Politics

Russell Pearce, Serial Liar, Endorses Mitt Romney, Tells the Truth for Once

According to a recent item in the Washington Post's Election 2012 Blog, recalled state Senate President Russell Pearce has endorsed Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary, more than a month after Romney won Sand Land's GOP contest. As a result, Romney immediately called a press ... More >>

NRCC Going After Andrei Cherny, Kyrsten Sinema in CD9

The National Republican Congressional Committee has been increasing press-release blasts to some of its targeted districts recently, including two already today.The releases mostly tie local candidates to the Obama administration and the current Democrats in Congress, just plugging in the name of th ... More >>

Daniel Patterson's Political Career Lives Another Day; His Response to Report Due Next Week

After reading the investigation done on behalf of the House Ethics Committee, a handful of legislators were ready to punt state Representative Daniel Patterson out of the House today, but that didn't happen.Among several other things in the report released yesterday, investigators claim Patterson ro ... More >>

Is State Representative Daniel Patterson "Innocent" Now?

This past month hasn't been the greatest for Democratic state Representative Daniel Patterson.Nearly a month ago, Patterson became the subject of a House ethics complaint over claims of domestic violence from his ex-girlfriend, and pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanor charges related to domestic-v ... More >>

Daniel Patterson's Ex-Girlfriend Now Says Legislator "Should Be Found Innocent"

​Just short of a month after Democratic state Representative Daniel Patterson became the subject of a House ethics complaint over claims of domestic violence from his ex-girlfriend, the woman now says Patterson never did anything wrong.The ethics complaint came out on February 27, as every House D ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Says He Shouldn't Be the "Poster Boy" of Immigration Protests, Notes MCSO Just Picked Up 54 Suspected Illegal Immigrants

​For once, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he shouldn't be the center of attention.Six young people -- the oldest 23 years old -- were arrested by Phoenix police Tuesday during a protest at Trevor Browne High School, rallying against Arpaio's methods of immigration enforcement.To those six ... More >>

Conservative Group: GOP Leadership May Be Favoring Ben Quayle Over David Schweikert

​To the casual observer, Congressmen Ben Quayle and David Schweikert may seem like the same dude.They're both freshman in the House, and they've voted the same in 94 percent of the 1,146 roll call votes they both voted on.They're both running for the Republican nomination in Arizona's Sixth Congre ... More >>

Debbie Lesko's Freedom-Hating Anti-Birth-Control Bill

Republicans. I know some of them are sane here in Sand Land, but you wouldn't know it by their wingnutty hijinks in the state Legislature this year, where they've placed a birther-bill, a late-term abortion ban and a state-funded border militia ahead of doing anything to aid the economy, bring jobs ... More >>

Five Super Tuesday Songs

In case those persistent robo-calls and that "Ron Paul Revolution" sticker on your neighbor's Hyundai haven't made it clear, it's an election year folks. That means today is Super Tuesday; the day the Republican presidential candidate picture becomes a whole lot clearer. After winning big here in A ... More >>

Jan Brewer Invited to Testify Before Senate Subcommittee on SB 1070. Governor's Apparently Not Thrilled With The Idea

​New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer sent a letter to Governor Jan Brewer yesterday, asking her to give testimony before his Senate Subcommittee on Immigration about Senate Bill 1070.According to a release from Schumer's office, the point of Brewer's testimony would be "to hear whether she ... More >>

Bad Mormon: Mitt Romney's Anti-Immigrant Stance Doesn't Jibe with LDS Teachings

Who Won Last Night's Arizona Republican Presidential Debate?

