The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

A generation ago Arizona voters chose to bar college students who are undocumented from receiving in-state tuition discounts. It came amid a rising climate of frustration about the southern border and a stalemate on immigration reforms. Today, Arizonans are still frustrated about the border and immigration laws haven’t changed, but Arizona voters have. During the recent elections, voters overwhelm...

For some Republicans, the fight for the midterm election isn't over. Raising doubts over Arizona's voting machines and complaints that the state takes too long to tally votes was the fuel behind those who showed up at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday morning. These normally forgettable functions of election administration are suddenly the subject of a pair of lawsuits tha...

The Gaggle team is taking the week off to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. We'll be back next week with a brand new full episode. As always, thank you for listening and subscribing. We all wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week after the 2022 midterm elections, Arizonans mostly know who won and who did not. Some of the surprise outcomes that will make the next few years more interesting politically in America’s premier purple state. The biggest news of the cycle is that Democrat Katie Hobbs won the Arizona governor’s race against Republican Kari Lake on Monday evening. Hobbs will be Arizona’s first Democratic gove...

Three days after Election Day, Arizona is still counting votes with lots of key races still hanging in the balance, including the governor’s race and a Senate race that will help determine control of the chamber in Washington. In this bonus edition of the Gaggle, we’ll update you on Arizona’s biggest unsettled races and we’ll go over one of the more pressing subplots to the election so far: Did gl...

After months of talking about election denialism, abortion, inflation and other contentious topics, candidates have put their futures in the hands of Arizonans.  And the future on this day after the midterm election remains unclear. Election tabulation problems drew attention in Maricopa County and Democrats made a strong showing with early voting. But the outcome of the state’s top races is unkno...

Early voting is underway in Arizona for the midterm election. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the state Legislature and school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so that you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle appearing throug...

Election day is creeping ever closer for Arizona’s midterms. And if you’re still filling out your ballot or plan to vote on November 8, you’re probably still researching who you want to cast your ballot for.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is a continuation of our series of spe...

Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the Legislature and on down to school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting peri...

Arizona voters will play an outsized role in determining the nation's political direction in next week's midterm election. The national focus on Arizona inevitably revives interest in the baseless election denialism that has defined many Republican candidates across the country and in this state.  After last year’s state Senate Republicans ordered a partisan review of ballots in Maricopa County, a...

Arizona’s midterms are in full swing.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This question and answer with attorney general candidates is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting period.  The candidates are Republican Abe Hamadeh and Democrat Kris Maye...

Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the Legislature and on down to school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting peri...

Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the Legislature and on down to school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting peri...

Votes are pouring in across the state and the candidates are making their closing arguments for every race, from governor to Congress to the state Legislature.  The ads on your screens, the flyers in your mailbox, the signs on seemingly every open corner are targeting the most coveted bloc of voters in Arizona: those who refuse to be beholden to either camp. Independents. In today's episode of The...

Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the Legislature and on down to school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting peri...

Ten years ago, Mexican teenager José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was shot through the border fence by a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The agent believed the teen, standing in Nogales, Sonora, was throwing rocks at him and that he was in danger. The death launched a historic cross-border investigation that ultimately changed how the Border Patrol functions. But José Antonio isn’t the only person to have be...

Early voting is underway for the midterm elections. And every race matters, from the governor to the U.S. Senate, the Legislature and on down to school boards.  The Gaggle and The Arizona Republic’s political team are connecting with candidates so you can hear them make their case to voters in their words.  This is part of a series of special bonus episodes of The Gaggle throughout the voting peri...

The midterm election is less than a month away. And while many voters may have decided which candidates they are supporting, there is much more on the ballot this year.  Ballot measures play a big role in deciding how Arizonans want their state run, but it can be confusing to sort through what each really stands for and if you want to vote yes or no. This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizo...

The midterm elections are about a month away and both political parties are furiously trying to make their cases to the electorate.  In a year marked by historic inflation and a seismic Supreme Court ruling on abortion, many political experts are expecting unusually heavy turnout. If that happens, America’s young adults could play a big role. But what do they want, or care about? Are they Democrat...

Late on September 23rd, a Pima County Superior Court judge effectively allowed Arizona’s 19th Century ban on nearly all abortions to go back into effect. That is at odds with a 2022 law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Just this week, Maricopa County’s top prosecutor reversed herself and said she wouldn’t prosecute women for getting an abortion.  Facing a charged political env...

On election night in 2020, Fox News made the first formal projection suggesting that Joe Biden could win the presidency by saying Biden had won Arizona. Almost immediately, that projection set off a firestorm in the White House, capped by then-President Donald Trump suggesting that the election was stolen. The backlash in Arizona came swiftly. Protesters gathered at the state Capitol, claiming a s...

Few things are a safe bet when the Arizona Legislature reconvenes in January, including who will be sitting in the seats. What can be expected is that there will be a representative for the whole spectrum of opinions: from election deniers to abortion rights supporters. This is the expected outgrowth of a newly drawn political map where most races are not competitive in general elections. But what...

While it’s September and still in the triple digits here in Arizona, the change in the calendar means summer recess is over. The kids are back to school. Members of Congress are back in Washington. The midterm elections are looming, and control of both chambers of Congress is in question.  Currently, Democrats lead with 220 members in the 435-person House of Representatives, which has lit a fire u...

At the beginning of August, the U.S. Interior Department has announced a water shortage that will trigger cuts in the water supply in Arizona and other parts of the Southwest. A United Nations environmental program said Lake Powell and Lake Mead have reached “dangerously low levels.” The federal Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the nation’s water projects, gave the seven states and 30 tribes...

As his two terms as governor wind down, Doug Ducey crossed off one of the goals he's had on his list for nearly eight years. He signed into law House Bill 2853, expanding school vouchers to allow all parents to use them for private school tuition or other educational costs. It's being lauded as the biggest school-choice victory in the nation. Supporters say it will increase opportunities for Arizo...