The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

"The media" is blanket term that covers everything from social media to 24-hour TV networks to traditional newspapers like our own.Despite the catch-all nature of the plural phrase, consumers can treat news outlets as though they're singular, particularly if they disagree with the news as it's reported.In today's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, media critic Bill Goodykoontz joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss the changing relationship between news producers and consumers, especially during presidential elections. Unlike traditional news reporters, Goodykoontz is a columnist, meaning he's free to express opinions on election coverage that others might withhold.The trio discusses how the coverage of the election has evolved since 2016 and whether there's still room for improvement. They also discuss the rise in alternative media and what role disreputable outlets such as that could play in future elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to politics, Arizona is truly a purple state.For the first time in 24 years, Arizona's electoral votes went to a Democratic Presidential candidate. Arizona also elected Democrat Mark Kelly to the U.S. Senate. The state will now have a pair of Democratic senators in the upper chamber for the first time since 1953. At the same time, Arizona voters kept the state legislature in Republican control. If you've been a loyal listener to the The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, these election results wouldn't have come as a huge surprise, as hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen spent the last year reporting on Arizona's changing political landscape.Take a listen to this week's episode for look back at how original reporting from The Gaggle podcast and The Arizona Republic foreshadowed the 2020 election results.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a swing state, all eyes were going to be on Arizona this election. That was certainly the case when a conspiracy theory over Sharpies took hold on social media. The theory claimed that ballots marked with Sharpies would not be counted. Not only is this false, but the Maricopa County Elections Department said it prefers Sharpies because they are quick to dry and don't smudge. Attention has also been given to Arizona by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for all votes to be counted in the state while also calling for Pennsylvania to stop counting votes. Pro-Trump supporters continue to rally for all votes to be counted outside of the Maricopa County Elections Department, where votes are being counted. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs oversees the elections. Hobbs has been making the rounds on national media lately, responding to such critiques of Arizona's system. Hobbs joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast to respond to President Trump's efforts to undermine the election results and how her office will rebuild trust with the public moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Votes are still being counted in Arizona; 470,000 to be exact. While there are some races in the state that have yet to be called, our knowledge about the results continues to grow.The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast is dropping a bonus episode to chat about the evolving results and biggest headlines since Tuesday's election.Hosts of the Gaggle podcast Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen will update you on the presidential race and the Congressional District races. In this episode you'll also hear from:  Lily Altavena on Proposition 208. Rachel Leingang about the Sharpie controversy. Andrew Oxford on the State Legislature races.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2020 election cycle torpedoed through a nation upended by the COVID-19 pandemic and grappling with partisan animosity, but in Arizona the season culminated in an election day marked by high voter turnout and sparing reports of disruption at the polls.Voter turnout in Arizona surpassed 2016 numbers, but was not fully known by the end of Tuesday. Nearly 2.64 million early ballots were cast by Monday. Those votes, combined with in-person election votes, are expected to push turnout to record-breaking levels. Full results in some races were left undetermined by the end of the night, including various Congressional Districts, state House and Senate races and Prop. 208, an education funding measure. But the Associated Press called the presidential race in Arizona for former Vice President Joe Biden. It also said that Democrat Mark Kelly ousted Republican Martha McSally from her Senate seat.This week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast from The Arizona and azcentral.com, breaks down what we know, what we don't know and what comes next.Here's what we know as of Tuesday night:  Arizona went blue, voting for Democrats Joe Biden for president and Mark Kelly for U.S. Senate.  Arizona passed Prop. 207, legalizing recreational marijuana in the state   Arizona entered battleground status nationally in 2018 after constituents elected Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat, to the U.S. Senate over Republican candidate Martha McSally. Arizona had not had a Democratic senator since 1994 prior to Sinema's victory. In 2020, pollsters and political operatives shifted Arizona to "swing state" status for the 2020 election, with Democrats betting on the population's changing demographics to elect presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. President Donald Trump and his campaign worked fiercely to get out the vote among Arizonans, visiting the state seven times in 2019.To find out more about how Arizona became a swing state, listen to our podcast, "Rediscovering: SB 1070." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In one week, people will be awaiting results from the 2020 election races. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are breaking down the information you need to know before Tuesday's election. They take a look at early voting turnout and what the latest polls are saying (plus, if the polls can be trusted). Also, hear an analysis about statements made by candidates in the final stretches of the election and whether or not they're true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race for Maricopa County Attorney has grown heated and competitive this year.Facing off are candidates Allister Adel, a Republican, and Julie Gunnigle, a Democrat. Allister Adel, the sitting county attorney, was appointed to the office in October 2019 by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. This came after her predecessor, Republican Bill Montgomery, was named to the Arizona Supreme Court by Republican Governor Doug Ducey. She’s received the support of police unions and several Republican politicians. Her opponent, Julie Gunnigle, grew up in Arizona before becoming a prosecutor in Illinois and Indiana. She’s been vocal in her support for criminal justice reform and has the support of various left-leaning organizations and even received a shoutout from celebrity singer John Legend.  To give you a better picture of these candidates and their philosophies, The Gaggle podcast spoke with each of them about criminal justice reform, reproductive rights and marijuana legalization.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona's 1st Congressional District was designed to be competitive. The district is immense. It stretches from the Navajo Nation in the northwest corner of the state, to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. From there, it heads south, covering Show Low and Globe. Then it switches west to include Casa Grande and the city of Maricopa, just south of Phoenix. It's covers such an incredible land mass that it's actually larger than 26 states. In 2016, the district went to President Donald Trump by one point. That same night, it voted in Democrat Tom O'Halleran to Congress.Four years later, how do voters in the district feel? Which issues are most pressing to them? And how will they vote come November? We talked to Rep. O'Halleran and voters in the district to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can a lengthy ethics investigation and a charismatic opponent mean the end for Rep. David Schweikert, a Republican from Arizona's 6th Congressional District?Schweikert's district is home to some of Arizona's wealthiest residents. It's also home to a host of working-class entrepreneurs, he said. Topping their list of important issues this election are the economy, COVID-19 response, health care, and education. Facing off against Schweikert is Dr. Hiral Tipirneni, a Democrat who's made ground appealing to voters across the aisle.This week, listeners will visit two congressional districts. Congressional District 6 and Congressional District 1. These races are expected to be the most competitive of all nine in Arizona.We hear how Republican, Independent and Democrat voters in the districts feel about the incumbent candidates and their challengers. It's part of a miniseries The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast launched this year. Leading up to the election, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen introduce you to the district leaders and residents, explaining how the most pressing issues for voters could affect the 2020 election.NOTE: A previous version of this description misspelled Dr. Hiral Tipirneni's name. It has since been corrected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race between retired astronaut and Democrat Mark Kelly and Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) could determine the control of the Senate and makeup of the Supreme Court. On Tuesday night, voters heard from the candidates directly. In a debate hosted by The Arizona Republic, Arizona PBS, KJZZ-FM (91.5) and Arizona Public media, the candidates responded to questions about health care, guns, China and national security.The debate came after the release of a statewide Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network poll released Friday that showed Kelly led McSally 49-40 among likely Arizona voters. Will the debate impact voters choice? How did Kelly and McSally respond to topics about the COVID-19 pandemic? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down the top moments from the U.S. Senate debate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices