Welcome to the seventh episode of Prickly, a podcast from KJZZ’s Politics Desk. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe to the Prickly newsletter.
A new year means a new legislative session for Arizona lawmakers returning to the Capitol in Phoenix. Political editor Ben Giles catches up with field correspondents Camryn Sanchez and Wayne Schutsky for a debrief on the topics and issues — some prickly — that will likely dominate debate this year.
- Another Maricopa County sales tax is set to expire, unless state lawmakers agree to refer a measure to county voters to renew it.
- Lawmakers must act quickly to refer Proposition 123, a measure that draws dollars from the state land trust to boost funding for education, back to voters statewide. If the Democratic governor and Republican leaders can't find a compromise, K-12 schools will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding.
- Republicans have plans to alter how votes are cast, part of an effort to speed up the process of determining winners and losers on election night. But Democrats warn they'll oppose any measure that adds new limits on when and how voters vote.
More Prickly podcast episodes
There’s a new political party in Arizona
There’s a new political party in Arizona, recycled from the bones of a failed attempt to field a legitimate third-party presidential candidate in 2024.
With Schweikert out of Arizona's CD1 race, what Republican could take his place — and win?
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert is out of the picture in Congressional District 1. But it's unclear who will step into the picture and run for the GOP nomination in what could be one of the most competitive congressional races in 2026.
Mayes is averaging about a lawsuit per week against Trump since he took office. She shares why
KJZZ’s Prickly podcast recently sat down with Arizona AG Kris Mayes to discuss the merits of filing so many cases; the criticism from Republicans who say Arizonans want the president’s agenda enacted; and what precedent the Democrat is setting for future attorneys general.
Meet the Gen Z Arizonan running for Congress
While 2025 is giving most Arizonans a break casting ballots, voters in the 7th Congressional District will head to the polls this year to pick a new representative. Deja Foxx is just 25, and would be the youngest member of Congress if elected.
This Arizona lawmaker is trying to pick his own Republican candidates for 2026
There’s a familiar character in Arizona politics now trying to exert influence over the state Republican Party – or more specifically, what candidates will represent the GOP in November 2026.
After 2024 election, Arizona Democrats picked a new chair in surprise move
Democrats elected Robert Branscomb as the Arizona party’s new leader earlier this year. It was a bit of a surprise – despite Democratic candidates’ poor performances up and down the ballot in 2024, former chair Yolanda Bejarano had the support of key Democratic officials.
Arizona GOP chair's reelection showed divide among the party faithful over Trump
Every two years in January, after voters statewide cast ballots in November, members of the Republican and Democratic parties hold their own elections for their party leaders. Those party chairs will set the tone for their respective parties for the next two years.
These issues will likely dominate debate in the Arizona Legislature in 2025
A new year means a new legislative session for Arizona lawmakers returning to the Capitol in Phoenix. Political editor Ben Giles catches up with field correspondents Camryn Sanchez and Wayne Schutsky for a debrief on the topics and issues — some prickly — that will likely dominate debate this year.
Some Arizona legislators want to speed up counting ballots
Political correspondents Camryn Sanchez and Wayne Schutsky dig into both sides’ perspective on the issue and the politics that could motivate lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session next month.
A look ahead at the most consequential legislative and Maricopa County races on the November ballot
The Arizona secretary of state officially certified the results of July's primary elections, meaning Arizonans now know the candidates who will be running in the handful of competitive legislative races that will determine which party controls the Arizona House and Senate next year.
