KJZZ's Sun Up is a weekday morning podcast giving you the Arizona news you need to start your day. It is the biggest stories of the day from KJZZ News.
Transcript
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PHIL LATZMAN: This is KJZZ's Sun Up, it is your daily news update from here in Phoenix on our state and region. I'm Phil Latzman, your host for this podcast, a daily digest of Arizona news as reported by our KJZZ news team. Very busy on this day after primary election day on a Wednesday, it's the 22nd day of July 2026. Thanks for being here today as we give you those results. Let's get started.
Well, Congressman Andy Biggs has won the Arizona Republican gubernatorial nomination. From the politics desk, Ben Giles starts us off with that.
BEN GILES: Biggs will go on to face incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs in November. Hobbs blames Biggs for supporting policies in Washington like President Trump's tariffs for increasing the cost of living for Arizonans. But Biggs says it's Hobbs who is responsible for affordability issues, and he doesn't think his close ties to Trump will hurt his campaign, even as the President's approval ratings continue to drop.
ANDY BIGGS: I think that I stand alone on my principles and the values and the messaging that I'm putting out. I'm talking about things that I think most Arizonans want. They want to have an affordable lifestyle ...
BEN GILES: In other contests, the Associated Press called the Republican Attorney General's race for State Senate President Warren Petersen. And state lawmaker Alexander Kolodin won the GOP nomination for Secretary of State. Ben Giles, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, former Cardinals kicker Jay Feely came out on top in the Republican primary in the hotly contested Congressional District 1 race to replace David Schweikert. Also from the politics team, here is Wayne Schutsky.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Feely, who is endorsed by President Trump, defeated former state legislator Joseph Chaplik in CD1, which is one of just two competitive congressional districts in the state. While the Trump endorsement boosted Feely's primary campaign, it could hurt him in the general election in CD1, where Democrats and independents make up about 60% of voters in the district. But Feely says he doesn't need to pivot away from the president to win.
JAY FEELY: I am who I am. I'm not going to shy away from the things that I believe in. I'm going to continue to talk about the things that I believe in. I think more than anything, voters want authenticity.
WAYNE SCHUTSKY: On the Democratic side, former state lawmaker Amish Shah holds a lead over former journalist Marlene Galán Woods. Elsewhere in the state, former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb handily won the Republican nomination in CD5 despite facing allegations of sexual impropriety. Wayne Schutsky, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Well, following release of early results last night, Republican primary races for several key statewide races remain too close to call. In the race for two open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, incumbent Kevin Thompson secured one of the Republican party's nominations, but the second nomination is still in flux as incumbent Nick Myers narrowly trails state lawmaker Ralph Heap. In the Republican primary for superintendent of public instruction, current state Treasurer Kimberly Yee leads incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne. On the Democratic side, voters picked former Glendale Community College President Teresa Leyba Ruiz, who defeated Brett Newby.
Well, a new Arizona law that allows so-called late early ballots to be counted immediately on Election Day is a hit with voters in Maricopa County. Those late earlies are mail-in ballots that voters wait to turn in until Election Day. In the past, those ballots would have to go through the time-consuming signature verification process before being counted. But now voters have a second option: show your photo ID and have that ballot counted immediately. Republican Diana Kafka says she never knew it took longer to count early ballots dropped off on Election Day.
DIANA KAFKA: So when I heard that on the news the other day that you can tabulate it right here by showing your ID, I thought, "That is great!" And it went like that, really quick, no problems.
PHIL LATZMAN: Concerns about those late earlies largely came from Republicans upset about how long it takes to count votes. But Democrat Juanita Copeland says she also likes the new option.
JUANITA COPELAND: And I was able to get my mail-in ballot tabulated, which is the first time that it's available, and I'm glad I took advantage of it.
PHIL LATZMAN: Voters at a North Phoenix vote center also praised county election workers for explaining the new rule and running an organized election.
In other news today, Sen. Mark Kelly says the Trump administration is spinning the truth about the ongoing conflict with Iran. Kelly told MS NOW that President Trump has not provided clear direction. The U.S. and Iran continue to trade fire amid renewed intensity in the war the U.S. and Israel launched back in February.
MARK KELLY: Without an explainable strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline, without an exit strategy strategy, and what I see now is I see an administration flailing.
PHIL LATZMAN: Kelly said the war is not in the best interest of American citizens, from the four U.S. service members who died during the last week of intensified fighting to farmers bearing the brunt of increased costs for diesel fuel and fertilizer.