​Last night, the four remaining candidates for the Republican presidential nomination took the stage in Mesa for the party's 20th presidential debate of the election cycle.There's less than a week to go before Arizona's presidential primary, and according to the pollsters, the race is tight -- lik ... More >>

Arizona GOP Presidential Debate: Arpaio, Immigration, Jokes, And Face-Palms

The Republican Presidential debate in Mesa just wrapped up a few minutes ago, and in the mid-debate words of Mitt Romney, "I didn't follow all of that, but I can tell you this..." Among the few Arizona-related topics discussed included, unsurprisingly, immigration and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Ar ... More >>

Rick Santorum Schmoozing Joe Arpaio Today -- A Tactic Which Hasn't Exactly Been Successful

​Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum is meeting with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today -- at least, according to the sheriff -- to become the next in the line of GOP candidates to come kiss Arpaio's rings.According to Arpaio, or his flak, presidential candidates Mit ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Endorsement Still Worth Something, if Polls are to Be Trusted

​If public-opinion polls are to be trusted, then Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's endorsement still is worth something to Arizonans.Arpaio's endorsement of some candidates hasn't worked out too well -- like former U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth, ousted Senate President Russell Pearce ... More >>

Mitt Romney's Fallen to Just Three Points Ahead in Arizona: Could Paul Babeu's Scandal Sink Him in Sand Land?

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads ex-U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum by a mere three percentage points as they and other Republican candidates speed toward Arizona's GOP presidential primary, just one week away. This, according to a survey just released by the North Caroli ... More >>

Arizona Medical Marijuana Act's 25-Mile Ban on Growing Pot Challenged in Lawsuit; Another Suit Seeks Different Rule Change

A new lawsuit over Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act targets the provision that bans patients and caregivers from growing pot within 25 miles of an open dispensary.Bill Hayes, a marijuana activist and qualified patient who lives in Surprise, argues in a federal complaint filed yesterday that the provi ... More >>

State Senator Paula Aboud Announces Run For Gabrielle Giffords' Former Seat In Congress

​There's a new addition to the growing field of candidates eying the Congressional seat vacated by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords -- state Senator Paula Aboud announced this morning that she will seek the Democratic nomination for the seat."We have all been moved by the strength and coura ... More >>

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton Selects Phoenix College Professor as Senior Policy Advisor on Education

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is one step closer to completing his team of advisors with the appointment of Phoenix College faculty member Trino Sandoval as Senior Policy Advisor on Education. Sandoval, who is "on loan" from Phoenix College, will take the lead on the Mayor's education agenda, which in ... More >>

Can Barack Obama Pump New Life Into Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

www.allvoices.com​If you didn't get an O-boner from President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech last night, you probably didn't watch it.Per usual, the president killed it -- the man's got a gift for gab.Unfortunately, talking about doing things doesn't get things done.For example: his comm ... More >>

Rick Perry Bails on Presidential Campaign; Joe Arpaio Picks the Wrong Horse...Again

​If you happen to be running for president, do yourself a favor and avoid Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio like grim death -- for the second time in two presidential elections, Arpaio's horse in the race has crashed and burned.Just two days before the pivotal South Carolina primary, Texas Govern ... More >>

Arizona GOP Presidential Primary Likely Another Race For Second Place; Mitt Romney Holds Double-Digit Lead

​Arizona's GOP presidential primary, like New Hampshire's, will likely be another race for second place -- according to a recently released poll, former Massachusetts Governor (and one-time Joe Arpaio butt-smoocher) Mitt Romney has a double-digit lead over each of his opponents in the "Colt Single ... More >>

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton Announces Mayor's Office Staff Appointments

​About two weeks after being sworn in as Phoenix's newest mayor, Greg Stanton announced today members of his Mayor's Office staff, which includes some of the same individuals who worked for him while he was a city councilman or with him at the Attorney General's Office. As we already know, Paul Bl ... More >>

Political (Action) Figures: The Republican Candidates' Collectible Matches

​Remember when you stopped rehashing TV and comic book storylines with your action figures, and instead re-cast them to play out real-life drama? Like that one time your dad (played by Hordak) got drunk and totaled the minivan (a great stand-in by Ecto-1) then tried to hide it from your mom (the ... More >>

Governor Brewer to Ponder Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Ruling While Keeping Her Ban on Dispensaries; Supporters of Law Praise Ruling

Governor Jan Brewer and her legal counsel will study today's dismissal of her lawsuit against the medical marijuana law while keeping a ban on dispensaries, a spokesman says.Brewer, with the help of state Attorney General Tom Horne, filed the federal complaint back in May, claiming a letter by a for ... More >>

