WELL, WELL, WELL! Was it high gas prices or taking out the Ayatollah that did Republicans in this time? Who knew full-term abortions, open borders, and empty prisons were better for the country? 🤷🏾♀️ At least Democrats know how to keep their promises, right? Let the blame games begin. 😤
For everyone blaming Turning Point Action, I can see how you got to that…buuuut I don’t 100% agree with you. I’m partial after working for CK (💔R.I.P.), but let’s keep it real. TP Action has only been around since 2019. The Republican Party has been around since the 1800s. In Arizona, the red party can brag about controlling the legislature since I was in third grade. Yet, one election can wipe out all the “work” they’ve been doing? How is it that Arizona has some of the WEAKEST child abuse laws I’ve ever read? The WEAKEST public safety legislation? Republicans everywhere—who have been in the majority at some point in time or another—are known for using leadership positions to push their own agenda and line their own pockets. Conservatives are done with it.
Did Arizona Republicans want to lose?
I’m not alone in pondering this question. Some voters think local and state leaders like being the underdog because it has the desired effect of boosting donor sympathy. Phone banking will be easier since the losing team has a “help save our state” narrative to sell in future elections. Out of Arizona’s roughly 5.3 million adult population, only 4.37 million are registered to vote. Republicans and independents outnumber Democrats more than 2 to 1. If my (ChatGPT) math is correct, at least one-third of those expected to vote conservatively misunderstood the assignment.
Of course, we know Democrats keep counting until they win. Still, I’m not quick to cry, “The Dems cheated!” Blue tsunamis don’t happen without the agreement of weak, toothless Republicans. Even if the rainbow, baby killer party did cheat, remember that 2020 set a precedent for certifying fraudulent elections. Republican majorities across the country didn’t do much of anything to correct the problem when they had the chance. By all means, speculate about tabulation machines, China’s interference, and suspiciously high voter turnout. Keep asking questions. Regardless, we are where we are. It is what it is.
I’ll take Veto Wench for $18 Million, Alex!
ONE OF THE biggest letdowns was Arizona’s gubernatorial election.
On October 30, Noble Predictive Insights showed Katie Hobbs with a 6-point lead over Andy Biggs. She held 94% of the Democratic vote to his 85% Republican vote. Hobbs—who raised over $15 million and spent nearly $18 million—also led among independents, 62% to 32%. A majority of those who claim to be “neutral” or “dislike both parties” truly favor Democrats. You “moderates” need to stop being fake and own it. Republican leaders need to stop being naive about the whole situation. Why are we still going after the middle when the whole base isn’t even on board? Should we assume counting ballots is the same as counting votes?
In September, an email addressed to AZ State Committeemen, forwarded from the AZ GOP, said the Biggs/Kerr campaign planned to target “one in three independent voters who remain undecided.” That sounded good until I obtained a copy of the email and read it for myself. Can someone confirm this really came from the Biggs campaign:
You are reading this because you support Andy Biggs and Sine Kerr…Your household is a Biggs household, and that is exactly why we will not spend a dollar to reach you….You will not see our ads when you watch the news or when you scroll on social media, or surf the internet. It may get to the point that you ask whether this campaign is running any advertising at all. The answer is we are, and you are simply not in the target, and that is the point…Every time you do not see one of our ads, the plan is working the way we built it.
😳 The message definitely came across kinda cringy and entitled.
Meanwhile, Hobbs launched a brilliant “No Clue” and “Big Tax Biggs” propaganda campaign. Both ads falsely claimed Biggs would raise prices by 23% and impose a consumption tax “on everything.” Was Biggs advised to stand down and suppress his support for the FairTax Act of 2025? In layman's terms, this legislation aimed to repeal federal and payroll taxes and replace them with a 23% national sales tax. Biggs told ABC15 News the bill was “a plan to reduce taxes for the majority of Americans.” Who on his team didn’t think that message would resonate on a local level? What am I missing? Please, fill me in.
