Democratic Takeover of the State House and Senate appears within reach

Admittedly, the online periodical Daily Kos is justifiably regarded as a very liberal online blog and journal. That does not mean they do not have credible journalists who offer objective observations, insights and reporting. Recently they published an analysis of the Legislative districts Democrat Krysten Sinema won in her 2018 bid for Jeff Flake’s Senate … Read more

Bipartisan Sanity in the Arizona State Senate: No Firearms on School Grounds

In a profile in courage against the National Russ… Rifle Association, Republican State Senators Kate Brophy McGee (from LD 28) and Heather Carter (LD 15) provided the crucial swing votes in defeating a measure (House Bill 2693,) sponsored by LD 12 State Representative Warren Petersen that proposed allowing individuals to store weapons in their vehicles … Read more

Charter Schools are Accountable but More Needs to be Done

As a former Charter School founder and owner, I have followed the drive for increased accountability for Arizona’s charter schools with great interest. Since charter schools first appeared in Arizona in the mid-1990s, the majority of them have demonstrated academic excellence and provided safe choices for families to enroll their children. It is also accurate … Read more

Helping Children is the First Priority for State Senate Candidate and 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh.

LD 28 Democratic State Senate Candidate and 2016 Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh

While petting a year old German Shepard Mix named Zuzu at the Democratic Party LD 28 office on Shea and 32nd Street, State Senate Christine Marsh relayed her reasons for wanting to replace incumbent Kate Brophy McGee in the Arizona Senate and the legislative goals she would like to pursue after taking office in January 2019.

Partially inspired by a conversation with a student, in her English class at Chaparral High School, on whether children in Arizona were worth as much as children in other states, Ms. Marsh, a 2016 State Teacher of the Year, is running largely on a pro-public education platform in the Purple Arizona District 28 on a ticket with State House Incumbent Kelli Butler and House Challenger Aaron Lieberman. A very attainable Marsh win in LD 28 would help Democrats achieve their realistic goal of gaining control of the State Senate in November’s elections.

Arizona Legislative District 28 is similar in some ways to Arizona Legislative District 18. It is a district that is becoming increasingly blue as evidenced by Kelli Butler’s State House win in 2016 and Kate Brophy McGee’s two-point squeaker over Democrat opponent Eric Meyer in the same election. A district that includes parts of Phoenix, Paradise Valley, and Glendale, Democrats have a well-organized and energized team led by Field Director Chris Fleischman (the dog parent of Zuzu) and able volunteers like Tyler Kowch, an Arizona resident who found education in Canada a cheaper option.

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Partisan? You bet! My party is Public Education.

Cross-posted from RestoreReason.com.

I am a big believer in the two-party system. Our system of government works best when all sides are heard and considered. That is most likely to happen when the power is balanced, forcing legislators to negotiate and compromise. Our founding fathers purposefully designed many checks and balances into our system and I believe our two-party system helps in that regard.

In Arizona, the Democrats must gain only two additional seats in the State Senate to reach parity with the Republicans and in my opinion that would be a very good thing. Then, our senators from both parties would be forced to work together in finding good compromises to solve the problems facing our state.

One of the biggest problems facing our state is the inadequate resources provided our district schools. Arizona is one of the nation’s leaders in promoting school choice and although 80-plus percent of our students choose district schools, resources continue to be siphoned away from these schools in favor of other options. Many of our legislators, largely the Democrats, get this. Several Republicans are also on board.

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