Arizona Voted for a Change in Leadership – and Boy, Are We Glad We Did

With our economy staggering to recover from post-pandemic inflation and a number of civil liberties under attack from an increasingly extreme conservative end of the political spectrum, Arizona desperately needed the refresh to our state’s executive leadership resulting from the last election cycle. 

Our newly elected leaders are charting a new course to rebrand Arizona from the irrational conspiracy-fueled days of Kari Lake, Brnovich, and Ducey, fostering a new frontier in Arizona. We’ve already seen Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes gain considerable ground in just their first few months in office, distancing themselves from the corrosive initiatives set in motion in years past. 

When it comes to protecting reproductive rights, applying pressure to predatory telemarketers, protecting our elderly community, and upholding true election integrity, Arizona’s executive branch has already signaled that our state is heading in a new direction. With our state’s new rational, good governance, lawmakers are refocusing on the issues that truly impact the growth of our state – moving past controversial and economically advantageous lawsuits and policies. 

We cannot forget the last Attorney General’s administration that spent countless hours and taxpayer dollars suing our cities over COVID-19 mandates which aimed to keep our citizens healthy during a global pandemic. All the while, vulnerable Native American communities seeking quality healthcare in our state were actively exploited amid the Medicaid fraud operations that Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes are still working to untangle. I would much rather see our state’s primary law enforcement arm go after the actual criminals exploiting our state and not chase national controversies. 

Dems delivering change

While our new leadership is working hard to deliver the change that Arizonians requested at the voting booth last year, there are still lingering bad policies that our leadership must keep at a distance. Governor Hobbs continues to build on the record number of bills that she has vetoed this session, and for good reason. Our state still has GOP members in our state capital attempting to continue harmful legislation from years past that disregarded our economy and civil liberties for political gain. 

Furthermore, it will take Mayes years to untangle our state from Brnovich’s degradation of our state’s election integrity and the groundless and onerous tech lawsuits that Trump coerced him into. Most recently, part of Brnovich’s anti-tech legacy began to unravel this month, underscoring the baseless nature of litigation he signed us up for that could sidetrack the ongoing good work stemming from the Mayes administration. 

However, I trust the newly elected members of our executive branch to stay on the new course they have charted for our state, focusing on the issues that land close to home for Arizona voters. 

Arizonians have a plethora of kitchen table issues that need to be addressed. We cannot afford for our leaders to get sidetracked by policies that only stir up controversies. Leaders must understand the lasting impact that controversial legislation and litigation will have on the growth of our state. Suppose elected officials in Arizona successfully penalize tech companies and demonize healthcare providers. That will only lead to detrimental outcomes for our citizens. 

Voters show up on election day for leaders who work to create jobs, access to better healthcare, and keep our citizens protected. However, Arizona voters will only see adverse outcomes if we support leaders who make laws that lead to healthcare providers closing their doors, fail to protect our most vulnerable and mount politically charged attacks on the digital jobs of the future.