Well, local businesses and organizations are rallying together after a mass shooting in downtown Tucson. Thatcher Warrick Hess has more.
THATCHER WARRICK HESS: Gunfire erupted in downtown Tucson early Sunday morning, leaving nine people wounded. Police say 21-year-old David Leroy French has been booked on 19 charges, including aggravated assault and firearm-related offenses. Businesses in the downtown area are continuing to process the violence. Downtown Tucson Partnership President Crystal Moore said she attended an event just a block from the shooting the night before.
CRYSTAL MOORE: I was dazed. I was extraordinarily sad, I'm still very sad about it.
THATCHER WARRICK HESS: According to the Tucson police, an officer responding to the scene shot the suspect after he refused to comply with police commands. French was treated at a hospital for what police described as life-threatening injuries. Police say French may face additional charges as the investigation continues.
PHIL LATZMAN: That's Thatcher Warrick Hess reporting from Tucson.
Well, the Taiwanese government says it plans on opening an economic and cultural office in Phoenix. As Greg Hahne reports, the announcement comes as TSMC has invested hundreds of billions of dollars here in Arizona.
GREG HAHNE: Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Phoenix has become a vital hub for relations with the United States to build resilient supply chains for tech industries. The agency says the decision to open the office was made based on the growing tech industry landscape and the number of Taiwanese companies and nationals in Phoenix.
Beyond the economic ties, the office will also provide consular services to Taiwanese nationals in Arizona and New Mexico. No date has been given for when the office will open. Greg Hahne, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: In more tech news, Valley chipmaker Intel has announced it will be starting layoffs for its Data Center Group. Lilly Roseburrough has more.
LILLY ROSEBURROUGH: Intel has not said how many employees will be laid off in Arizona following restructuring plans. Previous layoff cycles in 2025 saw the loss of almost 800 workers at the Chandler location. The announcement comes ahead of a quarterly earnings call set for Thursday. An Intel spokesperson said in a statement that the layoffs are part of a broader strategy to become a more focused and efficient company. Intel reportedly employed 9,600 workers in Arizona at the start of 2025, and it's had a $10.7 billion impact on the state's economy. Lilly Roseburrough, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Federal wildlife officials are loosening protections for a native fish in Arizona's Colorado River. As Alex Hager reports, they've moved the razorback sucker from endangered status to threatened.
ALEX HAGER: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it made the change because the razorback sucker is no longer in danger of extinction. The move suggests progress in protecting the fish, but environmentalists say otherwise. Taylor McKinnon with the Center for Biological Diversity says because of invasive species eating their young, the natives still can't do one critical thing: reproduce in the wild.
TAYLOR MCKINNON: We don't have that yet. So, in rendering this decision, uh, they've also, uh, disregarded, uh, their own criteria for downlisting from endangered to threatened.
ALEX HAGER: The Arizona Game and Fish Department supports the downlisting and says it remains committed to giving the razorback sucker the protection it needs going forward. Alex Hager, KJZZ News, Phoenix.
PHIL LATZMAN: Legal groups representing immigrant children alone in the U.S. say they are nearing the end of a government contract to do their work, and there's no plan in place for continued funding. The Trump administration tried to end the congregationally funded legal aid program last year, but it was upheld by a court order. Former immigration judge Elizabeth Young says children aren't equipped to represent themselves in court.
ELIZABETH YOUNG: Without a lawyer, children win the right to stay in United States less than 10% of the time. Immigration judges are nearly 100 times less likely to grant relief to a child without counsel.
PHIL LATZMAN: The contract is expiring next month. Legal groups say thousands of children could be left without counsel.
In sports, baseball: Ildemaro Vargas hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning as the Diamondbacks rallied to beat the A's 6-5 after blowing a two-run lead with two outs in the ninth. Arizona led 4-2 heading into the ninth, and closer Paul Sewald appeared to close it out, be poised to do it, got the first two outs, but a triple and a homer off Sewald tied the game. The A's went ahead briefly in the top of the 10th before the D-backs did storm back though to come back and win it with two in the bottom of the 10th. The D-backs and A's play the final game of their three-game series at Chase Field this afternoon.
In basketball: the Mercury back at it this afternoon in Los Angeles against the Sparks. Tip off for the rare Wednesday matinee at noon, the last game for Phoenix before the WNBA All-Star break this weekend.
And that does it for this Wednesday edition of KJZZ's Sun Up, Arizona's morning news podcast on this July 22. You can check out our website for more election results and news at kjzz.org. I'm Phil Latzman. Have a wonderful day. We'll do it again tomorrow.
