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.
On Wednesday, during a joint session of Congress, a pro-President Donald Trump mob invaded the Capitol.
The riot spilled into the Capitol as the debate over Arizona’s votes began. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar was on the microphone when debate was halted.
As events developed, national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen reached out to members of Arizona’s congressional delegation. They wanted to know where our elected officials were when the insurrection began, what they remember and how they felt.
In today’s bonus episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, we’re bringing five of those conversations. You’ll hear from Democratic Reps. Tom O’Halleran, Ruben Gallego, Greg Stanton and Raúl Grijalva and Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Following a year of turmoil, the next legislative sessions kicks off on Monday, Jan. 11.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has faced criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic from Republicans and Democrats alike. Although Republicans held onto their majorities in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate, there’s disunity among both parties’ caucuses.
What issues will the legislature attempt to address? And how successful will leaders from both sides be in drawing support for their causes?
State government and politics reporters Andrew Oxford and Maria Polletta join this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast to preview the upcoming session with hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As we wrap up 2020, The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen look towards 2021. In this week's episode, they'll breakdown five stories they are keeping their eyes on throughout the upcoming year.
That includes how the COVID-19 vaccine will impact the state's recovery from the pandemic. They'll also reflect on the futures of the Republican and Democratic parties in the state heading in the the next election cycle in 2022.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hey Gaggle listeners! We're taking this week off. Thanks for joining us this year as we explored Arizona's evolving politics. We've got one more episode coming this year and we'll be back in 2021 with more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for many to pay rent. Various government protections were put in place throughout the year to protect renters against evictions, including rental assistance and eviction moratoriums.
However, reporting from The Arizona Republic found that hundreds of Arizona renters may have been wrongfully evicted. And more evictions may be on the way.
Reporters Catherine Reagor and Jessica Boehm join host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez on this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast. They break down how renters and landlords were protected under the CARES Act and what could happen when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's eviction moratorium expires on Jan. 1.
Listen now to hear how the coronavirus pandemic strained the relationship between landlords and renters.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season two of Rediscovering, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, explored the events leading up to and following the passage of Senate Bill 1070 in Arizona.
The 2010 “show me your papers” law was met with pushback from Latino organizers, grassroots activists, DACA recipients and more.
That pushback didn’t end after SB 1070 was signed. Latino activists continued to organize. They pushed for voter registration. They rallied around local candidates. They helped elect Democrats like Sheriff Paul Penzone and Krysten Sinema.
Now, the 2020 election has come and gone. For the first time since 1996, Arizona voted for a Democrat for president. Joe Biden’s narrow victory was the work of multiple voting blocs and a confluence of events that made for an unforgettable year and an election cycle that will be looked back on for decades to come.
In the immediate aftermath, we wanted to revisit some of the voices you heard in Rediscovering. In this epilogue, we’re bringing together two people from our show to discuss SB 1070’s effect on the election: Tony Valdovinos and Chuck Coughlin.
Valdovinos is a Democratic organizer and DACA recipient who was called to action by SB 1070. In 2010, Chuck was an adviser to Republican Governor Jan Brewer.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
President-elect Joe Biden officially received Arizona's 11 electoral votes on Monday after the state certified the election results. Almost a month after the election, many are wondering how a traditionally conservative state flipped for Biden this election.
In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen sit down with Andrew Piatt, a Biden campaign senior adviser. Piatt previously worked as a campaign manager on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's team in 2018.
Listen now to hear what factors gave Biden the extra push with undecided voters to flip the state blue for the first time in 26 years.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"The media" is blanket term that covers everything from social media to 24-hour TV networks to traditional newspapers like our own.
Despite the catch-all nature of the plural phrase, consumers can treat news outlets as though they're singular, particularly if they disagree with the news as it's reported.
In today's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, media critic Bill Goodykoontz joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss the changing relationship between news producers and consumers, especially during presidential elections. Unlike traditional news reporters, Goodykoontz is a columnist, meaning he's free to express opinions on election coverage that others might withhold.
The trio discusses how the coverage of the election has evolved since 2016 and whether there's still room for improvement. They also discuss the rise in alternative media and what role disreputable outlets such as that could play in future elections.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When it comes to politics, Arizona is truly a purple state.
For the first time in 24 years, Arizona's electoral votes went to a Democratic Presidential candidate. Arizona also elected Democrat Mark Kelly to the U.S. Senate. The state will now have a pair of Democratic senators in the upper chamber for the first time since 1953.
At the same time, Arizona voters kept the state legislature in Republican control.
If you've been a loyal listener to the The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, these election results wouldn't have come as a huge surprise, as hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen spent the last year reporting on Arizona's changing political landscape.
Take a listen to this week's episode for look back at how original reporting from The Gaggle podcast and The Arizona Republic foreshadowed the 2020 election results.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a swing state, all eyes were going to be on Arizona this election.
That was certainly the case when a conspiracy theory over Sharpies took hold on social media. The theory claimed that ballots marked with Sharpies would not be counted. Not only is this false, but the Maricopa County Elections Department said it prefers Sharpies because they are quick to dry and don't smudge.
Attention has also been given to Arizona by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for all votes to be counted in the state while also calling for Pennsylvania to stop counting votes. Pro-Trump supporters continue to rally for all votes to be counted outside of the Maricopa County Elections Department, where votes are being counted.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs oversees the elections. Hobbs has been making the rounds on national media lately, responding to such critiques of Arizona's system.
Hobbs joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast to respond to President Trump's efforts to undermine the election results and how her office will rebuild trust with the public moving forward.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
