U.S. Conservative Politics

Arizona's "Nativist Extremist" Groups Nearing Extinction, According to Report

The nativist movement is in its "death throes," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.The organization's new report has documented three such groups in Arizona, which is a low number, considering 21 were documented in 2009.

Russell Pearce Endorses Robert Graham for GOP Chair; LD 25 Do-Over Tonight

Disgraced, recalled two-time loser, ex-state Senate President Russell Pearce, has endorsed businessman Robert Graham for chair of the Arizona Republican Party, according to notices in both the SonoranAlliance and SeeingRedAZ blogs. See also: -Russell Pearce's "Wee Man" Rob Haney Crushed Like a Bug ... More >>

Arizona's Top Ten News Stories of 2012

All in all, 2012 hasn't been that bad of a year. Some good stuff transpired, and some of it happened because New Times' scribes made it happen. Usually to some very deserving recipients. The great H.L. Mencken said it long ago, and it still holds true today: "Journalism is to politician as dog is t ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Mad Elf Rob Haney: Sued on Christmas Eve

What two things do Maricopa County GOP Chairman Rob Haney and erstwhile Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong have in common? Each despises democracy, and each boasts a brain dipped in formaldehyde. See also: -Joe Arpaio's Birther Bud Tom Morrissey Punks Out of GOP Chair Race; Russell Pearce ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Sure Ain't a Conservative, and Here's Why

Bill Clinton To Rally for Rich Carmona in Tempe

A political superstar and one in the making are on the bill this Wednesday, 8 p.m., at ASU's Sun Devil Performance Lawn. That's when former President Bill Clinton will be in Tempe to stump for fellow Democrat and U.S. Senate candidate Rich Carmona. See also: -Paul Penzone Can Beat Arpaio, If He Tur ... More >>

Jeff Flake Endorses Russell Pearce Foe Bob Worsley at 11th Hour

Why did Republican Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Flake wait till practically the last possible minute to endorse Bob Worsley, the foe of recalled, disgraced ex-state Senate President Russell Pearce in the GOP primary for Legislative District 25? After all, the tusker golden-boy has nev ... More >>

Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, Leading Far Ahead of Republican Challengers

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu has an early, and unsurmountable, lead with more than 62 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results in the Pinal County Sheriff's race. Only about half of the precinct votes have been counted. It isn't surprising that Babeu will beat out three other Repub ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Republican National Convention Role Doesn't Exist, So He'll Be at a Nearby Zoo

Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be in Tampa next week during the Republican National Convention.He's not actually part of the convention, though -- he'll be giving a speech to an audience of people and exotic animals at a zoo about seven miles away from the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where the actual GOP heavyw ... More >>

Sharon Holmes, State GOP Delegate, Accused of Pulling Gun on Repo Man and Leading Police on Car Chase

Sharon Holmes was picked by the Mohave County Republican Party to head to the state GOP convention last month for a shot at becoming a delegate for the Republican Party National Convention.She didn't win that spot, nor did she win a car chase with Kingman police Sunday evening.According to an accoun ... More >>

Down The Rabbit Hole

Is it Really "Insulting" for Arizona's House Republicans to Keep Pictures of Latino Kids on Their Desks?

Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo was none to pleased when he saw some Republican House members were keeping pictures of Latino kids on their desks, symbols of the state's school-choice program.Gallardo told New Times yesterday it was "insulting" for these House Republicans to have the pictur ... More >>

Ben Quayle's Office Calls Jim Himes' Accusation of Bill-Stealing "Ridiculous," and Now Barney Frank's Involved

​Democratic Congressman Jim Himes' observation that Congressman Ben Quayle's being credited for a bill very similar to his own has people getting testy.Quayle's office tells New Times that Himes' accusation is "ridiculous,"  meanwhile, Congressman Barney Frank lost his speaking privileges for ... More >>

Steve Gallardo Not Pleased About Pictures of Latino Kids on Republicans' Desks

​Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo noticed something he was not a fan of when he moseyed on over to the House of Representatives for the swearing in of new legislator Martin Quezada -- there were pictures of Latino kids on some Republicans' desks.In the pictures, the kids are holding signs t ... More >>

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

Joe Arpaio Targeted by Republican Paula Pennypacker in Purple Letter Campaign

The problem with the opposition to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as I see it, is that the loudest voices calling for Arpaio's resignation are perceived to be those of leftists.In reality, there are many GOPers that I hear from who are weary of fellow Republican Arpaio, his wasteful spending, h ... More >>

Has Joe Arpaio's Endorsement Become "Toxic?"

