The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

The outbreak of COVID-10 has already hit Arizona's economy, leaving lawmakers, economists and residents to wonder how bad this could get and how much longer the downturn will last.Two weeks ago, Arizona's unemployment insurance website crashed after it was overloaded by 30,000 people filing for unemployment for the first time. This was eight times the amount of people who had filed the previous week. In a two-week time span, more Arizonans applied for unemployment than during an entire year of the great recession.While local industries such as construction, grocery stores and some trucking companies have seen minimal impact, industries foundational to Arizona like tourism and recreation, which typically flourish in the spring, are struggling. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, business and economy reporters Russ Wiles and Ryan Randazzo share some of the key factors economists are studying to better understand when Arizona might recover and how badly it could suffer. Follow Russ Wiles on Twitter: @azmoneynewsFollow Ryan Randazzo on Twitter: @utilityreporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, "The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast" launched a miniseries profiling each Congressional district in Arizona.In this week's episode, we're taking a look at southwestern Arizona’s Congressional District 3. It’s home to border towns like Nogales and Yuma, as well as the University of Arizona in Tucson. The majority of it's population lives in the greater Tucson area. Representing this district is Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz. He’s been in Congress since 2002, making him the dean of the state’s congressional delegation. Grijalva joined hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to talking about the political issues most important to his community, including immigration and the rising cost of living.You'll also hear from voters directly on which ssues are most likely to drive them to the polls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The way government officials respond to COVID-19, from Washington down to City Hall, will impact our state for years to come. There is a wrenching debate between those who are most focused on the public health aspects of the pandemic and those who are trying to balance that with concerns of profound economic damage, as well as weighing civil liberties.In Arizona, those competing concerns have been on public display for more than a week as Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has openly urged Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to more aggressively respond to the threat of coronavirus.Similar battles have played out in the Phoenix City Council and the state Legislature. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcasts, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by state government and politics reporters Maria Polletta and Andrew Oxford. The reporters discuss how Ducey, the state legislature and our congressional delegation are reacting to the pandemic and what that means for Arizonans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The results are in: former Vice President Joe Biden has overwhelmingly beaten Sen. Bernie Sanders in Arizona's primary.The results are not a surprise, given Arizona voters’ preference for more moderate candidates over far-left ones. Considering its recent battleground status, moderate Democrats like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema tend to perform best in Arizona, as they're able to capture the votes Democrats, Independents and moderate Republicans turned off by President Donald Trump’s style and policies.Despite the outcome, Sanders' progressive politics have found a strong foothold in Arizona, particularly among young voters and people of color. As Arizona’s population of young people and people of color continues to rapidly grow, the issues that helped fuel Sanders’ rise here and nationally will be paramount in future elections. For these voters, issues of equity and climate change, plus the rising cost of college and health care, remain top of mind.In this episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcasts, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen discuss Sanders' lasting impact on Democrats in Arizona – and how his progressive ideals will have traction long after he exits the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every decade, the U.S. government counts the number of people in the country. That census count helps determine the amount of money each state receives from the federal government. It also determines how many people each state sends to the House of Representatives. An inaccurate count means that Arizona could miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars over the decade for public entities like our schools, roads and health care resources. This can be particularly damaging to a state with rapidly growing population and needs. Several government-sponsored campaigns have been created to encourage participation in the census. This includes Gov. Doug Ducey's Arizona Complete Count Committee. In this episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk to Alec Thomson, the executive director of the Arizona Complete Count Committee, about the importance of the census and how you can participate in a safe way.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the 2020 elections around the corner, Democrats are hoping to keep the momentum from their 2018 wins going strong enough to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020 and win back the White House.But the Democratic presidential candidates continue to fight amongst themselves over how far left they want to take the party. While Democrats have yet to unite behind a single nominee, the GOP is building momentum by invoking Trump's name for all Republican candidates on the 2020 ballot.This week The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, digs into the Democratic strategy for winning Arizona in 2020. Last week on The Gaggle: How Republicans plan to win Arizona in 2020 If the Democrats are successful Arizona in 2020, it will establish a new template for how to win swing states in the future. If they lose, questions will linger over whether the right methods were deployed and the best nominee was selected.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick recently began treatment for alcohol dependence. Her decision to do so came after the Representative, who presides over Congressional District 2 in southern Arizona, took a fall in a Washington-area subway. She was left with staples in her head, cracked ribs and a fractured spine.In a statement, she said:“I am finally seeking this help after struggling to do so in the past, and I am ready to admit that I, like countless other Americans, suffer from this disease. Hard work and determination — which have brought me success in life — have not been enough to win this battle. Other than being a wife, mother, and grandmother, the most important job in the world to me is representing my fellow Arizonans. I know I must get better in order to do my best in each of these roles.”Rep. Kirkpatrick sat down with Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss how she's doing and what's in store for her political future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day before President Trump landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor, volunteers for the Republican party trained at the Trump Victory Leadership Initiative. The initiative is part of the Republican strategy to keep the White House and win down ballot elections. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen pull back the curtain on the Republic Party's plans as the 2020 presidential election heats up.You'll hear Rick Gorka, the communications director of the Republican National Committee, explain the value of campaign volunteers and how they plan to get out the vote. You'll also hear from Trump voters at the Feb. 19 rally, talking about the top issues they care about. This episode is part one in a series on how the two largest political parties are activating voters. Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast to catch next week's episode on the Democrat's plan for rallying new voters.In this episode you'll hear:  How the Republican party plans turn Democratic voters Republican. How round the clock volunteers are more effective to in 2020. How Trump resonates with voters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As our population continues to grow, our state's political landscape continues to change. Once a reliably red state, Arizona has become increasingly purple. It's now a key battleground state in the 2020 election.Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, hosts of "The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast," we wanted to see how the purple trend is playing out in person.To find out, they're traveling to each of Arizona's nine congressional districts, where they'll talk to your elected representatives and neighbors about the issues that matter most to them. These episodes will come out every few weeks until the election.This mini-series starts in Arizona's seventh congressional district. Located in downtown Phoenix and stretching all the way to Tolleson and Glendale, it's a young, typically blue district. This election cycle, it will be a crucial district for Democrats, who are relying on high voter turnout in the area to offset the gains Republicans will make elsewhere.The district is home to Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who you'll hear from in today's episode. You'll also hear from voters, including potential first-time voters, on what issues are most likely to drive them to the polls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The years-long legal battle over whether Arizona can ban people from delivering ballots from others in bulk remains in flux and as contentious as ever.On Jan. 27, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals knocked down the state's "ballot harvesting" law, saying it violated the Voting Rights Act and disproportionately affects Native American, Hispanic, and African American voters.But days after lifting the ban, the court temporarily reinstated it, allowing Arizona officials a chance to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich reminded people on Twitter that the state's ban on collecting ballots from others remains in place, at least for now.In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down the future of ballot harvesting in the state, and how it could impact the 2020 election cycle. Joining them on the episode are reporters Mary Jo Pitzl and Andrew Oxford, who explain the history and current state of the issue. In this episode you'll hear:  Why ballot harvesting is so contentious. What some misconceptions of ballot harvesting there are.   Who is most affected by a ballot-collection service.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices