The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

The state's Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes is focused on the Republicans who tried to help sidestep Arizona's certified election results. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge recently ordered Mayes to take her evidence back to the grand jury to inform them of a key legal argument made by the electors. This ruling may — or may not — undercut Mayes' case enough to reconsider a matter she h...

The Trump administration has only been in office for a few months, but the early days seem to make good on a promise of stricter immigration reform and border security. But an intimidating defense along the border is not the only reason detention numbers have decreased. And deportations in other parts of Arizona — like Phoenix — are actually increasing. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast...

As lawmakers are on break, work is going on behind the scenes on an education-related bill that would raise teacher pay and maybe provide constitutional protections for Arizona’s private-school voucher program. Despite widespread agreement that the funding stream from the trust fund should continue, how to get the plan over the finish line is being hotly debated behind closed doors. This will leav...

Currently, Republicans have only a seven-seat advantage over Democrats, and that is likely to shrink by two seats after this year's special elections to fill vacancies. Republicans are standing strong behind Trump, but Democrats are eagerly using this to their advantage. But will that work in Arizona and its two swing districts, Congressional District 1 and Congressional District 6? This week on T...

At the 100-day mark of Trump's second term, his approval ratings are the lowest for any newly elected president in over 50 years and economic warning signs are pointing toward a recession. This should be a clear sign that Democrats will be successful in the 2026 election as they try to flip the House, but infighting might be getting in their way. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The...

National economic uncertainty is impacting Arizona lawmakers and their budget deadline. But this year, there may be good reason to push to the last minute. Fluctuating tariff policies and Congress' want for billions in savings has made it unclear how much money Arizona can spend quite yet. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and M...

Arizona's purple-state status has made residents accustomed to arguing at the state Capitol. But this time, the feud is between Trump-supporting Republicans and themselves. A bill that would criminalize false claims of military service has Rep. Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake) and fellow veteran Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) in a heated personal drama is playing out in the Capitol. A claim of purposeful b...

Probably more notably than any other Arizona politician, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is opposed to President Donald Trump. Currently, she involved in 11 lawsuits challenging the administration and she is still pursuing the fake electors case from the 2020 election overturn efforts. Mayes has her work cut out for her, but the 2026 election looms large already, and she will have to face vote...

For some politicians, like Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne, Trump's attacks on DEI, transgender students and dismantling the Department of Education come as good news. It follows rhetoric that he's been pushing for years. But for others, like Attorney General Kris Mayes, a lawsuit is in order. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen ...

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been trying to revamp Chase Field for years now. So far, that journey has left them without the proper funds to renovate the 27-year-old stadium. A new amendment to House Bill 2704 proposes a 50-50 split between Phoenix and Maricopa County to provide as much as $500 million a year from the sales taxes collected at the stadium – a change that prompted the county to opp...

Raúl Grijalva, the dean of Arizona’s congressional delegation who spent more than 40 years in public service, succumbed to lung cancer last week. He was 77. His loss is felt by his family, friends, colleagues and constituents. But the search for his replacement has already began. Gov. Katie Hobbs has set a date for the special election to fill his empty spot in Congress and notable names like Secr...

Scottsdale residents voted in a new mayor and new City Council in the 2024 election. Almost immediately, the new faces at City Hall started kicking up dust in a city that calls itself “The West’s Most Western town.” Eliminating DEI measures against residents' wishes, a controversy over a parking garage, an ethics complaint about the new mayor and more have Scottsdale City Council feeling more like...

Congress is looking to make room for trillions in tax cuts that are titled to corporations and the wealthy. Now, America's health-care program for the disabled, pregnant women and low-income earners is up for possible large federal funding cuts. More than 70 million Americans rely on Medicaid, with 2 million of them living in Arizona. The magnitude of the potential cuts, and the consequences for t...

Trump and his self-created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, after the internet meme, is attempting to rein in the amount of national spending and the size of the federal government. About 32,000 of the 3 million federal employees are Arizonans, and the number of layoffs and buyouts offered by the Trump administration remains unclear. Most agencies that The Arizona Republic has reached...

The new year also brought a slightly larger Republican majority in both the House and Senate, furthering the political divide at the Capitol. Gov. Katie Hobbs has already delivered her first veto of the year, denying a Republican-backed proposal to fast-track election results. The political partition complicates Hobbs’ goal of scoring wins on her agenda ahead of her 2026 reelection bid. It also co...

Steve Montenegro is not new to the Capitol — he served eight years in the Legislature before an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2018. In 2022, he returned to state politics when he was elected to represent Legislative District 29 along with fellow Republican Austin Smith. At the end of last year, Republicans elected Montenegro as the new speaker of the House of Representatives for the next sessio...

Being a swing state, Arizona's politics are watched with a magnifying glass across the country. It's not just who wins – though that is definitely what matters most – but it is smaller things. Among the details that seem to move to the forefront is who leads the major parties. This serves a temperature check for how the parties are running and where they're trending. 2024 was a pretty good year fo...

Maricopa County is the economic driver of Arizona and at least politically, largely shapes the state's identity. During the 2024 election, the county went through a political overhaul. There are a lot of new faces dealing with a lot of familiar issues. Illegal immigration, sports venues and a jail tax are all on the county's list to tackle in the months to come. But how will new blood approach old...

President Donald Trump's "Day 1" has come and gone and so far, he has kept most of his promises. The president signed an abundance of executive orders in the hours following his inauguration, some directly impacting Arizonans, with more to come in the first few days of his new administration. But is this the beginning of a MAGA marathon or an early sprint before the chance of a changing tide in th...

President-elect Donald Trump is gearing up for his inauguration on Jan. 20 and the start of the new administration holds significance for Arizona. Trump has promised to start mass deportations on "day one" and to quickly tighten border protections. As for now, the border seems calm. But "day one" is coming soon. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com,...

t's been four years since the riot at the U.S. Capitol shook the country. It was the first time in history there wasn't a peaceful transfer of power as the electoral votes were finalized. This week's presidential certification was notably without the violence and chaos that defined January 6, 2021. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Han...

2025 isn't an election year, but that doesn't mean that Arizona politics will be boring. Newly elected Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego is preparing his move to Washington DC. Heading to the National's capitol as well, are seemingly diametrically opposed members of Congress that Arizonans voted in for the first time this year. Democrat Yassamin Ansari and Republican Abe Hamadeh are among a new bat...

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday, listeners. We're taking the week off to be with our families. See you in 2025! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona had yet another noteworthy year in politics. All eyes were on the swing state for the 2024 general election. With a Senate race involving Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake, as well as how voters would respond to constitutionalizing reproductive rights following the repeal of a 19th-century abortion law, Arizona stayed in the national spotlight. But that wasn't everything that...

Trump is targeting Mexico and Canada for his tariffs, as well, and that could directly impact Arizona as a border state as well as those who make their living off the international supply chain. But will they help or hurt Arizonans?  This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by two guests to discuss what imp...