​Former presidential candidate Rick Perry pulled the plug on his failed campaign yesterday, which is the second time in two presidential elections that a candidate with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's backing failed to make it out of a GOP primary.As Valley attorney Chad Snow commented on our ... More >>

Russell Pearce, Wanna-Be First Vice Chair of the State GOP?

File this one under, "Something wicked this way comes." The non-crazy GOP blog Politico Mafioso is reporting that disgraced nativist standard bearer, recalled ex-state Senate President Russell Pearce is seeking the position of First Vice Chair of the Arizona Republican Party, where he'd be carrying ... More >>

Mitt Romney Will Be in Valley Tomorrow; Dan Quayle Endorsement Expected

www.icanhascheezburger.comFormere Vicee Presidente Dane Quaylee​GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be in the Valley tomorrow, where he's likely to announce that former Vice President Dan Quayle is endorsing his bid for the presidency.Romney, as you may recall, is one of several GOPers who ... More >>

Rick Perry and Joe Arpaio: the Bromance Explained (By the Sheriff Himself)

​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has officially picked his horse in the GOP presidential primary, Texas Governor Rick Perry, which came as a bit of shock to those familiar with America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff."Arpaio, as you probably know, is the poster-boy for bootin' brown folks b ... More >>

Arpaio Ditched Tea Party for "Emergency" Meeting With Rick Perry; Replaced as Speaker by Matt "I Don't Respect Arpaio" Salmon

​The Red Mountain Tea Party bills itself as the largest weekly Tea Party meeting in America, and organizers were proud to get Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to speak tonight.Arpaio blew the teabaggers off, though, because the sheriff had "an emergency that came up in his schedule that he could ... More >>

Joe Arpaio to Endorse Rick Perry for President? Yeah...We're Scratching Our Heads, Too

​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a man who's made a career out of bootin' brown folks back across the border, is reportedly going to endorse Rick Perry as the Republican nominee for president -- which is more than a little surprising (if it's true, that is), when you consider some of Perry's r ... More >>

John McCain's "Very Disappointed" in GOP Presidential Candidates' Positions on Waterboarding

This is John McCain's "very disappointed" face.​Arizona Senator John McCain -- who spent the better part of five years getting tortured by North Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War -- took to Twitter this morning to let some of his fellow GOPers know that he's "very disappointed" in t ... More >>

Herman Cain's Electric Border Fence Confusion Toonified

James KingHerman Cain is either joking about an electrified border fence...or he's serious about it...or he just doesn't want to offend anybody. ​Yesterday, we watched as GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain told reporters that comments he made about his plan to install an electrified fence on t ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Brother Judge Lester Pearce Campaigns for Russell Despite Ethics Rules

The judge plays defense for Pearce loyalist Pat Oldroyd at a recent LD 19 meetingLester Pearce, brother to state Senate President Russell Pearce and longtime Justice of the Pearce for the North Mesa Justice Court, allegedly has been campaigning on behalf of his embattled sibling, despite a prohibiti ... More >>

Arizona's Redistricting Commission Should Regard the Tea Party as Disruptive Loons

Brett Mecum Gets the Boot From Position as Arizona GOP's Executive Director, Sources Say

The Arizona GOP apparently has had enough of Brett Mecum, a.k.a. Captain Fellatio (pictured above).​Brett Mecum, the now-former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, has been given the ax by the state GOP, multiple sources within the Party confirm to New Times.Frankly, we're sh ... More >>