Crossroads of the West's Tucson Gun Show Scheduled for Same Day as Anniversary of Jared Loughner's Deadly Rampage

​On the same day Tucson residents commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Tucson shooting that left 6 people dead and 14 others wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Crossroads of the West will hold a gun show at the Pima County Fairgrounds.Crossroads of the West bills itself as ... More >>

Judge Denies Senator Scott Bundgaard's Request to Halt Ethics Hearing Over Fight With Former Gal-Pal

​A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has denied state Senator Scott Bundgaard's request to put a stop to the State Senate ethics hearing over the fight the senator got into with his former gal-pal on the side of a Valley highway last year.See our coverage of the scuffle the senator had with for ... More >>

Kyrsten Sinema Surprises Precisely No One With Announcement That She's Running For Congress

​In a move that doesn't come as much of a shock to anyone familiar with state politics in Arizona, Democratic state Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced today that she's resigning from her Senate seat and running for Congress -- potentially against Congressman Ben Quayle (although, that's unlikely. Mo ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: County Attorney Bill Montgomery to Announce Findings of Investigation Into Elected Officials

​Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is holding a press conference this morning to announce the findings of an eight-month investigation into elected officials who received gifts from the allegedly corrupt Fiesta Bowl organization.It's unclear what Montgomery will announce -- the Arizona Repu ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Scandal: Valley Politicos Won't Face Charges; County Attorney Says Arizona Law "Doesn't Meet Public's Expectations"

​No politicians will be charged with crimes for accepting gifts from the scandal-plagued Fiesta Bowl organization under the leadership of former CEO John Junker -- but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't do anything wrong (just look at ousted former state Senate President ... More >>

Arizona's GOP Congressmen on Joe Arpaio's Botched Sex-Crime Investigations: (Crickets)

Attention GOP congressmen: grow a set, would ya?​Since the old, 2009 Pulitzer Prize-worthy tale of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 432 botched sex-crime investigations was thrust into the national spotlight thanks to an oddly timed Associated Press article last week, two of Arizona's three De ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Top Sycophant, SRP Lobbyist Russell Smoldon, and ResistALEC's "Sleeping Dragon"

AzResistALECDemonstrators form an anti-ALEC "sleeping dragon" at SRPOne unfortunate aspect of the occupation of the Salt River Project's Tempe headquarters last week was that the activists involved were not able to pull off a similar action at the Westin Kierland Resort, where corporate interests an ... More >>

Tom Horne to Argue Tucson Government Case at Glendale's Thunderbird School Tomorrow

Image: Court videoTom Horne argued a case personally before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this summer. Tomorrow, he'll appear before the Arizona Supreme Court on another case.​As an elected official, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne could make himself as relatively unseen as, well, Gov ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Sniveling New Memoir Laughably Paints Her as a Tough-as-Nails Governor

Fagala-Fearing Congressman Trent Franks Backs Michele "Pray Away the Gay" Bachmann in GOP Presidential Primary

​Arizona Congressman Trent Franks -- best known for his fear of homosexuals, his belief that black people were better off under slavery, and tackling the non-existent problem of race/gender-based abortions -- has endorsed his Congressional colleague Michele Bachmann in the GOP presidential prima ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Former COO Natalie Wisneski Pleads Not Guilty

​Natalie Wisneski, the former chief operating officer for the Fiesta Bowl, was in a Phoenix U.S. District Court this morning where she pleaded not guilty to multiple charges that she was involved in a scam to make illegal campaign contributions to several federal, state, and local political candid ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Makes It Official: Rick Perry's the Sheriff's Horse in GOP Presidential Primary; Hispanic Groups Already Lashing Out at Perry

​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today ended months of speculation about who he'd support in the GOP presidential primary by officially throwing his weight behind Texas Governor Rick Perry.Arpaio is currently in New Hampshire campaigning with Perry, which is where he gave his official nod.  ... More >>

