All posts tagged: Arizona

Arizona Democrats reject party leaders’ pick for a key battleground district

Arizona Democrats reject party leaders’ pick for a key battleground district

Published by Sam Flores

Democrat Amish Shah, a physician and former state lawmaker, has won his party’s primary for a key Arizona battleground district, NBC News projects, even though party leaders backed another candidate. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Shah’s victory comes despite an onslaught of late ads attacking him and boosting his main Democratic rival, Marlene Galán-Woods, a former journalist backed by Democratic leaders in Arizona and Washington, D.C. That includes the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which waded in for Galán-Woods. Shah was the Democratic nominee in 2024 and narrowly lost that year to GOP Rep. David Schweikert, who ran for governor but lost the Republican primary Tuesday night. This year, Shah will face off against Republican Jay Feely, the former professional football kicker who won his primary in the district Tuesday thanks in part to the blessing of President Donald Trump. Trump carried the district by 3 points in 2024. Jay Feely outside a polling location in Fountain Hills, Ariz., on Tuesday.Cassidy Araiza / Bloomberg via Getty …

Trump on Iran war; Pete Hegseth; Arizona primaries : NPR

Trump on Iran war; Pete Hegseth; Arizona primaries : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories President Trump is set to travel to Dover Air Force Base today for the dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed in Iranian strikes. The Pentagon yesterday identified the third service member who was killed in Jordan as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. The Defense Department earlier this week identified two other service members killed last week as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The number of U.S. casualties killed during the Iran war is now 18. As the number of casualties rises, the president’s visit highlights mounting questions about when the war in Iran will end and what its aims are. Commuters walk past a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle …

Republicans eye Arizona comeback in Hobbs-Biggs governor match-up: Primary takeaways

Republicans eye Arizona comeback in Hobbs-Biggs governor match-up: Primary takeaways

Published by Sam Flores

Arizona voters teed up a slew of competitive races Tuesday as Republicans look to take back control of the Grand Canyon State’s executive branch in November.    Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who’s considered the most endangered gubernatorial incumbent this cycle, will face off against Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), a House Freedom Caucus member backed by President Trump.  Democrats also currently hold Arizona’s attorney general and secretary of state posts in the battleground… Source link

Alexander Kolodin, who tried to overturn Arizona election results, wins GOP nod for secretary of state

Alexander Kolodin, who tried to overturn Arizona election results, wins GOP nod for secretary of state

Published by Sam Flores

Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin will face Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, in November’s general election, NBC News projects, after he won the GOP primary. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Kolodin won the Republican nomination over former state GOP chair Gina Swoboda. Kolodin, who has frequently questioned the results of past elections in interviews, led several lawsuits to overturn the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections in Arizona, earning rebukes from judges and the state bar association. Kolodin is backed by the conservative nonprofit group Turning Point USA and several Arizona GOP members of Congress. Now, he’s running to be the chief election officer in a battleground state during the 2028 presidential campaign. Part of the role of secretary of state in Arizona is overseeing state elections. The office’s duties include working to certify “voting devices, election results, candidates and measures to the ballot, as well as the results of statewide elections,” according to the secretary of state’s website. In a joint …

Trump-backed Rep. Andy Biggs wins GOP primary for Arizona governor

Trump-backed Rep. Andy Biggs wins GOP primary for Arizona governor

Published by Sam Flores

Rep. Andy Biggs has won the Republican primary in Arizona’s race for governor, NBC News projects, setting up a battleground state matchup this fall with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Biggs, a former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, emerged from a primary field that included fellow Rep. David Schweikert and businessmen Scott Neely and Ken Miceli. Biggs, who has represented a district outside Phoenix for five terms and held a consistent lead in the polls leading up to the primary, continually leaned into Trump’s backing in his campaign and highlighted his support for border security and lowering taxes. But the Trump dynamic could play differently in the general election in Arizona, one of five states Trump won in 2024 where a Democratic-controlled governorship is on the ballot in 2026. Democrats have found success in Arizona, once a traditional Republican stronghold, running against Trump-aligned candidates in recent cycles. In addition to a Democratic …

Democrats Bank on Republicans Nominating Far-Right Primary Candidates in Swing State Arizona

Democrats Bank on Republicans Nominating Far-Right Primary Candidates in Swing State Arizona

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) – Voters will go to the polls ⁠on ⁠Tuesday in Arizona to choose Republican and ⁠Democratic nominees for the U.S. Congress and governor, with races that will set the tone ​for November’s midterm elections in a state known for its competitive elections and politically independent streak.   Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in Arizona, but ‌the large number of independents makes for ‌a state that is considered closely divided.  Both parties have had combative primary competitions in one of the most closely watched races in ⁠the country: Arizona’s ⁠1st congressional district. With Republican Representative David Schweikert leaving the House of Representatives at year’s ​end as he attempts to become Arizona’s next governor, Democrats have targeted this open Phoenix metropolitan district seat as a top priority in their quest to win  majority control of the House from Republicans. Republicans currently hold 218 House seats to Democrats’ 212 seats, not counting one independent who ​caucuses with Republicans and four vacancies. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win majority control of ⁠the …

Arizona primaries set the stage for contested fall races in a swing state : NPR

Arizona primaries set the stage for contested fall races in a swing state : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Supporters of Rep. Andy Biggs, who is running in the Republican primary for Arizona governor, at a campaign event last week. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption toggle caption Ross D. Franklin/AP Arizona is the one state holding primaries Tuesday and offers a look at voter sentiment in a swing state, where Republicans narrowly outnumber independents and Democrats. The state went for President Trump in 2024 but elected a Democratic governor two years before that. Republicans will be trying to flip the governor’s office this fall while Democrats hope to pick up a couple of seats in the U.S. House, which could determine whether the party can wrest control from the GOP. Republicans hold the House by just a few seats, and the party in the White House usually loses seats in the midterms. Some of the key races could come down to who has the support of Trump or Turning Point USA, the conservative group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, who lived in Arizona. Democrats vie to flip an open toss-up district Arizona’s 1st …