The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

With former President Donald Trump's re-election win this November, his aggressive plans — positive to some, negative to others — on the border and immigration seemingly won him the nomination. He promised mass deportations on day one of his White House return, saying he would declare a national emergency to make it happen. Trump's proposal would impact a quarter-million people in Arizona, accordi...

Despite the anticipation for another long election season extending into the new year, Arizona's election season went pretty smoothly. In stark contrast of 2022 and 2020, the 2024 election was calm and professional. But that doesn't mean that it's over. There are still a few recounts to complete before the season can really come to an end — both on the county and statewide level. And certain hiccu...

Arizona and other key swing states all went red in 2024, helping Donald Trump secure the U.S. presidency. This year, he won Arizona by a bigger margin than the 2016 election. Weeks after the election, how Trump gained more votes is now being analyzed. With Trump heading back to Washington in January, this data might shed light on what might happen to the governor's seat in 2026, when Gov. Katie Ho...

Leading up to the November election, pollsters across the nation showed Arizona to be one of the most swingy of the swing states. How Arizonans would vote in the presidential race and down-ballot contests were the equivalent of a coin flip. But as results were tallied over the past few days, it is clear now which party won convincingly. It's not necessarily the red wave effect, though. All of thes...

This episode expresses the views of Arizona Republic opinion columnists, not the views of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com news department or the Gaggle hosts. Columnists Greg Moore and Phil Boas spoke virtually after election night 2024 to discuss the results and how Trump won back America. The conversation is moderated by editorial page editor, Elvia Diaz. Learn more about your ad choices....

On Tuesday heading into Wednesday, the presidential race was less than 1 percentage point apart, and once again, Arizona is the closest state in the country, for the time being. Republicans also wiped out the narrow Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, but in Arizona, Democrat Ruben Gallego appeared to be headed to victory. Fox News has already called the presidential race for Donald Trump. In...

Unlike states like Florida and Colorado, it takes Arizona anywhere from days to almost weeks to find out the results of the election. In the last midterm election, the results of the governor's race were announced six days after Election Day. Cable news famously called Arizona for Joe Biden on election night in 2020, but that contest would stay in headlines for months to come after a ballot recoun...

It is crunch time for politicians and campaigns right now to try to win your vote for the Nov. 4 election. Early voting ballots have been sent out, and with a few close races in the polls, candidates know that every vote matters. Candidates down ballot have held rallies and aimed conversations at all different demographics in the last weeks leading up to the election. Both presidential candidates...

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask both candidates to represent Dist...

Some of this election cycle's biggest issues are what stirs the electorates here in Arizona. No debate or interview is complete without asking a candidate about abortion and immigration. Political angst regarding the border could be a defining factor on who wins the White House, the state’s U.S. Senate race and other contests further down ballot. And unlike most of the country who choose candidate...

This episode expresses the views of Arizona Republic opinion columnists, not the views of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com news department or the Gaggle hosts. Columnists Greg Moore and Phil Boas spoke virtually after the Senate debate between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego about who won and what stood out. The conversation is moderated by editorial page editor, Elvia Diaz....

The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Laura Gersony talked with Democratic nominee for Congressional District 1 Dr. Amish S...

Taking up a lot of the ballot’s real estate are 13 propositions. From abortion rights to worker tips, arguments for and against the propositions fill up more than 300 pages in the state’s official Publicity Pamphlet. And the language can get confusing. Plan to spend more time than usual in the voting booth, or around the kitchen table, as you work through this ballot. This week on The Gaggle, a po...

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask both candidates to represent Dist...

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask Democratic nominee for Maricopa C...

The future of control of the state house depends on eight competitive districts on your ballot this November. Driven by redistricting, lots of donation money, and Gov. Katie Hobbs’ long-stated intention to flip the Legislature blue, Arizona's political future is again toeing the line. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary J...

Early ballots are being packaged up to be sent out to Arizona voters by October 9th. This year is the big one. From contentious mayoral races to electing a new Maricopa County recorder, the local elections will come to define how the state runs. On the national scale, Arizona has one of the most watched Senate races in the country and both Presidential candidates know how crucial winning Arizona w...

Early ballots are being packaged up to be sent out to Arizona voters by October 9th. This year is the big one. From contentious mayoral races to electing a new Maricopa County recorder, the local elections will come to define how the state runs. On the national scale, Arizona has one of the most watched Senate races in the country and both Presidential candidates know how crucial winning Arizona w...

Early ballots are being packaged up to be sent out to Arizona voters by October 9th. This year is the big one. From contentious mayoral races to electing a new Maricopa County recorder, the local elections will come to define how the state runs. On the national scale, Arizona has one of the most watched Senate races in the country and both Presidential candidates know how crucial winning Arizona w...

The 2024 ballot will be one of the longest in recent history with 13 propositions to vote on. Among things like police power at the border and abortion access, nearly one third of the measures deal with how elections function in the state. There are four measures on the November ballot that are directly related to elections procedures, further enforcing that how democracy is run is a hot-button to...

Early ballots are being packaged up to be sent out to Arizona voters by October 9th. This year is the big one. From contentious mayoral races to electing a new Maricopa County recorder, the local elections will come to define how the state runs. On the national scale, Arizona has one of the most watched Senate races in the country and both Presidential candidates know how crucial winning Arizona w...

Along with everything else that’s on the ballot this election year, so is the U.S. House of Representatives. All nine seats of Arizona’s congressional delegation are before voters, but in reality, only two are expected to have any suspense. Congressional district 1 features a showdown between Republican Congressman David Schweikert and Democratic Dr. Amish Shah. Congressional District 6 is a remat...

Arizona being called for Joe Biden early on election night 2020 became the start of a movement: the state was officially a swing state. Trump speaks to the state’s conservative roots. But continuous election denialism and disinterest in John McCain-style conservatism has some Arizonan Republicans questioning their support.  When President Biden dropped out of the race this July and Harris took ove...

This November, voters have the choice between Democratic nominee Ruben Gallego and Republican nominee Kari Lake. Neither are new to politics or campaigning, but both are new to the Senate race. Lake is bringing her national recognition from former President Donald Trump to the table, while Gallego could consolidate his party's support. But neither can call themselves a centrist, so what are less p...

It goes without saying: You must be a U.S. citizen to vote in U.S. elections. Even so, the idea of proving your citizenship has been hotly contested. Proponents say it's crucial to prevent non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections. Opponents say that this creates roadblocks that disenfranchise voters. In Arizona, the Legislature sought to reinstate a state law requiring residents to provide proof...