Ongoing efforts to remove the chairman of the state party have split Arizona Democrats, as fundraising concerns and other challenges mount.
Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Robert Branscomb has faced calls to step down since the beginning of an open feud with the state’s top Democratic elected officials erupted into public view in April, just months after Branscomb defeated incumbent Chair Yolanda Bejarano in January.
At the time, Branscomb promised to increase transparency and forge a new path forward for the party after a disappointing 2024 that saw Arizona Democrats lose the presidency, seats in the Legislature and Arizona’s two most competitive congressional seats.
But critics now say that infighting and other issues have split the party since Branscomb took over. They argue new leadership is needed to put Democrats in the best position heading into 2026, which will feature a handful of important statewide, Congressional and legislative races.
Steven Jackson, chairman of the local Democratic Party in Tempe’s 8th Legislative District, said he submitted a petition to party leadership calling for a special meeting to vote on whether Branscomb should be removed from office.
He said the party's rules committee verified the petition is valid, and he is now waiting for Branscomb to call a special meeting to hold the vote.
The Arizona Republic reported that Branscomb briefly addressed the issue at a state party meeting on Saturday, saying he will not object to Jackson’s petition but that signatures need to be verified before a vote.
In the meantime, Arizona Democratic Party members voted at that meeting to change the party bylaws to restrict the chair’s powers.
That includes changes requiring the chair seek the “advice and consent” of the party’s executive board before submitting an annual budget, assigning duties to the party’s vice chairpersons or hiring an executive director.
The vote came as the party faces fiscal uncertainty heading into 2026.
The party treasurer told members the Arizona Democratic Party is currently on track to run out of money by the end of the year as it spends more than it is taking in. According to federal campaign finance filings, the party has spent about $871,900 and raised about $441,000 through the end of April. State filings show the party spent $182,000 and raised $111,000 through March 31.
Branscomb also drew the ire of some party members over his handling of staffing and other issues as the party has seen significant staff turnover and resignations since January.
That includes the hiring Executive Director Michael Ruff, a former party staffer, rather than candidates selected by a committee that had conducted a nationwide search. He was later criticized for suspending Vice Chair Kim Khoury, though he later reversed the decision, the Republic reported.
Branscomb did not respond to a request for comment, but the Republic reported he acknowledged the challenges the party is facing but said “we’re in good shape.”
And not all party members want to boot him from office less than a year after he won the chairmanship.
Several Black Democratic leaders from across the state penned an open letter last month backing Branscomb, the first Black person to lead the party. Other party members gathered outside of Saturday’s meeting to voice their support for the chairman, arguing the criticism of his leadership is the result of racism.
“The unfair, unjust, racist, anti-Black actions taken to remove [a] dually elected chair is an egregious abuse of power,” Kaycee Campbell, vice president of Maricopa County Young Democrats, wrote in an email.
A two-thirds vote by the state committee is required to remove the chairman, or any other Arizona Democratic Party officer.
Jackson said Branscomb is supposed to call a special meeting within 20 days after he submitted his petition.
Arizona Democrats also approved a bylaw change allowing the majority of the executive committee, which includes the chairpersons from county parties, to call a special meeting without the chair’s consent.
