The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Trust in the election system in Arizona is eroding. Some may even say it's broken all together. One side says the vulnerability of voting machines and delay in election results is what makes the system distrustful. This was most obvious during the Maricopa County recount of the 2020 ballots that lasted months.The other side says it's the new found distrust in the system that makes it broken.But either way a question remains among most American, and specifically Arizonan, voters: how can we make elections better?This question fuels the work of David Becker. He is a co-founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research and he believes that technology and reliance on data can help us toward improving elections. He also helped launch the Election Official Legal Defense Network, which connections election officials with free legal advice.This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka sit down with Becker to discuss why he's confident in the safety of our elections systems, how America ended up in this position and why he's keeping an eye on those who oppose Donald Trump come next January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rents in Arizona have jumped significantly since the pandemic. In 2021, metro Phoenix made national headlines when rents skyrocketed by 30%. An investigation by the Arizona Attorney General's office reveals that a group of nine landlord companies have been using a software that allows them to see what other properties are charging and thereby "fix" their rental prices to match. Attorney General Kris Mayes is not having it and is seeking restitution for those affected. But that could take years. What about renters who need help now?In this episode of The Gaggle, producer Amanda Luberto sits down with Stacey Barchenger, our state politics reporter, and Catherine Reagor who covers real estate issues. They hash out what could happen and what resources renters have access to right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko has had enough of Washington, D.C.Lesko has represented the northwest Valley for six years after winning a special election to fill the spot for Trent Franks, who stepped down after allegations of sexual harassment involving his female staffers.Lesko has been a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, voting against his impeachment and voting in Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.But when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was being pushed out of office in a Republican-led coup, Lesko decided that she was done with Capitol Hill.This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by Laura Gersony to dive into the crowded Congressional District 8 race to replace her. The Republic's two national politics reporters dissect the approach and positions of the candidates eyeing the open seat and discuss who has a chance of winning the primary in August. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The battle over copper mining at Oak Flat, an area sacred to Native tribes, has been waged for two decades.On March 1, the dispute marked a significant milestone: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowly rejected the argument from the grassroots group Apache Stronghold that mining activity would destroy First Amendment religious rites observed by Native tribes.The court voted 6-5 to uphold a lower court’s denial of a preliminary injunction that sought to halt the transfer of federal land to Resolution Copper for the mining project.The suit, Apache Stronghold v. United States, was filed in January 2021 in federal district court. After losing that ruling, the Native rights group took the case to the appeals court, where a three-judge panel rejected Apache Stronghold's assertion that the mine would pose a substantial burden to their First Amendment religious practice rights.Oak Flat, located just shy of 70 miles east of Phoenix, is regarded as one of the most sacred sites to the Apache people. It has been at the center of debate on religious protections. Apache Stronghold, with the backing of the nation's largest religious freedom law firm, Becket Law, is resolute in its commitment to fight for the religious site's protection.However, with this narrow ruling – a victory for Resolution Copper – the question now is: what’s next for the Apache people?In this episode of The Gaggle, Mary Jo Pitzl and Kaely Monahan sit down with Indigenous Affairs Reporter, Debra Krol, to find out what's next for the sacred site. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suspicions about Arizona's voting returns have been growing for several years. It hit its peak in 2020, in the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden's narrow win over Donald Trump in this swing state.In response, the Arizona state Senate launched what it called an audit of all Maricopa County ballots cast in November 2020. In reality, the organizer couldn't even vouch for the hand count of 1 million ballots.This recount stirred not only conspiracy theories, but also worries from citizens that their ballots were not being counted. Attention switched to the early voting system, which allows people to vote by mail, in the 2022 election. Kari Lake, who lost the governor's race, contends that she did not win because of ballot tampering and is still arguing that point in court, even as she runs for U.S. Senate.As Arizonans head into the newest presidential election, debate continues on the best way to vote: drop off boxes, vote centers, in-person or by mail. These options are the subject of legislation and litigation leading up to the big day in November.This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka examine different voting practices, their origins and their critiques.County recorders for Maricopa and Yavapai, Stephen Richer and Michelle Burchill, discuss how they're keeping constituents reassured this election year. Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, explains why she’s sponsoring a ballot referral to end vote centers.You'll also hear opinions on polling places from Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, Sen. Bennett, R-Prescott, and Rep. Michael Carbone, R-Buckeye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows 2024 is an election year but amid the chatter of who will be president of the United States is a wide selection of smaller, important local Arizona elections.Residents in the small town of Litchfield Park will have the opportunity to cast their vote to be an official charter city. It's the first city in the Valley to do so in 40 years and will grant them independence from the state on things like when their elections are held and term limits on elected officials.Tempe voters have the chance to elect who will sit on their city council. They will also vote on a proposition that will impact Tempe's ability to grow.In this episode, producers Amanda Luberto and Kaely Monahan are joined by Republic reporters to discuss not only who is running and what is on the ballot, but why voters should turn out for these hyper-local elections.We’ll also hear about one state senator who is trying to make changes to how cities can run their elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clock is ticking for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to make a decision on running again for her seat.The collapse of her bipartisan border security bill unceremoniously ended her hopes of adding a deal on perhaps the most difficult issue in congressional politics to her legislative scorecard. Since quitting the Democratic Party in December 2022, Sinema’s fundraising has plummeted and she is about 20 percentage points behind her challengers in most of the polling on the race.Democratic frontrunner, Ruben Gallego, and Republican front runner, Kari Lake, both have outraised Sinema, I-Ariz., of late. Sinema ended 2023 with her worst fundraising quarter in three years — and she spent more than she brought in. All of which begs the question, does Sinema have a path to reelection, and what does that mean for the race if she’s stepping out of politics?In this episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report to look at how the Arizona senate race is stacking up and if there are any hints that Sinema might run for re-election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. has newly-released an $118 billion national security bill. It includes approximately $20 billion for border provisions, including $650 million for the border wall and funding for asylum judges, expanded detention capacity and other programs.In a interview with CBS' Face the Nation, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says that the deal will address a multitude of issues including the record surge of migrants.But Republicans in both the Senate and the House are stirring against the proposal, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying it's "dead on arrival."In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl sit down with The Republic's immigration and border reporter, Rafael Carranza to hash out what is in the bill and whether or not it's truly "dead on arrival." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A busy election year is here. It starts with the March 19 presidential preference election, followed by the Aug. 6 primary, and then the Big One: the Nov. 7 presidential election.On that day, voters all over the country will be ponying up to the polls to fill in the bubble of the candidates they want most. This year, the presidency is on the line.But first comes the preference election. This election, also referred to as the primaries, isn't the same date in every state. Republican voters in New Hampshire and Iowa have already decided that former President Donald Trump is their pick to represent their party. Democrats in Iowa vote on March 5.In Arizona, only Democrats and Republicans can vote on Tuesday, March 19 for which candidate they want to put forward into the big fight come November. Independent voters are out of luck for the preference election.But how does all of this work? Who gets a say and why does it matter?This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka kick off a new series called Elections Dissection. Each month this year, they'll be breaking down a new elections process so you understand how voting in Arizona works.In this episode, Mary Jo and Sasha talk with the man who brought preference elections to Arizona, a politician whose career was defined by a botched preference election, and an active county recorder who is working to avoid confusion at the polls.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "Gilbert Goons" have made headlines here in Arizona and nationwide. Young men from affluent families have been indiscriminately targeting others for violent beatings. One such attack ended in the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord.Amid the many questions swirling around this case is one of particular relevance to you, our Gaggle listeners. What is the political fallout?Producers Kaely Monahan and Amanda Luberto sat down with the team that broke the story: investigative reporter Robert Anglen and criminal justice reporter Elena Santa Cruz. Both are journalists in our newsroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices