The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

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 under Republicans to regain the House. But a Republican takeover might not be as easy as predicted. For answers, some are looking right here in Arizona.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by Kyle Kondik. He is the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a non-partisan newsletter from the University of Virginia on campaigns and elections.Together they discuss the status of Arizona's federal races, the Senate and the House races, which could offer clues to how the country might be voting as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 that use the Colorado River eight weeks to come up with a plan to conserve more water. The goal was to conserve an extra 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water, thereby stabilizing the rapidly dwindling reservoirs. However, no plan was reached and the clock keeps ticking.In this episode, we’re talking about an issue many of you have sent our way: Arizona’s water crisis. How bad is it? And what are government and policy leaders doing about it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Arizona students and families to choose the education they want without being limited by financial situations, but critics argue it casts a blind eye to the already struggling public school system in the state.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by K-12 education reporter Yana Kunichoff to break down what the law really means for the future of the state and what it means for Ducey's legacy as governor. Later in the show, Darleen Opfer, vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor, discusses potential obstacles Arizona parents could still face and where the expanded voucher program places the state in the national conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden on Aug. 9 signed into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act..The historic legislation provides up to $52 billion dollars from the U.S. government to help spur production of semiconductor factories, advanced technologies and research facilities across the country. The Biden administration hopes it will open doors to new commercial breakthroughs in emerging fields such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence. With the passage of the CHIPS Act, the U.S. is ready to once more become a world leader in semiconductor production and challenge China’s domination in that industry.One of the states that could stand to benefit from the law is Arizona, which has long been a desirable location for tech companies from Motorola to Intel. In today’s episode, The Gaggle investigates what the new federal initiative could mean in a state trying to expand its high-tech footprint. The president of Arizona State University Michael Crow and Mesa Mayor John Giles join our host Ron Hansen in the conversation.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After distinguishing themselves from the pack, Trump-endorsed candidates won big at Arizona's primaries. Kari Lake clinched the Republican nomination for governor and will go head-to-head with Democrat Katie Hobbs. Republican Blake Masters will face off with incumbent Democratic Mark Kelly for a seat in the U.S. Senate.In the Secretary of State race, Republican, and notorious conspiracy theorist, Mark Finchem will face off with Adrian Fontes, the Democratic former Maricopa County Recorder. So what does this say about Arizona’s electorate as we head into November? Are Trump-style Republicans primed to take hold in our state? Or will the majority of Arizonans turn to Democrats in the fall?In this episode of The Gaggle, we’re setting the table for the midterm elections. We’ll talk about how voter choices in the primaries will help determine what happens in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election day is over.As of Thursday evening, gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, clinched the GOP nomination. Adrian Fontes beat Reginald Bolding for the Democratic nomination for secretary of state. But there are still ballots to count, and it hasn’t been smooth sailing. From pens smudging ballots in Maricopa County to Pinal County running out of ballots, the August primaries gave those suspicious of elections more to complain about. In this special bonus episode of The Gaggle, we’re taking a closer look at issues that have handicapped the election process and what the response has been. We’ll also take a look at the gubernatorial race.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Votes are still being counted, but an early look at Arizona's 2022 primary race shows in what direction it's heading. Maybe the most important thing to know is that former President Donald Trump's preferred candidates are doing well.In the U.S. Senate race, Blake Masters beat out his four rivals on the Republican ticket. And in the state Senate, House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who famously rejected Trump’s requests to help sidestep voters in the 2020 election, is losing to Trump-endorsed David Farnsworth. Eyes are still on one of the most contentious races. The Republican gubernatorial contest between Trump-backed Kari Lake and Mike Pence-backed Karrin Taylor Robson is in a virtual tie. The winner will face Democrat Katie Hobbs.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen gives an inside look into the Republic newsroom on election night. He is joined by reporters Stacey Barchenger, Mary Jo Pitzl, Tara Kavaler and Ray Stern as they analyze the early results and what they could mean for voters in the November general election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The battle for the soul of the Republican party took center stage in Arizona. Last week, our state saw visits on the same day from former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. They talked about some of the same priorities, from border security to economic growth.But their differences now really define them. With thousands on hand, Trump took aim at the Biden administration and Republicans who haven’t joined his false claims of a stolen election. Those include Pence and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.Meanwhile in Peoria, Pence and Ducey held a more intimate gathering of hundreds of supporters in hand for gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, a GOP rival of Lake's. Both sides are battling for the future of the GOP. Trump commanded a much larger crowd. Does that mean he’s winning?In this week's Gaggle, host Ron Hansen is joined by Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger to unpack what a Trump and Pence endorsement can do for Arizona's primary candidates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House committee investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol has been meeting publicly for over a month now. So far, its investigation into the uprising has uncovered new information making it clear former President Donald Trump and his political team were involved in inciting the mob.Arizona, the state with the closest contest in the 2020 election and some of the staunchest Trump allies on Capitol Hill, is a recurring topic in the hearings.Because Arizona's state Legislature was controlled by Republicans, Trump and his allies made the state one of the key targets of their pressure campaign to sidestep voters.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by Republic reporter Richard Ruelas. Ruelas has covered the extremist groups involved at the insurrection. Together, they recap how Arizonans were linked to the Jan. 6 uprising and the hearings that followed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a year after being implemented, the independent office that investigates police misconduct is under threat of being a little less independent. House Bill 2721 ensures that all Arizona entities investigating police departments have police officers on the investigation team from the same agency being investigated. And those officers must make up at least two-thirds of the investigating body. The bill is sponsored by Representative John Kavanagh, a Republican from Fountain Hills – who is currently running for the Arizona Senate. On its heels is another bill that would criminalize recording video of police within eight feet or less. Both bills were recently signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey. The Phoenix Police department has been under intense scrutiny after allegations of abuse, excessive force and discrimination by the department’s officers came to light. The Department of Justice opened a far-reaching investigation into these claims last year. In this episode of The Gaggle, we take a closer look at how these new laws will affect policing and police accountability in our state.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices