Author Archives: Larry Bodine

Vote for AZ Candidates Who Support Marijuana Legalization

Posted on August 19, 2018 | 2 comments

One of the most effective ways to fix federal marijuana laws is to elect candidates who share the same values as those of us who realize that marijuana is the actual solution to the opioid crisis and that the right to choose an alternative medicine is not something that people like Attorney General Jeff Sessions should have a say in. One of the most likely bills to begin solving the problem is the STATES Act that would recognize the legalization of cannabis. However, we need to elect officials who will help make it law.

We must also have a Governor and state administration who support access to cannabis. As some of you are still waiting on sending in your early ballots and with the election just 11 days away, we ask you to review the information below on some of the candidates in Arizona’s 2nd congressional district and the Arizona Governor’s race. We do not believe the 1st Congressional District and 3rd Congressional District will see a change in representation and wish Congressman Grijalva and Congressman O’Halleran the best of luck.

Thank you for exercising your right to vote!
Primary Election – August 28, 2018
General Election – November 6, 2018

ARIZONA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2

Billy Kovacs – DEMOCRAT

“I fully support medical marijuana. We need to end the federal prohibitions on medical marijuana and allow the possession, production, and distribution of medical marijuana in states with established marijuana laws.”

According to Billy’s ads in the Tucson Weekly and the Arizona Daily Star, he supports the legalization of marijuana for adult use at the federal and state level.

SOURCE: Billy Kovacs for Congress | Arizona Daily Star – Candidates

Ann Kirkpatrick – DEMOCRAT

Ann Kirkpatrick has voted to protect the rights of medical marijuana patients and dispensaries in 2015 but she does not support the legalization of marijuana according to statements she made at a candidate forum in Green Valley earlier this year.

SOURCE: Arizona Daily Star | Vote Results – Roll Call (Rohrbacher-Blumenauer Amendment)

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Posted in Arizona Congressional Races, Ballot Referendas and Initiatives, Campaigns, Congress, Courts, Crime, Drug Policy, Economics, Elections, Larry Bodine

Tagged Ann Kirkpatrick, Billy Kovacs, David Garcia, Doug Ducey, Jeff Sessions, Lea Marquez Peterson, Matt Heinz, Steve Farley, Todd Clodfelter

New Book by David Garcia, Arizona Candidate for Governor, is a Blueprint to Dismantle Public Education

Posted on August 9, 2018 | 27 comments

An upcoming book by Governor candidate David R. Garcia entitled School Choice is a blueprint on how to dismantle public education in Arizona, complete with practical tips on how to implement school vouchers and ESAs (“empowerment scholarship accounts”).

The Blog for Arizona exclusively obtained a review copy of the 196-page book, which will be published one month after the primary elections on September 28, 2018, by The MIT Press.

The book is not an academic work. Garcia says it is for a “general audience” on page 97. It is a how-to playbook for the anti-public-school, pro-school-voucher agenda pushed by Gov. Doug Ducey and the Koch brothers, complete with strategies, arguments, legal precedents to cite, successful examples and historic points of reference.

Garcia is facing Democrats Steven Farley and Kelly Fryer in the primary. Gov. Doug Ducey is running for re-election.

As the 2018 midterms approach, Arizona is one of the biggest political battlegrounds nationwide and public education is a major issue. The Southwestern state features one of the top 9 most important state legislature races in the US in the midterm elections. Arizona is expected to decide the control of the U.S. Senate in this year’s congressional midterm elections.

Book has a strong bias against public schools
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Posted in Arizona State Legislature, Campaigns, Charter Schools, Corruption, Elections, Larry Bodine, Legislation, Primaries

Tagged David Garcia, David Gibbs, Doug Ducey, Koch Brothers, University of Arizona

Democrat Steve Farley’s Economic Recovery Plan

Posted on August 7, 2018 | Comments Off

Governor candidate Steve Farley’s serious and sober ad is aimed at the age 50+ voters who dominate Tucson politics. Below is his playful 30-second TV ad is aimed at a diverse, Millennial audience and pokes fun at his political nerdiness. “I’m a policy wonk,” he says.

A few years ago two companies with 3,000 jobs apiece considered relocating to Arizona. They liked the climate and the natural beauty of the state but saw two things they didn’t like and rejected Arizona. They were aware of the corporate tax breaks created by our Republican Governor, but they didn’t care about that. “That was way down the list,” they told interviewers later.

Company executives said Arizona had two big negatives — the lack of a sustainable workforce and the absence of a long-term commitment to funding public education. The GOP Governor had slashed funding to state universities, community colleges, and grade schools to pay for the corporate tax breaks, and the strategy is an economic disaster.

“This is why Amazon did not consider Arizona as a location, and why Intel has said publicly it wouldn’t be here if it didn’t have so much stranded capital at its Chandler campus,” says Steve Farley, Democratic candidate for Governor. He spoke at a rousing meeting of the Democrats of Greater Tucson.

Failed Republican economic strategy
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Posted in Budgets, Campaigns, Economics, Education, Elections, Farley Report, Governor, Larry Bodine, Political Events, Primaries

Tagged Doug Ducey

Ann Kirkpatrick Says Economic Growth, Healthcare, Gun Safety Will Win Back Tucson’s CD2 Seat

Posted on August 7, 2018 | 4 comments

Ann kirkpatrick at the March 24 March For OUr Lives against gun violence.

