Transcript
ANNOUNCER: Here's the latest news from KJZZ.
NEWSCASTER: Democratic governors are pumping $10 million into Arizona to protect Katie Hobbs, the governor they believe is the most vulnerable incumbent in the 2026 election cycle. Sam Newton, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association, said those dollars are only an initial investment in Arizona, where in many ways the deck is stacked against Hobbs.
SAM NEWTON: Arizona is the swing state in 2024 that Trump won by the most. Republicans start with a very significant voter registration advantage, and the race in 2022 was one of the closest ones in the entire country.
NEWSCASTER: Hobbs' challenger, Republican Congressman Andy Biggs, says the DGA's spending is a sign Democrats believe Hobbs will struggle to win reelection.
A Maricopa County judge has removed a so-called "poison pill" measure from the general election ballot that critics call a veiled attempt to undermine a competing school voucher reform initiative. From KJZZ's Politics Desk, Wayne Schutsky reports.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: The Republican lawmakers who sent HCR 2048 to the ballot said it would protect military families who receive school voucher dollars by stopping the state from passing new laws to revoke those funds. But it also includes language that would fully void any future law that violates those protections—a clause critics say was designed to invalidate a separate school voucher reform initiative.
Judge Joseph Kramer found the Republican proposal violated a rule requiring ballot measures to stick to a single subject because the first part could accomplish the goal of protecting vouchers for military families without including the poison pill. Republican lawmakers plan to appeal the ruling.
Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
NEWSCASTER: The city of Tucson has launched a pilot program billed as a way of improving the lives of low-level offenders around the city. Laura Holansky has more.
LAURA HOLANSKY: The 180-day program called "Choice" will focus on 50 people who committed misdemeanors—such as trespassing, shoplifting, or public urination—six to 14 times in the last 12 months. Chief of Police Monica Prieto said at Tuesday's City Council meeting that each week, officers and service providers will identify two people as well as possible interventions.
MONICA PRIETO: Accepting services is voluntary. A person will not be arrested, cited, booked, or subjected to greater charges merely because they decline assistance.
HOLANSKY: Prieto said the goal is to reduce repeat offenses and police contacts, as well as getting at least 10% of the people into housing or support services.
NEWSCASTER: That's Laura Holansky reporting from Tucson. And this is news from KJZZ. Find our news online at kjzz.org.
