All right-wing leaning conservative Republicans. The two in the back are barely eeking through to hold on to a slight party majority hanging on one-or-two votes. The governor is termed-out of office and can't run again. He's not scoring any points with the public trying to get a handle on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the same time adopting the Trump political playbook as a willing and eager sycophant.Phoenix - the state's capitol - is the largest city in Maricopa County. Mesa - the state's third largest "city" is suburban sprawl.
Or Maricopa County being buzzed about on Bloomberg News as a paragon of "Suburbs Everywhere"???
Phoenix is one thing with a Democrat as mayor (and a former mayor elected to Congress), but the entire East Valley is certainly something else altogether with a conservative Republican lock - or strangle hold - on all the suburban sprawling cities east of Phoenix.
Maricopa County gave America Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Mesa gave America Russell Pearce.
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If readers of this blog want to refresh their memories of politics here in Arizona, an up-to-date version of that history has been penned by a local Arizona columnist, Jon Talton who gives his own background as well recent "shifts" since 2016
September 01, 2020 Rogue Columnist
Arizona in play
Hope springs eternal. Every election cycle since Bill Clinton carried Arizona in 1996, the narrative has gone like this: The state will change politically as newcomers bring their (more liberal) values. And thanks to Hispanics Arizona is on the cusp (always!) of becoming a purple or even deep blue electorate. The 2016 map above shows how that worked out in the most recent presidential race. . .
Before getting there, a little history. . ."
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BLOGGER NOTE: He covers a lot of history. It's all good________________________________________________
Here's the meat:
> "Continued migration from the Midwest turned Arizona deep red. This is the Big Sort phenomenon, where people move to places that have their political and social values.
The enormous retiree population, which votes in every election and votes red (same with the LDS), makes the situation more difficult for Democrats.
> Thus, with the exception of St. Janet's two terms and Terry Goddard as AG, Republicans have controlled most important political branches for decades."
1 Today's state of play is less favorable to Republicans.
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won the Senate race in 2018. Although her modern pinto voting record irritates progressives, it made the difference in beating Martha McSally. In a quarterback sneak, Gov. Doug Ducey named McSally to serve out John McCain's term and give her an advantage this year. It hasn't worked out that way, as Mark Kelly, popular astronaut and husband of Gabby Giffords, is doing well as the Democratic candidate.
2 Another shift: Five of Arizona's nine congressional seats are held by Democrats.
Arizona's Republican representatives tend to be comically extreme or corrupt, lacking wide appeal outside their districts.
This year, the drumbeat of Arizona-turns-purple stories ( see here, here, and here) have more credibility.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Much will depend on a combination of revulsion against Trump and high Democratic turnout. As always, a large Hispanic vote would be a game changer.
For the state, the most significant and constructive change would be Democrats taking control of the Legislature, the strongest branch of government. Then the Kookocracy would be swept out, at least for awhile, and good things could come."
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So Will Suburbs Everywhere
Here's the Opening:
"The GOP’s pitch hasn’t changed, but the suburbanites have."
The largest city in the entire East Valley - the fastest-growing and least sustainable suburban sprawl in America built on rampant real estate speculation by generations of a closed-connected network of "friends-and-families" who control nearly everything.
It certainly is "elsewhere"
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WHY HUNG UP OVER ONE GUY NAMED SEAN BOWIE?
" . . .When Sean Bowie first ran for an Arizona state Senate seat in 2016, his odds didn’t look great. . . No Democrat had ever been elected to the state Senate from the district.
Bowie, who worked in the provost’s office at Arizona State University, had an inkling that things were changing. Many of the district’s voters were high-income professionals: professors and scientists at the university, and engineers and executives at Intel Corp. or Honeywell International Inc., the largest employers. An influx of tech workers was arriving at PayPal Inc., which anchors the thriving tech community in Bowie’s hometown of Chandler. . .
FOLLOW THE ARGUMENT AND THE LOGIC?
Nowhere is this transformation more apparent than in Maricopa County. . .
That gives it outsize political importance, because whoever wins the county usually wins the state. And because Arizona has emerged as a crucial battleground, it’s no exaggeration to say that control of the White House and U.S. Senate could both end up hinging on Maricopa County.