From 2023 to 2026, Arizona’s primary agent of chaos vetoed 541 bills. At least 120 (~22%) addressed public safety or a related policy. Can the “undecideds” who were targeted by Biggs/Kerr confirm they saw ads blasting the Veto Wench for rejecting all this common sense legislation:
- HB2802 (2023)—increase punishment for fentanyl trafficking
- HB2675 (2023)—classify drug cartels as terrorist organizations
- HB1155 (2025)—revoke early termination of lifetime probation for sex offenders
- HB2221 (2025)—restrict police budget reductions
- SB1055 (2026)—require federal notification when certain illegal aliens are arrested
Imagine this: Biggs/Kerr hosting a live channel—we’ll call it “Biggs House”—social media forums, taking spicy questions from real people, updating voters every step of the way, keeping spirits high. We know them as human beings, not politicians. Now, imagine: Biggs/Kerr holding press conferences with members of Democrats for Biggs (there’s the “middle”)…taking statements from legal immigrants who are proud to be Americans…standing up with survivors of sex trafficking and fentanyl overdose. Biggs/Kerr could’ve easily avoided the optics of a “pro-I.C.E. campaign” and simply platformed the brave women, teens, parents, and families who supported those vetoed bills. Imagine the emotional impact of their testimonies long after the election!
Oh well…coulda, shoulda, woulda.
Who’s thinking about the kids?
ANOTHER ENIGMATIC FIGURE I met on the campaign trail is former AZ Senate President Warren Petersen. His voice was hollow, his handshake was soft, and he barely made eye contact. I can chalk that up to personality, distractions, or current mood and match low energy no problem. But when I asked about his Attorney General campaign (meaning, what’s up with all the unchecked Kris Mayes propaganda?), Petersen was way too cool: “Yeah, the Democrats always seem to outraise us, but we’ll get things going soon.” 😑
This uber casual exchange happened during a student safety roundtable in the Senate conference room. Up to this point, I thought politicians took advantage of captive audiences in intimate settings—even while running a losing campaign. But the Senate’s top dawg sat mostly quiet, nodding, interpreting Spanish for us monolingual folks. What’s amazing is how Petersen switched on at the student safety press conference hosted by the Arizona Rock Products Association. He was front and center, commanding the room, cutting off speakers, doing the politician thing. Shine! ✨😎
Back in June, I had obtained an email addressed to members of the National Freedom Coalition. The message urged conservatives to contact AZ House and Senate leaders who were planning to cut a deal with union thugs:
The Republican leadership in both the Arizona House and Senate is planning to “negotiate” away our wins on ESAs and our hard-fought victories on getting these 2026 ballot measures: HCR2040 (no taxpayer funding for unions in our school districts), HC2048 (guaranteeing ESAs for military families in our state constitution), and SCR1032 (requiring school districts to spend 60% of their budget on classroom education) — effectively giving in to the teachers’ unions and Katie Hobbs’ demands for major restrictions…For those who are Warren Petersen supporters for AG: He has the ability to stop the special session that would accomplish the above changes. Urge him to stop it!
The email ends with a prophetic warning that capitulating to Hobbs and the union thugs would “destroy school choice, deflate Republican voters, depress turnout, and hand the Democrats a massive victory.” House and Senate staffers must have checked those inboxes because the special session never happened. The Arizona Education Association (AEA) and Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS) ballot measure—deceptively titled “Protect Education Act”—would have wreaked havoc for over 100,000 ESA families, had it passed.
In theory, I get why Petersen, House Speaker Steve Montenegro, and their cabinets wanted to meet with AEA/SOS. But common sense should’ve kicked in at some point. If those union thugs wanted to strike a deal, it meant they were losing and would soon be forced to drop their initiative. My instincts were confirmed a few weeks later when Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit challenging their signatures. Over 75% were submitted by paid, out-of-state circulators (not volunteers), some of whom failed to register with the Secretary of State’s office. What’s even crazier is that Goldwater amended its complaint with 28,000 signatures collected by ex-cons and child predators. The irony…🤦🏾♀️ Why would any Republican leader even consider negotiating with these slobs!?
I later came across a flyer announcing that Lydia Hernandez (D), former LD24 House Representative and Cartwright School District board member, had endorsed Petersen’s AG campaign. I stared at my phone thinking, “Why would she do that?” Turns out Hernandez—a longtime JFK-type (Democrats with common sense)—leans conservative and breaks party lines when it’s in the best interest of her constituents. After a classmate fatally stabbed Michael Montoya at Maryvale High School, Hernandez sponsored House Bill4109, also known as “Michael’s Law,” and garnered bipartisan co-sponsorship.
Lefties (Democrats with no common sense) on the Senate Education Committee opposed HB4109, citing concerns about criminal penalties for noncompliant superintendents and board members. Duuh, isn’t the point of the law to punish criminal behavior? 🤤 Although Michael’s Law advanced with bipartisan support, for some reason, the bill died in the Senate. Can someone write and tell me if Petersen had the power/opportunity to back Hernandez and call for a floor vote? In my humble opinion, Hernandez’s endorsement did nothing but derail her school board campaign. I can appreciate every move she made to protect the kids. Petersen…not so much.
So, what can Arizona Republicans learn from this election?
A WOMAN WENT hiking after a winter storm. On her way down the mountain, she found a snake frozen and nearly dead. She picked it up, took it home, and nursed it back to health. For several years, she and the snake got along well. They found a way to communicate and kept each other company. One day, when the woman wanted to spend time with her pet, she picked it up like she always did. This time, the snake bit her. As she lay dying with poison coursing through her veins, she looked up at the snake and asked, “Why?” The snake replied, “You knew what I was when you found me.”
— Ancient proverb/Author unknown
🌊 Lesson #1: “Winning the middle” is a nonsensical strategy that only moved Arizona further into the blue. Unlike conservatives, independents are not swayed by morality or the rule of law—the things that make our nation great. They are swayed by political messaging and personal interests. So-called “moderates” are under the impression that they have something to gain by voting for DSA operatives. Republicans don’t need to acquiesce to middle-brain stupidity. They need to learn how to control the narrative.
🌊 Lesson #2: The McCainiac, closeted liberal era needs to come to an end. Self-serving, Establishment bad actors have manipulated conservative voters long enough. I have never understood the point of running on modest policies just to govern like a special interest prostitute. If conservatives are going to lose, why not stand on principles and lose with dignity? You don’t need to be MAGA to have morals. Telling the truth is not “extreme.” And if Republican leaders really want to grow a spine, they’ll create a forum for listening to constituents who disagree with them—especially those living with the consequences of weak leadership.
🌊 Lesson #3: If Republican leaders want your vote/money, give it to them with clear instructions. Write, call, meet with the AZGOP and Republican caucuses across the state. Admonish them to stop turning venomous snakes (lobbyists, teachers’ unions) into pets. Tell the highest party leaders, NO MORE politically promiscuous candidates headlining Golden Tickets. NO MORE stonewalling and sidelining legitimate conservatives. Case in point: if Carol Ayotte is “elected” as Chair of the MCRC, it would mean Arizona Republicans learned absolutely nothing on November 3, 2026. There, I said the quiet part out loud. That should make it easier for the PCs and constituents who complain behind her back to start a (respectful 🙃) conversation.
🌊 Final lesson: For all the smiley Republicans who claim to be Christian, you do know born-again believers can see through you, right? We’re not casting blind votes watching the devil do his best work in both parties. You’re not really “better” than a Democrat. We tolerate you because most Christians are too fearful, lazy, or indifferent to run for office. They don’t know the Greek word for church (ekklesia) is a governmental term that has nothing to do with a building or Sunday service. Happy preachers warned us to “stay out of politics.” Thankfully, some of us didn’t listen to that nonsense. Still, none of us knows if Arizona will ever be red again (was it ever?🦏). Now is probably a good time for all of us to stop giving lip service to God, open our Bibles, and pray….hard.