Arizona poll: Romney 50 percent, Obama 43 percent Arizona's presidential race remains close, but presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is back in the lead in the latest statewide poll. Romney has 50 percent support to President Barack Obama's 43 percent in the automated telephone survey of 500 Arizona voters conducted Thursday through Sunday by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm based in Raleigh, N.C. Romney also leads Obama among Arizona independents 48 percent to 38 percent. The pollsters note that attaching either Gov. Jan Brewer or Sen. John McCain -- two of Arizona's best-known Republicans -- to the 2012 GOP presidential ticket actually would hurt Romney's chances in the state: Adding a prominent Arizona Republican as vice-presidential nominee doesn’t help Romney. Gov. Brewer has ... Continue reading →

Obama trails in Arizona Arizona's looking a little bit less intriguing for Barack Obama than it did three months ago, when PPP polled it in the middle of the Republican primary contest. At the time it was tied but Mitt Romney's now opened back up a 50-43 advantage in the state. Arizona makes a rare state where Romney actually has a positive favorability rating, at 46/45. Meanwhile Obama is unpopular there with only 41% of voters approving of his job performance to 56% who disapprove. Romney's ahead 48-38 with independents. Obama's dominating the Hispanic vote as he is most places, leading 63-35, but Obama's going to have to keep it closer with whites than his current 56-36 deficit if he's going to have a chance ... Continue reading →

A new poll suggests Republican U.S. Senate candidate Wil Cardon's big-money advertising blitz has helped him gain ground on GOP primary front-runner Jeff Flake, but he still trails by a sizable 22 percentage points with only three months remaining. Cardon, a wealthy investor from Mesa who has put at least $4.2 million of his own money into his campaign, has now spent roughly $2 million on television and radio advertising in his bid to replace retiring three-term Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., according to political operatives who have been monitoring the media buys. Since March, the political newcomer has been a regular presence on broadcast and cable TV. The spending splurge has boosted Cardon from single-digit support in a February poll to 20 percent in the ... Continue reading →

New GOP Senate primary poll: Flake 42 percent, Cardon 20 percent Republican Senate hopeful Wil Cardon's big-money advertising blitz is starting to pay off for the Mesa investor in his GOP primary race versus U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake. Cardon still trails the better-known Flake by a dramatic 22 percentage points, but it's an improvement over the 49 percentage points he was trailing by in February. Cardon's rougly $2 million in TV and radio advertising spending gained him about 13 points. Flake has yet to air a single TV or radio commercial. Here are the results: Flake ... 42 percent Cardon ... 20 percent Former Youngtown Mayor Bryan Hackbarth ... 3 percent Conservative radio host Clair "Van" Van Steenwyk ... 2 percent "Tea party" activist John ... Continue reading →

Republican Senate primaries not going the way they're expected to has become the new norm over the last two election cycles, and there are indications Arizona could be the next state with some upset potential. PPP's newest poll finds that Wil Cardon has cut 27 points off of Jeff Flake's lead over the last three months. Flake still has a solid advantage of 22 points, 42-20, but it's a far cry from the 49 point lead he had at 56-7 when PPP surveyed the state in February. Cardon's early advertising appears to be having an impact. His name recognition has nearly doubled from 17% to 35% and the numbers suggest that as he continues to become better known he may pull even closer to Flake- ... Continue reading →

Former Governor Jane Dee Hull Supports David Schweikert “In these serious financial times, we need David in Congress. Period.” Today, former Governor Jane Dee Hull announced her support for Congressman David Schweikert’s re-election campaign. Hull, who served as Arizona’s 20th Governor from 1997 through 2003, said, “It is my honor to endorse David Schweikert. From first-hand experience I know David is a diligent and trustworthy public servant. With David’s background in finance, he is the perfect conservative champion for this battle. In these serious financial times, we need David in Congress. Period.” Congressman Schweikert served in the Arizona State Legislature when Governor Hull was then Speaker of the House. “It was an honor working with Governor Hull when she entrusted me with the Chairmanship of ... Continue reading →

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office has collected millions of dollars' worth of surplus military equipment that is intended for law-enforcement use and distributed some of the gear to non-police agencies while preparing to sell other property as a budget booster. Both practices are banned by the Pentagon. According to records obtained by The Arizona Republic, in the past two years, Sheriff Paul Babeu's office has received more than $7 million worth of Humvees, fire trucks, guns, defibrillators, barber chairs, underwear, thermal-imaging scopes, computers, motor scooters and other items through the Defense Logistics Agency, which provides the excess military property free to crime-fighting agencies. Surplus equipment | Ariz. Public Safety Procurement Program The merchandise is made available to more than 17,000 police and sheriff's departments nationwide ... Continue reading →

Arizona has never been known for squeaky-clean politics. Its elected officials have been embroiled in some of the most sensational scandals of the past few decades, including the Keating Five, AzScam and the alt-fuels fiasco. One governor was impeached and removed from office while another resigned after being found guilty of bank and wire fraud. A former U.S. congressman from Arizona has been awaiting trial for years on charges including extortion, embezzlement and money laundering. Timeline of political scandals | Top Arizona scandals But to some it seems Arizona has recently opened a new chapter in its raucous political history, as investigations and allegations of corruption and abuse of power have ensnared law-enforcement officials and an unprecedented number of sitting lawmakers. The targets of inquiries ... Continue reading →