Jan Brewer BODY-SLAMMED by Arizona Supreme Court on Redistricting, Again

Man, this drama is getting moldier than a rerun of 21 Jump Street.  This afternoon, the Arizona Supreme Court -- for the second time -- handed Governor Jan Brewer a big fat loss on her attempt to remove Colleen Mathis, chairwoman of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, the panel ch ... More >>

How Greg Stanton, a Fair-Haired, Blue-Politicked Lawyer, Became Phoenix's Next Mayor

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Fiesta Bowl Scandal: Former COO Natalie Wisneski Indicted

​Natalie Wisneski, the former chief operating officer for the Fiesta Bowl, has been indicted in federal court on charges that she tried to cover up illegal campaign contributions by bowl employees, and that she filed false financial records, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.Wisneski is t ... More >>

El Mirage Officials Celebrate Narrow Victory in Bond Election, AG Opens Investigation over Allegations City Used Public Resources to Influence Outcome

El Mirage Mayor Lana Mook​El Mirage officials are planning to declare victory regarding the narrow approval of an $8.5 million bond at a special City Council meeting this afternoon.Their adoption of election results comes two days after the Attorney General's Office opened an investigation into wh ... More >>

Anti-Amnesty Senate Candidate Wil Cardon Unfazed By Arizona's Apparent Shift to Support Pathway to Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants

James KingWil Cardon supported Jeff Flake -- until Flake started agreeing with him, that is.​Senate candidate Wil Cardon apparently didn't get the message when ousted Senate President Russell Pearce got a voter-assisted boot from office last week.Pearce's historic downfall -- combined with a recen ... More >>

Arizona Dems on Steve Pierce, Russell Pearce's Replacement as Senate President: Nothing Will Change "Other Than One Vowel"

Senator Russell...er, we mean Steve Pierce.​State Senator Steve Pierce was pegged by his Republican Senate colleagues to replace ousted former Senator Russell Pearce as the president of the Senate -- and Arizona Democrats aren't thrilled with the GOP's pick.We commented yesterday that Pierce's tak ... More >>

Phoenix Mayor-Elect Greg Stanton Taps Community and Economic Development Director Paul Blue As Chief of Staff

Paul Blue​Phoenix Mayor-elect Greg Stanton, who beat his challenger with a commanding 14-point lead on November 8, has tapped Community and Economic Development Director Paul Blue as his first chief of staff.Stanton won't be sworn into office until January 3, but in the meantime, Blue will help ma ... More >>

Phoenix Voters Re-Elect Incumbent Thelda Williams, Select Newcomer Daniel Valenzuela

Phoenix Councilwoman Thelda Williams handily wins in District 1.​While they were electing Greg Stanton as their next mayor, Phoenix voters also returned Councilwoman Thelda Williams to her seat in District 1, and chose Daniel Valenzuela over Brenda Sperduti to represent them District 5. Like Phoen ... More >>

Phoenix Election Officials Will Unveil The City's Next Mayor Tonight

​ Many Phoenix voters have already cast a ballot. Some, perhaps even twice. For those of you who haven't, today is the day. Don't forget that Phoenix is now using voting centers, which have replaced the traditional polling places. The Maricopa County Elections Department, which is running ... More >>

Mayor Greg Stanton? Early Results Show Stanton Leads Over Wes Gullett

Greg Stanton wins mayor's race in Phoenix, early results show​More than 74,000 Phoenix voters cast their ballot for Greg Stanton for mayor, giving him about 56 percent of the vote, according to early results.About 132,000 people cast votes, and of those, nearly 58,000 picked Gullett.While it ... More >>

Greg Stanton Wins Keys to Phoenix Mayor's Office, Enjoys Double-Digit Lead Over Wes Gullett

Phoenix mayor-elect Greg Stanton​Phoenix mayoral candidate Wes Gullett conceded the Phoenix mayor's race to Greg Stanton, who ended the night with 56 percent of the vote -- a 13-point lead over his opponent.Stanton, caught up in a frenzy of hugs, handshakes and media interviews, missed the c ... More >>

Prediction: State Senator Russell Pearce Will Be Kissing His Political Career Goodbye on November 8