Sarah Palin Leads Potential Pack of Republican Senate Candidates

www.raggedshirts.comF**K​As first reported by New Times, there are rumors that the Tea Party's number one ding-bat, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, is considering a run for the Senate seat getting vacated by Senator Jon Kyl -- and according to a recently released poll, if she does run, there's ... More >>

Arizona GOP Chief Echoes Ben Quayle: "Barack Obama is the Worst President in History." Dems Say Arizona's "in Play" for President

www.icanhazcheezberger.com​President Barack Obama announced yesterday that he will seek a second term in office, despite the piss-poor economy, the high unemployment rate, the border mess, Libya, Japan, the housing crisis, and flaking on campaign promises like closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Arizona Dems Make it Political -- Despite Some of Their Own Having Benefitted From John Junker's (Ahem) Generosity

​By now you probably know about the Fiesta Bowl's decision to ax CEO John Junker following an internal investigation into how he was spending the organization's money, but it's the alleged illegal contributions to the campaigns of Valley politicos that has Arizona Democrats fuming.Junker, the ... More >>

Tom Horne Defers SCA Investigation to Feds; State AG Won't Go After Sheriff's Office

Tom Horne has "elected" to defer the SCA case to the feds.​ Tom Horne, the state Attorney General, inherited the SCA case from his predecessor, Terry Goddard. The case is all about the dirty politics played by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the state Republican Party. Briefly, it in ... More >>

Tea Party T-Shirt Lawsuit Settled With Coconino County; County Agrees to Objective Standards for "Electioneering"

Wearing a Tea Party T-shirt!​A settlement's been reached in a lawsuit filed by the Goldwater Institute on behalf of a Coconino County woman who was told in 2010 by election officials that her Tea Party T-shirts were not allowed in polling places. Thanks to the settlement, as long as the Tea Party ... More >>

Is Sarah Palin Considering a Senate Run...in Arizona?

Arizona Senator Sarah Palin?​Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, we learned earlier this week, is rumored to be planning to base her hypothetical presidential campaign in Scottsdale, but GOP sources tell New Times the one-time darling of the Conservative movement might be coming to the Grand Canyo ... More >>

Russell Pearce's "Anchor Baby" Bills, John Eastman's Homophobia, Adam Driggs' Political Courage

Pearce, foiled, but only for the moment, on his two 14th Amendment bigot bills...As you likely know by now, state Senate President Russell Pearce's unconstitutional, un-American, immoral, and illegal effort to undermine the birthright citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitut ... More >>

Tucson Tea Party Leader Tells New Times His Comments In British Newspaper Are Being Taken Out of Context

Tucson Tea Party Leader Trent Humphries​Trent Humphries, one of the leaders of the Tucson Tea Party, tells New Times that comments he made to a British news outlet regarding the shooting rampage in Tucson were taken out of context.The Guardian quoted him saying that, "The real case is that she [G ... More >>

Russell Pearce, Corrupt Bigot, Elected Arizona Senate President

Something wicked this way comes...If you thought Senate Bill 1070 was bad, there's far worse on the way. That's because Senate Republicans have picked a new president: 1070 "author," state Senator Russell Pearce, Arizona's Pope of Prejudice. Pearce figures Governor Jan Brewer "owes" him for sav ... More >>

Rap Songs Fit for a Tea Party: Hip-Hop Songs with a Right Wing Bent

​Maybe you've heard: Today is election day.This year's election is a little different than the 2008 one, though. It seems not everyone is happy with the progress the Kenyan/Indonesian/Martian guy who usurped the presidency has been making toward converting our economy to socialism. Crazy, right? S ... More >>

Gabrielle Giffords' Campaign Does Not Condone Choking Out Conservatives, Despite What You May Have Heard

www.wikimedia.org Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords​There's a video making the rounds in the blogosphere of a man, who is supposedly a supporter of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, choking out a supporter of her opponent, Republican Jesse Kelly. Conservative bloggers are using it to d ... More >>