Ann Kirkpatrick (2nd from left) at the March For Our Lives against gun violence.

(Updated story from April 17, 2018). In an exclusive Blog for Arizona interview, Democratic Congressional candidate Ann Kirkpatrick identified the big issues to win back the seat in Tucson’s CD2: the economy, healthcare, gun safety and immigration reform.

The district is rated as “leaning Democratic” and was carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016, who beat Donald Trump in CD2 by 4.9%. Many Democrats (and Republican opponents) see her as the front-runner to win the August 28 primary with a field of at least seven other Democrats.

Total donations of $ 1,755,795

She advanced her lead by raising a total of $1.75 million in donations with $836,927 cash on hand as of June 30. Read Kirkpatrick & Heinz Lead in CD2 Congress Fundraising, Marquez-Peterson Catching Up.

Fundraising is a key measure of a candidate’s strength because it pays for staff, office space, phone lines, computers, travel, events, and campaign materials. A candidate with low fundraising is not a serious candidate.

A Congress member for CD1 in northern Arizona from 2013 to 2017, Kirkpatrick has 48 key endorsements: including Emily’s list, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and 23 labor unions (including AFSCME, Air Line Pilots Association, and American Postal Workers Union and unions for Iron workers, Boilermakers, Teamsters, and Operating Engineers.)

Growing the economy
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Posted in Arizona Congressional Races, Campaigns, Economics, Education, Elections, Energy, Giffords, Gun Policies, Healthcare, Immigration, Larry Bodine, Party Politics, Primaries, Science

Tagged Ann Kirkpatrick, Garbial Giffords, Hillary Clinton, Medicare For All, NRA

Arizona List Endorses Victoria Steele for AZ Senate in LD9

Posted on August 3, 2018 | 2 comments

From the Arizona List:

Arizona List is proud to endorse Victoria Steele for LD 9 State Senator. The Arizona List is a committee for pro-choice Democratic women in Arizona.

Victoria gets things done

As a State House member, Victoria delivered results for Arizona and the people of LD 9. In her first term she secured half a million dollars in the state budget for mental health first aid, and in her second term, she was the sponsor of two of the eight total Democratic bills to pass the House. As a State Senator, she vows to work tirelessly to make sure that the state budget is balanced to the benefit of all Arizonans, and not on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.

Victoria is a champion for women

Prior to entering politics, Victoria was a master’s level professional counselor helping women struggling with trauma and addiction. She created the Native Ways program at The Haven, an award-winning substance use residential treatment program for Indigenous women. She is a life-long feminist and a co-founder of the Tucson Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) where she is highly active in advocating for women’s equality and empowerment.

Victoria will fight for an economy that is fair for everyone

Victoria firmly believes that hard-working Arizonans deserve jobs with a living wage. She will end tax loopholes for corporations and others that have outlived their usefulness and restore those revenue streams for our state’s economy. She will fight to fix our crumbling roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and make sure that affordable, quality healthcare – which is a right, not a privilege – is available to everyone.

We need Victoria’s leadership and experience in the State Senate. Join us in supporting her! Volunteer with her campaign, get campaign updates on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Changing the Face of Power in Arizona

Contributions to Arizona List and Arizona List PAC are not deductible for tax purposes. Arizona Law limits the amount that an individual can contribute each year to candidates and non-party committees that support candidates. Paid for by Arizona List and not authorized by any candidate. Become a member of Arizona List today · Join for as little as $10/month

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Posted in Announcement, Arizona State Legislature, Campaigns, Economics, Education, Elections, Gender Equality, Larry Bodine, Party Politics, Pima, Tucson

New Poll: Sinema and McSally in Statistical Tie in US Senate Race

Posted on August 2, 2018 | Comments Off

Sinema leads McSally, 48-44 percent, an improvement for McSally from 48-42 percent in June, but still behind for a red state. This is within the 4% margin of error of the poll.
Sinema leads Arpaio by a huge margin at 54-36 percent (+18). Sinema also has a double-digit lead against Ward; 51-41 percent (+10).
McSally holds an eight-point lead over Ward; 20-point lead over Arpaio.

A new poll from OH Predictive Insights of Phoenix, Arizona has put Representative Martha McSally in the lead of the Republican primary, but continuing to trail in the general election to Representative Kyrsten Sinema. The poll also finds that Republicans struggle with moderate voters and their disapproval of President Donald Trump. They believe this continues to hurt their chances in the Senate race as opinions of the President become more polarized.

Arizona’s OH Predictive Insights and ABC15 Arizona (OHPI/ABC15) teamed up to find out who is currently winning the Senate race and why.

“The Arizona Senate contest is tightening and expect the attacks to ramp up as we head closer to election day,” said Mike Noble, managing partner and chief pollster at OH Predictive Insights, a Phoenix-based research polling company. “We have a better chance of finding a photo of Sheriff Joe Arpaio wearing pink underwear and eating green bologna than to see him as the next elected Senator of Arizona.” Continue reading →