Attorney General Brnovich Set to Use Nazi Gas as He Restarts Executions

The gas chamber used for executions in Florence, Ariz. The state last killed a death row inmate with lethal cyanide gas in 1999, drawing outrage. Moratoriums on the death penalty have been the rule in Arizona for the last seven years, resulting from the torturous death of Joseph Wood in 2014. Wood took almost two hours to die when Arizona Corrections Department officials injected him with 15 doses of a lethal cocktail. One of the drugs used to kill Wood was midazolam, a sedative also used in Oklahoma's botched execution of Clayton Lockett two months earlier. Adding to the death penalty's suspension in [...]

By Lynn Shapiro|2021-06-12T13:15:39-07:00June 12th, 2021|Arizona, Criminal Justice|

Arizona Legislature Should Expel Insurrectionist — as Oregon Just Did

Oregan Republican Rep. Mike Nearman opens a door to let rioters into the Capitol on January 6. The Oregon State Legislature, in a bipartisan 59 to 1 vote, just voted to expel one of its members for helping to plan an armed attack on that state's capitol. The only person voting against the measure was Mike Nearman, the state legislator accused of helping to orchestrate the attack. Travel to Arizona and the State Legislature here can not get its act together in a bipartisan way to expel Legislative District (LD) 11, Representative Mark Finchem, even as more video [...]

By David Gordon|2021-06-12T13:07:07-07:00June 12th, 2021|Arizona|

The 4 Priorities of Congressional Candidate Kirsten Engel

State Senator Kirsten Engel outlined her four priorities for US Congress at the May 31, 2021 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson. "What do I see as my priorities? What am I going to work on in Congress? I would say there are four top priorities. "My top priority is building an economy that works for everyone through investments in hard and social infrastructure. And I think that this will enable us to expand our economy, safeguard our natural resources, fight climate change, and put people to work. And I would say that that investment in hard infrastructure is important. [...]

By Larry Bodine|2021-06-02T16:29:21-07:00June 1st, 2021|Arizona, Criminal Justice, Economics, Elections, Environment|

Act Now: Say No to Culture Wars, PEVL Purge & Anti Sex-Ed Bills

As the session drags on, things are getting weirder at our state legislature. A few examples: 1) On the same day, in what felt like the biggest "I'm not a racist" flex ever, Michelle Udall (R-25) sponsored a surprise amendment to fine teachers $5,000 for discussing "controversial" issues like racism in the classroom, and also bucked her party's leadership to advance in-state tuition for "Dreamers" (undocumented youth). 2) When the PEVL purge bill failed the Senate last month, Kelly Townsend (R-16) said she voted against it because she wouldn't support any voting rights attacks until the Senate's so-called "audit" concluded. [...]

By Melinda Iyer|2021-05-09T18:31:50-07:00May 9th, 2021|Arizona, Children & Families, Elections, Local Activism, Uncategorized|

Democrats Can Beat the Party of the Big Lie in the 2022 Mid-Terms

With local, state, congressional, and gubernatorial candidates declaring their intentions to run and raise money for the 2022 midterm elections (even while final district lines have not been drawn yet,) it is not too early to start speculating if the Democratic Party can turn back the historical trend that the incumbent Presidents party mostly loses seats in off-year electoral contests. Historically, the party that occupies the White House generally fares poorly in off-year mid-term elections. It does not matter if the President is popular or liked (Dwight Eisenhower, or Ronald Reagan in both their terms) or unpopular at the time [...]

By David Gordon|2021-05-05T11:09:58-07:00May 4th, 2021|Arizona, Elections|

Rep. Hannley Rains Fire on GOP Anti-Abortion Bill

By Rep. Pam Powers Hannley, (D-LD9) Republicans have spent weeks and employed multiple levels of parliamentary procedures to ram Senator Nancy Barto’s fetal personhood bill through both houses … twice. SB1457 died in the Senate earlier in April, but the Republicans brought the zombie bill back to life for a do-over. This article first appeared on the Blog for Arizona with the headline, "#AZLeg Vote Protects Fetuses, Criminalizes Doctors & Patients." SB1457 inserts big government into private medical decisions. It criminalizes doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, and patients. Government has the right and the duty to make and implement [...]

By Pam Hannley|2021-04-28T18:30:07-07:00April 23rd, 2021|Arizona, Healthcare|

Dr. Randy Friese Aims to Succeed Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in Congress

With Ann Kirkpatrick announcing her retirement from Congress after the 2022 elections, Democratic candidates from the Tucson area and Arizona State Legislature have emerged to succeed her. One of these Democratic Candidates is Dr. Randy Friese. Dr. Randy Friese has been a consistent supporter of gun violence prevention. A member of the Arizona House of Representatives since 2015, Dr. Friese has served Legislative District Nine in Tucson. He is currently a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Health Committee. He has also been a member of the House Judiciary, and Government and Higher Education Committees. [...]

By David Gordon|2021-04-21T08:06:48-07:00April 20th, 2021|Arizona, Gun Safety, Local Candidates and Electeds|

Migrant Families Need a Lawyer in Immigration Court, says Margo Cowan

Did you know that last year in Pima County, 18,000 families went to deportation proceedings alone, without a lawyer? You can guess what happened: 98% of the families were deported. Margo Cowan, a Pima County Public Defender, would like to change that. Today, she is looking for your support of Pima County Justice for All. This is a 2022 county-wide ballot initiative that aims to appoint an attorney for indigent families in Pima County that are going through deportation proceedings. Margo specializes in criminal defense law, where indigent people are entitled to have a lawyer appointed to represent them. Margo also specialized immigration law, and [...]

By Anne Simmons|2021-06-09T18:35:02-07:00April 15th, 2021|Arizona, Immigration/Refugees|

America Needs National Election Reform to Protect Voting Rights

The most consequential legislation that the national Democratic leadership must pass this year is the two voting rights and election policy bills: HR.1/S.1 and HR.4. These two measures will stop state legislation in Arizona and 41 other states from blocking access to the ballot box and restrict how elections are run. Georgia's Republican legislative and executive leadership has already enacted a menu of election-limiting outrages designed to limit citizens' voting rights. They affect minority voters in the Atlanta area and communities of color throughout Georgia. I will remind you, dear readers, that the governor of Georgia was the Secretary of [...]

By Paul Waugaman|2021-04-09T14:02:14-07:00April 8th, 2021|Arizona, Elections|

Democrat Mo Udall was Tucson’s Progressive Light in Congress for 30 Years

Mo Udall represented Congressional District 2 for 30 years Congressman Mo Udall (CD2-D) led an All-American life. He is a beloved legislator, lawyer, banker, soldier who fought for his country, people’s champion, environmental advocate and steward, presidential candidate, writer, and athlete. Among his legislative accomplishments were sponsoring and endorsing bills that: Created new national monuments, wildlife refuges, and parks in Arizona and across the county. Set standards for the mining industry. Established the Central Arizona Water Project. Reformed the seniority system in the House of Representatives. Made the Post Office a semiprivate organization. Elevated the socio-economic conditions and [...]

By David Gordon|2021-04-07T10:57:17-07:00April 3rd, 2021|Arizona, Local Candidates and Electeds|