John McCain Silent on ALIPAC Endorsement of Congressional Candidate Jesse Kelly

​Senator John McCain recently released a campaign ad for Congressional candidate Jesse Kelly, which wouldn't be a big deal if Kelly weren't endorsed by the same anti-immigration group that gave "The Maverick's" opponent in the GOP primary a nod -- an endorsement McCain quickly asked his opponent t ... More >>

Employee of New York Gubernatorial Candidate Served Time in Arizona for DUI Hit and Run -- By "Employee," We Mean Campaign Driver

www.buffalorising.com Carl Paladino, the Republican nominee for governor in New York.​Most people convicted of a hit-and-run DUI in Arizona have a tough time getting a job at McDonald's. One man, however, has overcome the limitations of a DUI conviction and landed himself a pretty sweet gig ... More >>

Rodney Glassman Recycles J.D. Hayworth's Recycled Ad With Geriatrics Hatin' on John McCain

John McCain's opponent J.D Hayworth. Oops! We mean Rodney Glassman​U.S. Senate candidate Rodney Glassman released a new Web ad today and it might be fairly persuasive if we hadn't seen an identical ad -- literally identical -- from J.D. Hayworth during the GOP primary.The ad, titled "McCain VS Ari ... More >>

Congressional Dems Scaling Back Ad Budgets for Arizona Candidates

www.kir.com​It seems some of Arizona's Democratic members of Congress aren't as vulnerable in their re-election bids as originally anticipated -- at least the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee thinks they're not.The DCCC reportedly is cutting the advertising budgets ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Set To Concede, Sources Claim; Will Make Statement This Afternoon

Thomas, ready to say bye-bye?The end is apparently at hand for former County Attorney Andrew Thomas.Sources within the campaign of state Schools Superintendent Tom Horne, Thomas' rival in the GOP primary for state Attorney General, have told me that they expect Thomas to concede today.As if to confi ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Not Conceding; Vows to Support Tom Horne Should He Win Primary

You always go with 'stache when selecting an Andrew Thomas photo.​As of early this morning, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne was clinging to a 373-vote lead over former Maricopa County Attorney Tom Horne in the GOP primary for attorney general.The shocking results came late l ... More >>

Jan Brewer's Coattails No Good in Georgia -- or Colorado; Two Out-of-State Candidates With Brewer's Endorsement Lose Races

​If you're a political candidate considering taking a ride on Jan Brewer's recently acquired, Greta-Van-Susteren-fueled coattails, you may want to reconsider -- two candidates with Brewer's stamp of approval lost their primary elections Tuesday.Not to say it's Jan's fault they lost, but it seems h ... More >>

Rachel Alexander -- Of Andy-Thomas-Cheerleader Fame -- Claims Latest Poll in McCain/ Hayworth Race is "Doctored"

Rachel Alexander​Get out the tin-foil, Rachel Alexander needs a new hat.Alexander, the former leader of the Andrew Thomas cheer squad, seems to think there's a conspiracy among Rocky Mountain pollsters who "doctored" the numbers in a recent poll to give John McCain a huge lead over his GOP Senate ... More >>

John McCain Agrees to Debate J.D. Hayworth -- Let the Games Begin

​It's on!Senator John McCain's campaign announced today that "The Maverick" has agreed to requests made by his opponent in the GOP Senate primary, J.D. Hayworth, to debate -- thus ending the longstanding "debate over debates."

Insane Clown Posse: Tracing the Sociological Lineage of Juggalos

John McCain Picks Up NRA Endorsement While J.D. Hayworth Gets Nod of Group's Former President

www.users.sisna.com​Apparently it's go-grab-your-gun day in the GOP Senate primary and both former Congressman J.D. Hayworth and his opponent, Senator John McCain, each picked up endorsements from some big-name gunslingers.We got an email from Hayworth's campaign earlier today announcing that Bob ... More >>

John McCain Hires New Campaign Manager After Last Week's Shake-Up

James King​Senator John McCain's re-election campaign announced today that it has found a replacement for former campaign manager Shiree Verdone and it's opted to go with a familiar face.Mark Buse, "The Maverick's" former Senate chief of staff, and one-time intern when McCain was in the House of R ... More >>