The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable holiday, listeners. We're taking the week off to be with our families. See you in 2025! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona had yet another noteworthy year in politics. All eyes were on the swing state for the 2024 general election. With a Senate race involving Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake, as well as how voters would respond to constitutionalizing reproductive rights following the repeal of a 19th-century abortion law, Arizona stayed in the national spotlight. But that wasn't everything that happened. From using taxpayer's money on Norwegian pop stars to indicting President Trump's formal personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl go through five moments that defined 2024 for Arizona politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is targeting Mexico and Canada for his tariffs, as well, and that could directly impact Arizona as a border state as well as those who make their living off the international supply chain. But will they help or hurt Arizonans? This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by two guests to discuss what impact Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexico will have on Arizonans. Economist at the University of Arizona George Hammond and Arizona Republic reporter Laura Gersony join the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With former President Donald Trump's re-election win this November, his aggressive plans — positive to some, negative to others — on the border and immigration seemingly won him the nomination. He promised mass deportations on day one of his White House return, saying he would declare a national emergency to make it happen. Trump's proposal would impact a quarter-million people in Arizona, according to the Pew Research Center. But how possible are Trump's plans? Logistical and legal questions have already been raised about how he'll succeed in enacting mass deportations, from both adversaries and members of his own party. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Jennie Murray, the CEO and president of the National Immigration Forum. It's an immigration advocacy non-profit based in Washington D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the anticipation for another long election season extending into the new year, Arizona's election season went pretty smoothly. In stark contrast of 2022 and 2020, the 2024 election was calm and professional. But that doesn't mean that it's over. There are still a few recounts to complete before the season can really come to an end — both on the county and statewide level. And certain hiccups have politicos questioning if the next election will be as smooth, or if Arizona will find its way back into election chaos. This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka break down what the final steps are to wrap up election season, how denialism seems to be on hiatus and how it will impact Arizonans in the new year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona and other key swing states all went red in 2024, helping Donald Trump secure the U.S. presidency. This year, he won Arizona by a bigger margin than the 2016 election. Weeks after the election, how Trump gained more votes is now being analyzed. With Trump heading back to Washington in January, this data might shed light on what might happen to the governor's seat in 2026, when Gov. Katie Hobbs' seat is open again. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Stephanie Murray to break down the data of the 2024 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leading up to the November election, pollsters across the nation showed Arizona to be one of the most swingy of the swing states. How Arizonans would vote in the presidential race and down-ballot contests were the equivalent of a coin flip. But as results were tallied over the past few days, it is clear now which party won convincingly. It's not necessarily the red wave effect, though. All of these races had the potential to go to Republicans or Democrats, proving that Arizona is just right of center. One Arizona race that moved against that tide was for the U.S. Senate. Late Monday night, Democrat Ruben Gallego clinched a win over Republican Kari Lake. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl discuss how Gallego prevailed over the red wall and what's next for both the legislature and Kari Lake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode expresses the views of Arizona Republic opinion columnists, not the views of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com news department or the Gaggle hosts. Columnists Greg Moore and Phil Boas spoke virtually after election night 2024 to discuss the results and how Trump won back America. The conversation is moderated by editorial page editor, Elvia Diaz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday heading into Wednesday, the presidential race was less than 1 percentage point apart, and once again, Arizona is the closest state in the country, for the time being. Republicans also wiped out the narrow Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, but in Arizona, Democrat Ruben Gallego appeared to be headed to victory. Fox News has already called the presidential race for Donald Trump. In Arizona, Democrats fared quite well, at least in the unofficial results released Tuesday night. They could win key races in the Legislature and pick up two congressional seats. With more ballots to be counted and a mandatory hand count audit on Saturday still to come, most of Arizona’s political future is still up in the air. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by political reporters at The Republic to break down what went down on election night 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unlike states like Florida and Colorado, it takes Arizona anywhere from days to almost weeks to find out the results of the election. In the last midterm election, the results of the governor's race were announced six days after Election Day. Cable news famously called Arizona for Joe Biden on election night in 2020, but that contest would stay in headlines for months to come after a ballot recount. So far, 1 million early ballots have been received in Maricopa County alone. But early voting won't speed the process up. This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka are joined by data reporter at the Republic Sahana Jayaraman. Together they discuss a new tool to gather result data and explain why it takes so long to find out who won in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is crunch time for politicians and campaigns right now to try to win your vote for the Nov. 4 election. Early voting ballots have been sent out, and with a few close races in the polls, candidates know that every vote matters. Candidates down ballot have held rallies and aimed conversations at all different demographics in the last weeks leading up to the election. Both presidential candidates have visited border towns in Arizona, speaking to the importance of border security. But is that what it takes to win one of the key battleground states in the nation? This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by two political strategists from both sides of the aisle to give insight on what it takes for a campaign to win in Arizona. Constantin Querard, president of one of the state's most popular political consulting firms Grassroots Partners, has worked on Republican campaigns for almost two decades. Andy Barr is the managing director at Uplift, an agency focused on Democratic campaigns and fundraising. Barr has worked on more than 100 campaigns across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask both candidates to represent District 3 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors why voters should choose them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of this election cycle's biggest issues are what stirs the electorates here in Arizona. No debate or interview is complete without asking a candidate about abortion and immigration. Political angst regarding the border could be a defining factor on who wins the White House, the state’s U.S. Senate race and other contests further down ballot. And unlike most of the country who choose candidates’ based on their views of immigration and the border, Arizonans have a ballot measure that will help shape policy, as well. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by The Republic's immigration issues reporter Rafael Carranza to explore the border security ballot proposition 314 and why the U.S.-Mexico border is still a pressing political issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode expresses the views of Arizona Republic opinion columnists, not the views of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com news department or the Gaggle hosts. Columnists Greg Moore and Phil Boas spoke virtually after the Senate debate between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego about who won and what stood out. The conversation is moderated by editorial page editor, Elvia Diaz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Laura Gersony talked with Democratic nominee for Congressional District 1 Dr. Amish Shah about key topics. Republican nominee David Schweikert did not respond to our request to participate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking up a lot of the ballot’s real estate are 13 propositions. From abortion rights to worker tips, arguments for and against the propositions fill up more than 300 pages in the state’s official Publicity Pamphlet. And the language can get confusing. Plan to spend more time than usual in the voting booth, or around the kitchen table, as you work through this ballot. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl try to simplify the most high profile ballot propositions to make them easier to understand. Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger joins The Gaggle to talk through Proposition 139, the Arizona Abortion Access initiative and Proposition 137, which would end term limits for judges − two topics she's been closely covering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask both candidates to represent District 1 on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors why voters should choose them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Sasha Hupka ask Democratic nominee for Maricopa County Recorder Tim Stringham about key topics. Republican nominee Justin Heap did not respond to our request to participate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The future of control of the state house depends on eight competitive districts on your ballot this November. Driven by redistricting, lots of donation money, and Gov. Katie Hobbs’ long-stated intention to flip the Legislature blue, Arizona's political future is again toeing the line. This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Republic reporter Ray Stern to discuss observations about the complexion of the contests and how they are playing out in select districts across the state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early ballots are being packaged up to be sent out to Arizona voters by October 9th. This year is the big one. From contentious mayoral races to electing a new Maricopa County recorder, the local elections will come to define how the state runs. On the national scale, Arizona has one of the most watched Senate races in the country and both Presidential candidates know how crucial winning Arizona will be to putting them in the White House. From now until your ballot arrives, The Gaggle, a politics podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, collaborated with our politics team to connect with candidates so you can hear them make their case in their own words. This is part of a series of bonus episodes featuring Q&As on the state’s most important races. In this episode, reporter Laura Gersony asks Incumbent Juan Ciscomani and Kirsten Engel about key topics and why they deserve your vote this November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices