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.
Episode 1: You're not welcome here
In the early 2000s, Arizona’s rapid population growth and investor speculation fueled a homebuilding binge in the state.
Contractors took advantage of a lax employment-verification system and hired undocumented workers at a cut rate, often from Mexico, in droves.
At its peak, Arizona proportionately had the second-largest undocumented population of any state in the country, behind only Nevada. About one in 12 residents was undocumented.
Consumers and businesses liked the low-cost labor. But not everyone liked the changing demographics of their neighborhoods.
State legislators tried to address the issue, but critics called the attempts piecemeal. Congress failed multiple times at passing immigration reform.
An economic recession, a dramatic citizen’s arrest and a tragic death exacerbated tensions.
To hear all five episodes, subscribe to Rediscovering: SB 1070 in your podcast app.
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Arizona is a battleground state in national elections and could sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential race.
But how did we get here? How did the state go from reliably red to purple, with the possibility to shift blue in 2020, in just a decade? To understand, go back to 2010 when Arizona surprised the nation by passing Senate Bill 1070, a sweeping and highly controversial immigration law, otherwise known as the "show me your papers" law.
That's what The Gaggle's sister podcast will explore in season two of Rediscovering. The five-part series will examine what led to the bill, what its proponents sought to do, how the community and nation reacted and how its effects linger still today.
Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen host this season of Rediscovering. They spoke with more than two dozen people including the architect of the bill, Russell Pearce. As well as former Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona's senior senator Kyrsten Sinema and young Latino and immigrant activists who were forever shaped by the legislation.
Listen to the trailer to Rediscovering: SB1070 now. All five episodes drop on Wednesday, July 15. Don't miss a single one. Subscribe to our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., is expected to face off against retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, a Democrat, in November.
In the midst of a fraught race, one which will determine who controls the Senate, McSally published a memoir, "Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up." The book is an up-close look at the Senator. It sheds light on her childhood, her early years in the Air Force, her military career and her political career.
In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, McSally joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss her book. She also weighs in on reports of Russia placing bounties on U.S. troops, the COVID-19 pandemic, health care, gun control and her return to the campaign trail.
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Earlier this year, "The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast," launched a miniseries profiling each congressional district in Arizona.
In this week's episode, we're taking a look at the West Valley's Congressional District 8. It's home to popular spots in the state like State Farm Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play, as well as the popular concert venue Gila River Arena.
It includes Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. It also has large retirement communities in towns like Sun City and Sun City West. Republican Debbie Lekso represents the district in Congress. She took the seat in a special election in 2018.
Lekso joined hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to talk about the political issues most important to her community, including social security and veteran benifit.
You'll also hear from voters directly on which issues are most likely to drive them to the polls.
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The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes has brought police practices and accountability to the forefront of American discourse. In cities across the nation, protesters have taken to the streets, demanding justice and change. Phoenix is no different.
This week The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, is examining two solutions proposed to address police brutality, profiling and other practices being scrutinized as unjust. These include civilian oversight and "defunding the police."
Related: Every 5 days, an Arizona officer shoots someone, a Republic analysis finds
In June, the Phoenix City Council approved spending $3 million of its $1.3 billion budget for a new Office of Accountability and Transparency that will focus on police oversight. Hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen explore the function of the new office with reporters Jessica Boehm and Uriel Garcia.
Plus, an explanation on what "defunding the police" means and how likely the proposal is to pass muster among Phoenix constituents and city council members.
Read more:
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This week, The Gaggle will discuss the status of police oversight in Phoenix. Reporters Jessica Boehm and Uriel Garcia will talk about the call to “defund the police.” They’ll explain what it all means and the likelihood of these proposals coming to fruition. But before that, you should understand the backstory about police shootings in Phoenix. Last July, the Arizona Republic released an in-depth investigation on this very subject. The findings provide perspective for the current unrest across the nation. So today, The Gaggle is re-airing this old episode.
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The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a pivotal point in Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s leadership in Arizona. Amid conflicting signals from the White House, governors across the country have played an outsized role in managing the health and economic crises.
In addition to the pandemic, many governors are being questioned about their responses to police brutality in wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Ducey is no exception. Some questioned whether his implementation of a statewide curfew was in response to looting at Scottsdale Fashion Square, an upscale shopping center. Ducey also received criticism for issuing the curfew without speaking to Democratic mayors, including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
It’s been a historic run of problems for the state and the nation. It’s unclear how much these recent moments will define Ducey’s legacy governor.
How does Ducey’s leadership fare in contrast? And how will his handling of the pandemic shape his legacy as the 23rd governor of Arizona? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by political reporter Maria Polletta.
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Arizona mayors who broke with Republican Gov. Doug Ducey's approach to the coronavirus said the governor has made no direct contact since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flagstaff and Tucson mayors Coral Evans and Regina Romero told The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast they had communication with the Ducey administration early on in the pandemic through morning conference calls with Ben Blink, the governor's policy adviser for local governments. However, the calls have since ceased.
Evans and Romero were the first in the state to issue proclamations in mid-March, closing certain businesses and public gathering spaces. Gov. Ducey issued a statewide stay-at-home March 30.
In the May 27 interviews, Evans and Romero said their proactive approaches were in response to information from scientists and public health officials. They also spoke about the plight of their residents and what further action will be needed to revive their cities' economies and public health.
Mayor Evans expressed displeasure with the governor, who has said he wants Arizona to take unified approach in combating COVID-19.
"It seems to me that if we want to speak as one voice, then everybody would have the opportunity to be part of the conversation," Evans told national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen. "It makes no sense to me that the mayors that care so passionately about their communities never had a conversation with the governor the entire time this has been going on."
In this episode you'll hear Evans and Romero's thoughts on:
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On May 25, George Floyd was killed while in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers. The officers' actions leading to his death violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Floyd’s death became a catalyst for protests across the country, including protests in Phoenix. Local protesters decried Floyd's death, as well as the death of 28-year-old Dion Johnson. Authorities allege Johnson struggled with an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper before the shooting. However, there is no footage of Johnson's death, and the trooper who shot him was not equipped with a camera.
After three nights of unrest, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency. He also declared a weekly curfew, which will expire on the morning of Monday, June 8. More than 200 protesters were arrested Sunday night for violating the curfew.
In issuing the curfew, Ducey said his administration had received requests from local leaders. However, the mayors of Phoenix and Tucson — Arizona's largest cities — said they were not notified of the curfew by Ducey's administration.
Annie DeGraw, a spokeswoman for Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, said they had not spoken or heard from the governor on this topic or any other topic for months.
In today's bonus episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk to photojournalist Rob Schumacher about what he's witnessing while covering the protests. Our podcast also talks to city of Phoenix reporter Jessica Boehm about the breakdown in communication between Ducey's administration and local mayors amid the protests and COVID-19 pandemic.
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Earlier this year, "The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast," launched a miniseries profiling each congressional district in Arizona.
In this week's episode, we're taking a look at the east Valley's Congressional District 5. The district includes Gilbert and Queen Creek, as well as eastern Mesa and parts of Chandler.
Representing the dyed-in-the-wool conservative district is Republican Andy Biggs. Biggs has made headlines recently for voting against COVID-19 stimulus package, citing his concern about the impact of the packages on the national debt.
Biggs joined hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to talk about the political issues most important to his community, many of which have changed during the pandemic. You'll also hear from voters in his district directly.
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