A new GOP state representative was sworn in Wednesday morning, just as lawmakers at Arizona’s Capitol are set to begin voting on a Republican spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
Navajo County supervisors chose Sylvia Allen to replace former Rep. David Marshall, who resigned from the Legislature last month to become the Navajo County recorder.
Allen is no stranger at the Capitol. For years she served as chair of the Arizona Senate’s Education Committee, and Allen was known for staking out controversial positions and pushing conspiracy theories.
At the Capitol on Wednesday morning, Allen said she takes pride in again representing a sprawling legislative district that covers mostly rural communities north and east of Phoenix.
“I felt a joy when I thought about offering my name, because I love my district, I love rural Arizona. It’s in my DNA,” she said.
Allen will serve out the remainder of Marshall’s legislative term, which ends in January.
Later Wednesday, lawmakers are expected to begin votes on the House and Senate floor on a partisan spending plan — negotiated among the Republican caucuses, without input from legislative Democrats and Gov. Katie Hobbs, who walked away from negotiations with GOP leaders last month.
The GOP budget spends roughly $800 million less than the budget Hobbs proposed in January.
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The Republican candidates for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction faced off in a primary election debate Thursday night. -
The Democratic candidates for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction faced off in a primary election debate Wednesday night. Both candidates agreed the state’s voucher system needs more oversight. -
Last Thursday’s dismissal from Window Rock District Court Judge Malcolm Begay was purely procedural — the district court believes special prosecutor Kyle Nayback has been pursuing the wrong forum to address his investigation. -
With Arizona’s primary elections just months away, a judge won’t pause a court ruling with wide-ranging impacts on Maricopa County’s elections despite concerns from the Board of Supervisors that it will cause chaos this year. -
Richie Taylor, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, confirmed AG Kris Mayes will file a quo warranto action, which is a legal challenge against someone accused of holding an elected office illegally.
