We Shall Overcome.

The trends we are experiencing today in the United States has happened before in our country and past generations overcame them. There have been earlier periods in our history when people in this country (from both political parties)  have had a maniacal fear and prejudice towards “the other” be it groups like the Irish, the … Read more

LD 23 State House Candidate Eric Kurland sees 2018 as a Referendum on Public Education.

Educator and Democratic LD 23 State House Candidate Eric Kurland

Democrat Eric Kurland described his reasons and goals for seeking one of the LD 23 State House seats from orthodox conservatives John Kavanagh and Jay Lawrence.

Over breakfast at the Scottsdale restaurant Randy’s (very good food and service) at Chaparral and Hayden, he said he was motivated by his advocacy for children and the misdirection of our Dark-Money-serving Republican state leaders in promoting private school vouchers rather than fully funding public education, Kurland, an educator with the Scottsdale Unified School District, has launched a campaign, fueled by his army of education supporters, emphasizing education, campaign finance reform, and reforming the private prison system.

A legislative district that encompasses all or parts of Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, and Rio Verde, there has not been a Democratic representative from LD 23 in recent years. Eager to break that trend, Kurland will be running for one of two state house seats against incumbent State Representative Jay Lawrence and Senate Pro Tempore John Kavanagh.

Kurland feels that both Lawrence and Kavanagh are on the “opposite end” of what the people who elected them want, living in “an ivory tower who do not feel the pulse of what a community requires.” If elected, Kurland states, that unlike his opponents, “it will not be the last time they (the people) will hear from him.”

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McCarthyism in Arizona Department of Education

Both Democratic Candidates for Superintendent for Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman and David Schapira have reported that the agenda for the June 25 State Board for Education meeting includes an item that calls for a “presentation, discussion and possible action regarding the Board’s authority to take disciplinary action against certified educators.” Both candidates fear this is … Read more

Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Sees a Blue Wave Sweeping the State House

Murphy Bannerman, ADLCC

Communications and Research Coordinator Murphy Bannerman and Executive Director Charlie Fisher of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) are both optimistic that Democrats will take over one or both of the State Houses in this November’s elections, based on four reasons:

  • There is a record number of 114 Democratic candidates (just over half of whom are women and 51 are people of color).
  • There is a groundswell of progressive enthusiasm after the election of Donald Trump.
  • The Red for Ed movements has galvanized educators and school employees to support Democratic candidates.
  • District snapshots, conducted by the ADLCC, that shows targeted districts that are “likely to flip from red to blue.”

The ADLCC, an arm of the Arizona state Democratic Party that coördinates with the county and local district offices, was designed to help recruit, throughout the year, Democratic Candidates to run for every Legislative District (LD) State Representative and State Senate seat. They are also tasked with providing training on how to run and budget a political campaign. Their only focus is on state legislative seats.

(They are not involved with statewide offices like Governor, Attorney General, or US Senator. They do not aid in National Congressional races either. They also are not involved in promoting ballot initiatives, leaving that to the candidates to endorse if they want.)

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A Better Future for Phoenix Drives Daniel Valenzuela in his Quest to Be Mayor

Phoenix Councilmember and Mayoral Candidate Daniel Valenzuela

With popular Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton resigning his office to run for Kyrsten Sinema’s Ninth Congressional House Seat, a special non-partisan election will be held this November to elect his successor who will preside over the fifth largest city in the country.

There are two Phoenix Council Member Democrats vying to succeed him. They are Kate Gallego (who represents Phoenix District Eight) and Daniel Valenzuela (who represents Phoenix District Five). The Blog For Arizona is profiling both candidates and interviewed both on their positions on the issues and their vision for moving Phoenix forward. This piece describes Councilmember Valenzuela’s goals and vision for the fifth largest city in the country.

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