Arizona is a microcosm of American politics. It includes some of the most progressive voters in the country as well as some of the most right-wing areas. The state is home to folks who immigrated from all parts of the U.S. and Mexico as well as immigrants from all over the world. Arizona also has a large Indigenous population with two dozen reservations, including the Navajo Nation, the country’s largest.
Once a very conservative right-wing state, Arizona voters have been moving the state in a progressive direction in the 21st century. The Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, the top three statewide offices, are Democratic, as are both U.S. Senators.
They may not be the most progressive Democrats, but they are the old “Southern Democrats” that once dominated Arizona politics. All five have been unabashedly critical of the Trump administration, its local supporters, and their policies. Unfortunately, the MAGA forces still control the Arizona legislature, albeit by a slim margin, in both houses.
Arizona’s multi-ethnic working-class is on a mission to finish flipping the state at the polls this November. Neither U.S. senator is up for election, but state officers are.
Incumbent Governor Katie Hobbs has been battling the legislature with an unending stream of vetoes. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has been a warrior against election deniers and Republican schemes to subvert the upcoming election process, and Attorney General Kris Mayes has been a fighter for preserving democratic and economic rights against Trump administration attacks.
All three survived the primary and will face particularly dangerous right-wingers in November. MAGA dominated the Republican primaries in Arizona, nominating particularly nasty Trump loyalists for statewide and Congressional offices.
It will be crucial for Arizona’s well-being to reelect these three Democratic officers, and this is also the year to flip the legislature. Arizonans don’t expect a Democratic legislature to accomplish miracles, but they hope for legislation to support public education instead of endless attempts to eliminate public schools altogether.
And the constant attacks on immigrants, oppressed minorities, working people, and the poor must end. It would be so refreshing for working-class Arizonans to be fighting a democratic legislature and governor for better healthcare, schools, and other social programs.
We know from experience that we can’t expect much from a Democratic led state government without lots of grassroots pressure and organizing, but it will be an opportunity for working families to win concessions.
Arizona has 30 legislative districts, with each electing one senator and two House members at large. For the struggle to capture the legislature, the Democrats have nominated at least one House candidate in all but one district and Senate candidates in all but two overwhelmingly Republican districts.
The Republicans have no candidates running in four districts in each house, most notably in the left-voting Tucson Area. For the 90 total legislative seats, the Republicans have nominated only 17 women and only about a dozen Latino, Indigenous, Asian, or Black candidates.
The majority of Democratic candidates are women, and almost half are people of color, including 30 Mexican Americans. These figures reflect the much broader base and grassroots strength of the Democratic candidates.
Millions of dollars are pouring into Republican campaigns to try to salvage their legislative control. Labor and the Chicano communities are playing a major role in the fight to defeat MAGA in Arizona, but resistance to Trump fascism has been widespread across the state, even in some traditionally conservative rural areas.
Democrats are also hoping to flip two U.S. congressional districts. In CD-6, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza is leading incumbent Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani in most polls in a district that includes part of Tucson and much of Southeastern Arizona.
In CD-5 in the Phoenix East Valley Suburbs, Democratic former legislator Amish Shah has a good chance to flip an open seat. Another contest to watch is a rematch between ultraright MAGA Republican incumbent, Ely Crane, and former president of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez, in CD-2, which includes the city of Flagstaff and much of rural northeastern Arizona.
Democratic moderate Rep. Greg Stanton and progressive Reps. Adelita Grijalva and Yassamin Ansari are favored to keep their seats. MAGA Republicans are expected to keep the other three congressional seats.
And in the small city of South Tucson, candidates associated with the Casa Maria Catholic Worker soup kitchen will likely sustain their 5 to 2 majority on the City Council.
Arizonans will also be voting on eight propositions placed on the ballot by the MAGA legislature. State law allows the legislature to do so while not subject to the governor’s veto.
All eight referendums are awful. One is a constitutional amendment to forbid the state from taxing transportation based on mileage. We call it the no tax on Teslas proposition.
Another proposition is an all-out attack on basic voting rights. It would require voters to show picture ID when voting, a constitutional amendment that would completely undermine Arizona’s election system, where over 80% vote by mail, a system introduced by Republicans two decades ago.
Another would bar local governments from collecting sales tax on food items, which sounds fair, but since small towns are restricted from imposing most other taxes, it would amount to “defunding the police” in much of rural Arizona.
Another proposition declares that drug cartels are terrorist organizations, which might sound fine if you think of Colombian drug cartels, but they intend it so they can go after humanitarian groups assisting immigrants whom they accuse of human smuggling.
Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent here on the midterm elections by candidates and PACs. Arizonans who still watch TV have been barraged with political ads for months already and are expecting these attacks on our sanity to continue until election day.
Ballots will be mailed out across the state on October 5, and most Arizonans will have voted by November. If you live in Arizona and are worried about post office meddling, you can check online with your County recorder’s office to make sure your ballot was received and approved. There will be instructions on the ballot for the site.
Working families in Arizona who are hoping to end the decades of attacks by our own state government are urged to mail their ballots early and then make sure their family, relatives, friends, and coworkers vote. After that, volunteer for one of the progressive campaigns to canvass and make phone calls. The future of humanity is in danger if Trump and MAGA are not routed.
As with all op-eds published by People’s World, the views reflected here are those of the author.
No paywalls at People’s World
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
