The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Ben Toma, Speaker of the House, R-Glendale, discusses Arizona's 2024 agenda, running for a congressional seat, and the importance of local politics. They cover fiscal outlook, structural changes, impact of the voucher program on education budget.

Gov. Katie Hobbs officially started the new legislative session this week with her second State of the State address. She focused on areas where she's hopeful for bipartisanship: housing, the border and the state's water supply.This year, Republican lawmakers mostly listened in silence. One senator, Anthony Kern, once again turned his back on Hobbs, literally, as he had in 2023.Despite the turbulence and at a time when the state is facing a budget shortfall, this year’s speech had moments suggesting potential bipartisan cooperation. Kern’s protest was the only one of its kind this year, which was also an improvement over last year.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 Democratic political strategist Tony Cani and Kirk Adams, former chief of staff to previous Gov. Doug Ducey.Together they break down Hobbs' Jan. 8 State of the State address to explore whether her strategic roadmap to bipartisanship is achievable and her goals for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the beginning of a big year in Arizona politics.Next week, Gov. Katie Hobbs will give her second "state of the state" address, reviewing her first year in office and her goals for the year ahead. This could set the tone for state politics in 2024.Nationally, Arizona is expected to hold the political spotlight as one of a handful of swing states on the electoral map. President Joe Biden’s narrowest victory in 2020 came in Arizona. Democrats are looking to ride the blue wave and Republicans are looking to win back a state they had carried for years.Arizona's U.S. Senate race could offer a rare three-way contest for the seat held by independent incumbent Kyrsten Sinema. That race already includes Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican headliner Kari Lake. And the state could play a key role in the battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives, with two seats currently held by the GOP on Democrats’ radar.Both chambers in the state Legislature are narrowly divided, and Arizona voters likely will weigh a ballot measure to determine whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.While you're writing down your New Year's resolutions, we're writing down a long to-do list. 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 other Republic reporters to give listeners a peek at our list.You'll hear from state politics reporter Stacey Barchenger, investigative reporter Robert Anglen and Maricopa County reporter Sasha Hupka, among others. Together, they discuss what they're keeping an eye on for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another year in Arizona politics has come and nearly gone. What might be remarkable elsewhere is almost par for the course in the Grand Canyon State.The year started with Arizona's first Democratic governor in more than a decade being sworn in on the ninth floor of the executive tower just before a legislative session with Republican majorities in both houses. Gov. Katie Hobbs went on to veto more bills than any other governor in state history.Election denialism remained a theme. Kari Lake made statements and legal challenges over the year insisting the 2022 election for governor had been corrupted.More than 1,400 text messages between Cyber Ninjas' CEO Doug Logan and others were revealed by Republic reporters using a simple software trick, uncovering more information about the "audit" of Maricopa County ballots in the 2020 presidential election.Free speech battles raged on over college campuses, and a community near Scottsdale lost, then found, access to water.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 other Republic reporters, many of them Gaggle regulars, to break down the year 2023 in politics.You'll hear from state politics reporter Stacey Barchenger, investigative reporter Robert Anglen, Maricopa County reporter Sasha Hupka and national politics reporter Ryan Randazzo.Note: This episode was recorded before the death of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. While O'Connor is not discussed in this episode, The Gaggle has multiple exclusive interviews on her life. Listen wherever you get podcasts or by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ranch girl from Duncan, Arizona who grew up to be the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, passed away on December 1st, 2023. On December 18th, she entered the highest court in the land one last time. Thousands of Americans came to pay their respects. Today we hear from her younger brother, Alan Day, about what it was like growing up with the ranch girl who would be come a Supreme Court justice. National politics reporter and Gaggle host Ron Hansen connected with Alan Day remotely in the spring of 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court was laid to rest this week. As the country said its final farewells to Arizona ranch girl, we here on The Gaggle have been honoring her life and legacy through a series of interviews with those who knew her.Welcome to the third episode of The Gaggle’s mini series on Sandra Day O’Connor.Thus far we have heard from O’Connor’s biographer and a historian. Today we turn to someone who was closer to the justice: Ruth McGregor. A former chief justice Arizona Supreme Court, McGregor shared that she’s known Sandra Day O’Connor since the mid 1970s. First they worked solely as associates in the same field, but a friendship grew that lasted a life time.McGregor sat down in the Gaggle studios in April 2022. Former Gaggle host, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez led the interview.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the country has said its final goodbyes to the first woman to ever sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. To mark Sandra Day O'Connor's historical life, The Gaggle is sharing in-depth interviews with those that knew her. Yesterday we heard from her biographer, Evan Thomas. Today, we’ll hear from Linda Hirshman, a lawyer, cultural historian, and author of many books – including the 2016 “Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World.”Hirshman sat down in the Gaggle studios in spring 2022 with then Gaggle host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez. For Hirshman, O’Connor is something of a complicated figure. In her words, O’Connor opened the door for extreme conservatism to enter the highest court in the land. At the same time, O’Connor was a defender of moderation, and believed strongly in nonpartisanship when it came to interpreting the law.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, spent years as a computer systems analyst before turning to a career in politics. Finding a lack of support and finances for her children's education inspired her to change paths.She now holds a leadership position in the Arizona Senate. Epstein is no stranger to the Arizona Legislature: Although this is her first Senate term, she served three terms in the House of Representatives. She represents a district that increasingly has trended Democratic, covering Ahwatukee Foothills, much of southern Tempe and parts of Chandler.In the 30-member Senate, Epstein leads a caucus of 14 Democrats.This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, Epstein joins hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl to discuss the state's budget and political balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has been laid to rest on December 19, 2023.In this special mini series we to bring you the interviews of those who knew her conducted by our host Ron Hansen, as well as former host and Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez.We begin with O’Connor’s biographer Evan Thomas. He is a historian and journalist, and penned "First: Sandra Day O'Connor."Speaking from his home in Washington D.C., Thomas shared his reflections on O’Connor with Ron Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez – both of whom you’ll hear in this interview.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican Warren Petersen leads an Arizona state Senate that has been aggressive in pursuing its policy goals and, in many cases, defying Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. A third-generation resident of Gilbert, Arizona, Petersen was first elected to the Legislature in 2012 and has served in both the House, where he was the majority leader, and now in the Senate. As Senate president, Petersen along with his Republican counterparts in the House, brokered a state budget deal with Gov. Hobbs, as well as a compromise agreement on a regional transportation plan that gave everyone some claim to victory.In this episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic, Senator Petersen sits down with hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Ron Hansen to discuss working in the rare state of divided government in Arizona and what lies ahead in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices