Arizona Politics & News
The Daily Signal covers Arizona politics and news with analysis, commentary, and conservative perspectives on elections, immigration enforcement, and border security debates.
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- News
Arizona Lawmakers Stand Up for Students Wearing ‘MAGA’ Gear in Dispute With High School
Some Arizona lawmakers are raising free speech concerns after a group of students and parents said high school officials called on students to remove pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” gear. The incident occurred March 1 when Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, hosted its “Party in the USA” Spirit Day. Heidi Jones and Jennifer Farris,…Ginny Montalbano -
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Trump Has Authority to Declare Emergency for Border Wall, Arizona Lawmaker Says
President Donald Trump does have the authority to declare a national emergency in order to build his promised border barrier between the United States and Mexico if gridlock in Congress makes it necessary, a Republican lawmaker says. “He has the authority, and it’s not unique,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Wednesday at Conversations with Conservatives,…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Kyrsten Sinema Defeats Martha McSally in Arizona Senate Race
Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema has emerged victorious in Arizona’s hotly contested Senate battle, helping her party make gains in the upper chamber of Congress. Following a hotly contested race where both candidates led in differing polls, Sinema—Arizona’s 9th Congressional District representative—has defeated Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally after nearly a week since Election Day. The back-and-forth…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
Education Savings Accounts Remain a Choice for Arizona Parents
Leading up to Tuesday’s election, Arizona’s teachers union and its allies were more bombastic than strategic. But despite the campaign against families’ ability to choose how and where children learn, hundreds of thousands of Arizona parents still can customize their children’s education. Arizonans’ “no” vote on Proposition 305—a position backed by the teachers union and…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Are a Role Model for School Choice
Who would you rather have choose your child’s school—a politician or a bureaucrat? If you answered “neither,” you’re in good company with the conservatives in Arizona who passed a law last year that allows any of the state’s K-12 students to apply for an Empowerment Scholarship Account. In so doing, Arizona policymakers put parents in…Emily Maxson -
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Arizona Democrats, Defense Attorneys Heap Praise on Senate’s Chosen Prosecutor to Question Kavanaugh, Ford
A slew of attorneys and politicians on both sides of the political aisle have endorsed the Arizona prosecutor who will question Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell will address Kavanaugh and Ford Thursday, after the committee’s Republican members decided to…Grace Carr -
- Opinion
Arizona Passes Law to Protect Free Speech on Campus
For the second time in three years, Arizona lawmakers have strengthened laws protecting free speech on public college campuses. In 2016, state lawmakers banned so-called “free speech zones” on public university campuses, and on Wednesday, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation that protects individuals’ rights to demonstrate on campus. It also prohibits a school from…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Prison Is the Price of Protectionism for Arizona Hairstylists
Arizona lawmakers and cosmetologists argue that an acceptable cost for a new-age hairstyle is imprisonment. And you can chalk that up to old-school protectionism. But fortunately, state Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita is trying to cut costs for consumers. Ask yourself, would you pay someone just to wash, dry, and style your hair for you? Many people…John-Michael Seibler -
- Opinion
Minimum Wage Hike Is Killing Jobs in This Arizona City
Although the Great Recession ended nearly eight years ago, wages have not taken off as in previous recoveries. The sluggish growth in wage rates has sparked calls at the federal, state, and local levels to raise minimum wages. But such top-down, one-size-fits-all government mandates have a sad history of producing unintended consequences—lost jobs, fewer work…Elliott Raia -
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Arizona Senate OKs Bill Requiring Women to Tell Why They Want to Abort
Arizona lawmakers have approved a bill that would mandate abortion providers and physicians to request information from women undergoing abortions about their reasons to abort, and to provide comprehensive information about the risks of abortion. “What this bill does, it upgrades and updates the way we ask these questions in order to make sure that…Grace Carr -
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Arizona Governor Says ‘Cut It Out’ to Ban on Unlicensed Haircuts for Homeless Vets
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey wants one occupational licensing rule to get a trim after Juan Carlos Montes de Oca was ordered to stop giving haircuts to homeless veterans by the state cosmetology board. Montes de Oca, a cosmetology student from Tucson, was inspired by a man in London who helped the homeless on his days…Chrissy Clark -
- Opinion
Interest Groups Threaten Arizona Children’s Access to Educational Options
After their lawsuit failed to block Arizona families from choosing how and where their children learn, district school interest groups are trying again to stop parental choices in education. The Arizona teacher’s union and school board association filed a suit in 2011 trying to keep children in their government-assigned schools, even if the child was…Jonathan Butcher -
- Opinion
Arizona Scored a Big Win With School Choice. Here’s How It Will Help Children.
Last week, Arizona leaped to the front of the education choice pack. Already a leader in school choice, being the first state to create education savings accounts back in 2011, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has now signed into law an expansion of the program, transforming it into a near-universal option for students across the state….Lindsey Burke -
- News
Arizona Undertakes Sweeping Reform of Occupational Licensing Laws
This past week saw two major reforms for Arizona’s occupational licensing regime, which could kick off a lightening of the regulatory burden in the state. On March 29, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order requiring all state licensing boards to report on their minimum requirements for obtaining an occupational license. Should those requirements exceed national…Christian Britschgi -
- Opinion
How Arizona Is Using Licensure Laws to Punish Compassion
Has it become illegal in America to give someone a free haircut? Juan Carlos Montesdeoca was a cosmetology student at the recently shuttered Regency Beauty School in Tucson, Arizona. As a former homeless man, he knows that the homeless often go months without receiving a basic haircut. Putting his new talents to good use, he…David Rosenthal -
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Arizona Taxpayers Fight to Stop Funding Space Balloon Tourism
Taxpayers in Pima County, Ariz., have filed a lawsuit challenging county officials’ decision to subsidize a private company’s space tourism business. “Pima County has agreed to give $15 million in taxpayer money to a private company that’s a space balloon business,” Jim Manley, a senior attorney at the Goldwater Institute, told The Daily Signal. “Basically…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
Some States Talk About Border Security. Arizona Is Taking Action.
While the presidential candidates clash over how to handle illegal immigration and border security, Arizona is doing something about it. When Doug Ducey ran for governor, he made doing something about all the illegal activity on the border with Mexico a cornerstone of his campaign. Since taking office, he has made a high-profiled effort to deliver. His latest…James Carafano -
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Arizona Will No Longer Facilitate State Employee’s Planned Parenthood Donations
Arizona has cut the umbilical cord off Planned Parenthood, no longer allowing the organization to receive donations from state employees on the government’s dime. Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who serves as the chairman of the State Employee Charitable Campaign, “absolutely supports” the move to remove Planned Parenthood from the program, called the State Employee Charitable…Kelsey Bolar -
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Arizona County Weighs Hiring Ban on Smokers for Government Jobs
One Arizona county may be closing its doors on smokers today. Pima County, home of Tucson, is voting on a proposal that bans county offices from hiring smokers and hits current employees who smoke with a 30 percent increase in their health insurance premiums. One critic says it’s a “slippery slope” that could lead to hiring…Natalie Johnson -
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Arizona Lawmaker Aims to Send Border-Crossing Children Home Faster
Legislation proposed by an Arizona congressman would give federal officials authority to quickly screen and deport unaccompanied children from Central America who have crossed the Mexican border into the United States. The bill from Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., would change a provision in a 2008 human-trafficking law that requires U.S. Border Patrol agents to turn over the children…Josh Siegel