Stay ConnectedHelping you keep up with what matters in Arizona’s political news. Each week we interview politicians, public figures or journalists to break down one local issue and how it affects your life in Arizona.
Coming to you every Wednesday morning, The Gaggle is hosted by The Arizona Republic’s national political reporters Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray, and is produced by Amanda Luberto.
After an eventful 2021, it's shaping up to be another busy year in Arizona politics. The congressional and legislative district maps have been redrawn for the next 10 years, a U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs, and no matter what happens, Arizona will get a new governor.
As we look ahead into 2022, the hosts of The Gaggle, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen, cover some of the biggest stories we are prepping for this year. Joined by fellow Arizona Republic reporters, The Gaggle breaks down redistricting, the Senate race and what Gov. Doug Ducey might do next.
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The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are taking off this week to celebrate Christmas and New Years. Be sure to catch up on our Democracy in Doubt series where we take a deep dive into Arizona's ballot review. All five episodes are available. Happy Holidays! We'll be with you in the new year.
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2021 will be known as a big year in Arizona politics. An unprecedented investigation into the voting system in Maricopa County made national headlines and the behavior of Arizona politicians made Saturday Night Live punchlines.
As the year comes to a close, the hosts of The Gaggle, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen, cover the biggest stories from 2021. Joined by fellow Arizona Republic reporters, The Gaggle breaks down the Jan. 6th Capitol riot, the ballot recount, the rise of GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, the unease of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., within her own party, and how COVID-19 affected universities.
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Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs issued a ‘new’ apology and acknowledged discrimination took place at the legislature related to then Democractic Senate Aide, Talonya Adams. Hobbs, who in 2015 was the Senate Democratic leader, said in an interview with The Arizona Republic that she recognized that her initial response fell short of taking accountability and that it was unnecessarily defensive.
Adams said she was discriminated against on the basis of race and sex – that when she repeatedly raised questions about her pay and working conditions with supervisors, she was fired – a maneuver she argued was retaliation for questioning the process.
Adams, who is African American, filed a discrimination lawsuit contending she was unfairly being paid less than white, male colleagues. A motion filed by then Senate lawyer Michael Moberly said Adams ‘simply expressed a desire to discuss a potential raise because her workload had increased, and she had not received a raise during the time she had been employed at the Senate.’
As it turned out, the legislative policy adviser affirmed Adams did earn less than many white, male colleagues.
A federal jury last month awarded Adams $2.75 million, ruling she ‘was’ fired for questioning the pay gap. Because of laws capping damages, she will actually receive no more than $300,000.
Hobbs released a three-minute apology video via Twitter earlier this month – a mea culpa that included everything from Talonya Adams to her lack of accountability to her limited experience with racism. But was this apology sincere or a part of a larger strategy to help her become the next governor of Arizona?
In this week's Gaggle episode, national politics reporter Ron Hansen examines this question and more of the fallout between Secretary Hobbs and Adams with Stacey Barchenger, the Republic’s state politics reporter.
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Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods died of a heart attack on October 23, 2021, at the age of 67. He spent years as a Republican politician in Arizona, often crossing party lines to side with Democratic causes.
Woods was known as a fighter who stood up for what was right, even when it wasn’t popular. He will forever be remembered as an authentic Arizonan.
The former Republican Arizona Attorney General was celebrated at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix on November 23rd. The memorial brought crowds of family, friends, and those who respected Woods.
To remember his life as a politician, a lawyer, and a person, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen invite EJ Montini to the show. Montini is a columnist for the Arizona Republic who wrote about Woods after his passing.
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In August, when COVID-19 seemed to be receding as a health problem, and as public schools ramped up for in-person education lessons with masking mandates, Gov. Doug Ducey offered parents who didn’t like those rules an alternative. He said the state would provide vouchers worth up to $7,000 per student to those approved for a grant intended to sidestep masking, promote in-person learning and use federal emergency stimulus funds to do so.
Stacey Barchenger, who covers the Ducey administration for The Arizona Republic, has gone over the records to see how the early stages of the controversial new program are working out.
A closer examination of the program reveals that it’s not just the U.S. Department of Education, public schools across Arizona and public health officials who are unhappy with it so far.
In this week's episode of The Gaggle, host Ronald J. Hansen speaks with Barchenger about the demand for vouchers, how the state is doing at approving requests, the allocation of money and more.
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The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are taking off this week to celebrate Thanksgiving. If you didn't catch the series, Democracy in Doubt, last week about Arizona's ballot review, all five episodes are available. Happy Thanksgiving.
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GOP lawmakers from at least 18 states trekked to the desert during triple-digit heat to study the process, pose for pictures, battle members of the mainstream press and help push former President Donald Trump’s baseless concern for a stolen election.
The election review was started almost singlehandedly by Senate President Karen Fann at the behest of Trump, his allies and some members of her own caucus, and now it’s coming to an end.
In the fifth and final episode of Democracy in Doubt, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen dive into those who championed the ballot review, like One America News’ Christina Bobb, why Ken Bennett was treated like a pariah, Trumps return to Arizona, who claimed the numbers were ‘made up’ and the fallout of those involved.
In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic dug into the election review by examining text messages, emails, public records and court records, many made public after the news outlet sued the state for access.
Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations.
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Experts dismissed the 'audit' as worthless. But it also helped the GOP and related interests rake in millions and keep the cause of Donald Trump alive.
In episode four of a five-episode series, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen dig deep to find out if the Arizona election review was about election integrity or just Trump – how Arizona State President Karen Fann chose partisans with little experience with ballot reviews, which former GOP chair consulted from the shadows and more.
In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic examined a trove of text messages, emails and court records, many made public after suing the state for access. Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations.
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The nearly 8-hour insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol failed to overturn election results. Congress certified Joe Biden’s presidential win after hours of violence and bloodshed.
In episode three of a five-episode series, The Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen detail the narrative of a stolen election pressed by Trump, Gosar and Biggs. It was echoed by millions of the president’s followers and encouraged state Senate President Karen Fann to push ahead with a partisan ballot review. Once again, Arizona found its way back into the spotlight as a hotbed of partisan extremism and a magnet for those pushing election conspiracies.
In a four-month investigation, The Arizona Republic examined a trove of text messages, emails and court records, many made public after suing the state for access. Republic reporters spoke to decision-makers, consultants, staff, contractors, campaign aides and others tied to the review of the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Maricopa County. Some talked on the record about their experiences, while others spoke on the condition they not be identified in order to speak candidly about private conversations.
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