Arizona's Politics

Paul has been a journalist, an attorney or a combination of the two all of his adult life. Following several years as a reporter and news director at three radio stations in CA and Tucson, he became a Phoenix attorney active in party politics and the community. He still has a political law practice, but in 2010, he also returned to his journalistic roots and co-founded ArizonasPolitics.com as a straight-news source providing context and original reporting. In 2019, he began ArizonasLaw.org and its accompanying program on the non-profit Sun Sounds of Arizona (a reading service for those with disabilities making it difficult to read/hold printed material). He is happy to bring some of his articles to the award-winning Blog for Arizona. Reflecting his statewide interests, Paul grew up in Tucson. He and his wife, Marion, have two daughters who recently flew the nest for the cooler climes of Flagstaff.

Schweikert Campaign UNDERWATER As Legal Expenses From Ethics Probe Surpass $583,000

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Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6) has seen his campaign committee sink underwater, owing more money than it has on hand, as his legal expenses climbed to $583,000 as a result of a year-long ethics investigation. The apparent origin of the trouble – Oliver Schwab, his former Chief of Staff – is no longer under investigation. … Read more

TODAY: Oral Argument This Afternoon On Case To Force Earlier Special Election For Senate Seat Effort To (Re-re-re)Fill Late-Sen. McCain’s Seat Before November 2020

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Attorneys will argue in U.S District Court this afternoon about whether the Arizona law permitting Governor Doug Ducey to control the late-Senator John McCain’s seat until November 2020. Arizona’s Poltics previously reported on the constitutional challenge to the vacancy law. At that point, Sen. Jon Kyl was serving at the Governor’s request. Kyl then resigned, permitting Ducey … Read more

NEW: Arizona @SenatorSinema Snubs (All of Her) Democratic Colleagues, Declining To Co-Sponsor Bill Expanding Child Tax Credit and EITC

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Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema this week became the only Democratic Senator to decline to co-sponsor legislation to expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The bill was introduced Wednesday by Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Michael Bennet (CO) and Richard Durbin (IL). With much fanfare, they announced that they “lead 46 Democrats … Read more

TODAY: Sinema Joins Republicans In Confirming Bernhardt As Interior Secretary

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(Updated to include Sinema’s explanation for her support.) Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined every Republican and three other Democrats* this afternoon to confirm David Bernhardt as the new Interior Secretary. The final vote was 56-41. Interestingly, a dark money progressive group called the Western Values Project spent $200,000 on TV ads urging Arizona’s Republican Senator … Read more

Arizona’s AHCCCS Work Requirement In Jeopardy After Today’s Court Decision

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In January, the federal government approved Arizona’s proposal to impose a work requirement on persons receiving AHCCCS (aka Medicaid) benefits. That plan may be in jeopardy today after a U.S. District Court judge today ruled that the Trump Administration ignored the purpose of Medicaid in permitting Arkansas and Kentucky to add work requirements. The judge again ruled … Read more