Arizona Corporation Commission

Democrats arrive late, but ‘blue wave’ momentum is building

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Anyone who has ever been active in Democratic Party politics knows that Democrats always arrive late and no event ever starts on time.

After a slow start in early mail-in ballot returns in the first couple of weeks of early voting, for which I chastised you, Democrats finally started showing up late in the final week of early voting. Keep it up through Election Day.

Arizona Democrats have seen a massive surge in early voting over the past week, bolstering predictions for a “blue wave” in Tuesday’s elections. ‘The blue wave is real’: Arizona Democrats see major surge in early voting turnout:

Early ballot returns released Friday [Secretary of State Early Ballot Statistics] show Democrats are on track to narrow the voter-participation gap with Republicans to its lowest level in any midterm election in recent history.

That surge in Democratic participation could help the party flip close races or win contests for the U.S. Senate, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction.

Democrats had significantly lagged Republicans when early ballot returns started coming in three weeks ago, leading some to speculate that the blue wave had crested.

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But that changed over the past week as Democrats shaved the GOP’s early-vote advantage to less than 8 percentage points. Republicans typically have a 12 percentage-point turnout edge in midterm elections.

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The Arizona Republic: No on Prop. 127 (vote yes)

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The Arizona Republic recommends a “no” vote on the Clean Energy For A Healthy Arizona initiative, Prop. 127. Prop. 127, Arizona’s renewable energy initiative, comes down to just 4 words:

One day Arizona will be powered by the sun.

We enjoy such abundant natural light that we seem destined to throw a harness around the sun and use it to pull the greater share of our state economy.

But that day is not here. Not yet.

For now we are moving in the direction of the sun with new knowledge and new technology.

Crusaders for clean power have put on this year’s ballot a proposal to massively accelerate Arizona’s ascension to virtually 100-percent clean energy. But there are reasons to doubt it.

Because there is an entrenched carbon monopoly and special interest “dark money” from APS, its parent company Pinnacle West, and the “Kochtopus” organizations which have bought GOP candidates and captured the Arizona Corporation Commission.

What would Proposition 127 do?

Utilities are now under Arizona Corporation Commission mandate to produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Proposition 127 would bump up those requirements to 50 percent by 2030, an increase the utilities say would greatly increase costs that would then be passed on to ratepayers.

Note: California law already requires at least 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from noncarbon-producing sources by 2030. California took a giant step this past May, by becoming the first state to require all new homes to be fitted for solar power. California Will Require Solar Power for New Homes. The Clean Energy For A Healthy Arizona initiative is not nearly as ambitious.

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Preliminary Primary Results: State Offices

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 Votes are still being counted, but the primary election is mostly over. Some races are still as yet too close to call.

According to the Secretary of State, voter turnout was a shamefully pathetic 25.82%. You are an embarrassment to democracy, Arizona. You have to start doing better.

Incumbent Secretary of State Michelle Reagan, incumbent Corporation Commissioner Tom Forese, and apparently incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Dianne Douglas, three highly controversial figures, have been defeated in their GOP primary.

Citizens Clean Elections candidate (CCE).

Arizona Legislature

District 1

Jo Craycraft (D) Senate (CCE)
Karen Fann (R) Senate

Ed Gogek (D) House (CCE)
Jan Manolis (D) House (CCE)
Noel Campbell (R) House
David Stringer (R) House

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Arizona Citizens Clean Elections general election debate schedule

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The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission general election debate schedule is currently posted at its website under the calendar tag. This schedule is subject to change, so please remember to check the Commission’s web site to verify the scheduled date before  a debate.

Please be sure to attend in support of your candidates and to submit your questions to the candidates,

Legislative Districts

Tuesday, September 4,6:00 p.m.: LD 19 Clean Elections debate, at the Hilton Garden Inn – Avondale, 11460 W. Hilton Way, Avondale, AZ 85323.

Wednesday, September 5, 6:00 p.m.: LD 28 Clean Elections debate, at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak – Phoenix, 7677 N. 16th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85020.

Thursday, September 6, 6:00 p.m.: LD 23 Clean Elections debate, at the Hilton Resort – Scottsdale, 6333 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250.

Friday, September 7, 6:00 p.m.: LD 18 Clean Elections debate, at the Four Points by Sheraton South Mountain – Chandler, 10831 S. 51st Street, Phoenix, AZ 85044.

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(Updated) SWAG List of Arizona State Candidates in 2018

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 The candidate petition challenges are now completed, and write-in candidates who qualified for the primary election have been added by the Secretary of State.

Early voting for the August 28 primary is currently underway. “No Party Preference” voters, so-called “independents,” who tend not to vote in primary elections must request a ballot for the party primary in which you want to vote (you cannot vote across party primaries). Vote!

The primary election is Tuesday, August 28, 20i8.

Arizona Legislature

District 1

Jo Craycraft (D) Senate (CCE)
Karen Fann (R) Senate
Ed Gogek (D) House (CCE)
Jan Manolis (D) House (CCE)
Noel Campbell (R) House
Jodi Rooney (R) House
David Stringer (R) House

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