formed a committee to run for the Republican nomination for one of the state house seats in LD1. Incumbent state senator Steve Pierce is termed out, so incumbent state representative Karen Fann is looking to move across the quad at the Capitol.
Background on Davis here and here.
Note: Normally, I hold off on coverage of a legislative run this early in a cycle, but Davis is a five-term county supervisor. That fact alone means this run merits some early coverage, IMHO.
Federal level -
- Republican former state legislator and Arizona secretary of state Ken Bennett has filed for a run for the Republican nomination for the CD1 seat in Congress. He's currently the chair of the LD24 Republicans in Phoenix but he's not totally carpetbagging here - he and his family have roots in Prescott and many of the parts of rural AZ that make up CD1.
This run is not breaking news as he has been long known to be interested in the seat.
- Former Republican state legislator and former independent candidate for state legislature Tom O'Halleran has filed for a run for the Democratic nomination for the CD1 seat in Congress.
Maricopa County level -
Nothing major of note yet...
- But one Andrew Hettinger has filed to run for Justice of the Peace. According to his campaign paperwork:
He works as an attorney for Pinal County.
He lives in Chandler.
He is running in the Moon Valley justice precinct, which is in north central Phoenix.
This could be fun as JP candidates are required by law to live in the actual precinct that they are running in. Hettinger still has some time to make the move, but residency issues could crop up in this race.
- Michelle Robertson of Glendale has filed for a run for the Democratic nomination for Maricopa County school superintendent. The incumbent is Republican Don Covey.
Local level -
The cities of Scottsdale and Mesa do not report any new candidates at this time.
In Tempe, one Irina Baroness von Behr has formed a committee for a run at a seat on the city council.
State level -
- LD21 state representative Rick Gray has formed a committee to run for the Republican nomination for a seat on the Arizona Corporation Commission.
- Yavapai County supervisor Chip Davis of Cottonwood has formed a committee to run for the Republican nomination for one of the state house seats in LD1. Incumbent state senator Steve Pierce is termed out, so incumbent state representative Karen Fann is looking to move across the quad at the Capitol.
Background on Davis here and here.
Note: Normally, I hold off on coverage of a legislative run this early in a cycle, but Davis is a five-term county supervisor. That fact alone means this run merits some early coverage, IMHO.
Federal level -
- Republican former state legislator and Arizona secretary of state Ken Bennett has filed for a run for the Republican nomination for the CD1 seat in Congress. He's currently the chair of the LD24 Republicans in Phoenix but he's not totally carpetbagging here - he and his family have roots in Prescott and many of the parts of rural AZ that make up CD1.
This run is not breaking news as he has been long known to be interested in the seat.
- Former Republican state legislator and former independent candidate for state legislature Tom O'Halleran has filed for a run for the Democratic nomination for the CD1 seat in Congress.
Maricopa County level -
Nothing major of note yet...
- But one Andrew Hettinger has filed to run for Justice of the Peace. According to his campaign paperwork:
He works as an attorney for Pinal County.
He lives in Chandler.
He is running in the Moon Valley justice precinct, which is in north central Phoenix.
This could be fun as JP candidates are required by law to live in the actual precinct that they are running in. Hettinger still has some time to make the move, but residency issues could crop up in this race.
- Michelle Robertson of Glendale has filed for a run for the Democratic nomination for Maricopa County school superintendent. The incumbent is Republican Don Covey.
Local level -
The cities of Scottsdale and Mesa do not report any new candidates at this time.
In Tempe, one Irina Baroness von Behr has formed a committee for a run at a seat on the city council.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Old politicos don't retire, they just run for a different office: Candidates update
Normally, most of this would going into a pure "Committees Update" post, but many of these people have made public announcements but don't have updated committee paperwork on the relevant election authority website as yet...
...In Maricopa county, former Buckeye police chief Dan Saban announced his candidacy for sheriff, challenging incumbent Joe Arpaio. Saban has challenged Arpaio before, running as a Republican in 2004, a Democrat in 2008, and as a Republican (again!) this time around.
He actually has updated paperwork on the Maricopa County Recorder's website.
Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts has some observations on Saban's renewed candidacy here. Summary: she's not holding her breath waiting for a Saban primary victory.
Neither am I.
...In Congressional news, former state legislator Matt Heinz has joined current state legislator Victoria Steele in the race for the Democratic nomination in CD2. Both are looking to challenge incumbent Republican Martha McSally.
With two candidates now in the CD2 Democratic primary, it's now official: there are two more candidates in a race for an occupied seat than there are in CD1, an open seat. Incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick has already announced that she is running for US Senate in 2016. As of this writing, while there have been rumors that Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark will run for the nomination, no Democrat has jumped into the CD1 race.
Steele, Heinz, and Kirkpatrick have already filed paperwork for their respective races, but no Democrat has filed in CD1.
...In statewide news, former state legislator "Atomic" Al Melvin is running for one of the Republican nominations for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).
He is famous for his scheme to turn Arizona into the country's nuclear waste dump and using the revenue to pay for Arizona's public education system.
If he wins a seat on the ACC, look for "glowing media reports about Arizona" to become "media reports about Arizona glowing"...
...In ballot question news, a new group, "We The People For The Unborn", has formed a committee for an as-yet undefined ballot question, but considering the hubbub generated by the recent attacks on Planned Parenthood by anti-choicers, don't be surprised if any question proposed by the new committee will be in that vein.
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