Tucson Politics

  Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is walking back election rules that he said would better protect voters, after Republicans successfully challenged them in court.

  A Democratic PAC aimed at supporting Arizona Democrats in 2026 launched its campaign against their GOP opponents, taking aim at their support of the “Big Beautiful Bill” that will kick millions of people off of health care to pay for tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy.

  A roundup of upcoming Tucson-area political events: Upcoming Project Blue public meetings; Tucson City Council primary election and South Tucson recall on Tuesdat;  CD7 special congressional election debate scheduled; Sentinel team on the airwaves & more

  After getting earfuls from residents, the Tucson City Council will discuss the Project Blue deal Wednesday; TEP powerline up for appeal; Pima Supes to mull Trump homeless order; and more from local government meetings around Tucson this week.

  A new idea is cooking with the RTA board to ask voters to fund just half of a 20-year plan and then go back to voters in 2036 and request an extension with changes as required.

  After decades of trying, conservatives this year succeeded in creating the first national school voucher program. Here are 10 things to know about the program.

  A student-led Democratic PAC has filed a complaint against Turning Point USA’s political arms accusing it of violating Arizona’s dark money disclosure law by not revealing its funders who are providing money to run a campaign backing U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs’ bid for governor.

  Gov. Katie Hobbs is seeking a nearly $760 million reimbursement from the Trump administration for border security costs Arizona has incurred since 2021.

  About 23,000 Pima voters have yet to file documented proof of citizenship after election officials discovered a decades-old paperwork glitch. Their ballots will still be counted in upcoming elections, officials clarified after the Tucson Sentinel dug into the issue.

  The Arizona Department of Transportation warned the public Wednesday  - again - not to respond to any text messages claiming to be from ADOT asking for money for unpaid tickets.

  The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed a federal complaint against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for allegedly failing to produce public records showing how frequently deputies called federal immigration officials during traffic stops.

  "Project Blue is being sold to Tucsonans as a $3.6 billion dollar development deal that will create 180 permanent jobs and be 'water-positive,' with no usage of potable water after 2 years. The problem is, none of these claims stand up to scrutiny." — Shea M. Lambert

  Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo is calling for a public-corruption investigation into the Republican county recorder, Justin Heap, citing a claim Heap made about him in text messages while privately lobbying supervisors to give him more control over elections.

  Most of the Democrats running for the Tucson City Council say they want to hire more cops and increase pay but some are unsure whether more funding is justified.

  A Yavapai County website run by a disgraced former state lawmaker who has faced child sex charges and espoused racist views is taking fire for posting racist AI-generated cartoons aimed at a Republican state lawmaker.

  For almost a year, Arizona’s school voucher program was too busy for Arizona Department of Education employees to even attempt to comply with a new state law requiring ongoing audits of voucher spending.

  A roundup of upcoming Tucson-area political events: Wednesday is the recommended deadline to send back early ballots in the city primary election; Upcoming Project Blue public meetings; Tucson City Council primary election and South Tucson recall coming up on Aug. 5; Sentinel team on the airwaves & more

  "I was proud and enthused to be part of the voting majority on the Board of Supervisors that approved the land acquisition agreement and rezoning that were the first two steps in moving Project Blue forward." — Pima County Supervisor Rex Scott

  Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said Tuesday that Trump administration officials are still limiting local prosecutors' access to a Mexican man who allegedly shot and killed a 69-year-man during an attempted carjacking in June.

  Notable Tucson artist Charles Clement's 1966 "Noah's Ark" sculpture was last seen in early 2017 at a Reid Park Zoo storage facility. Both the large & heavy artwork and records of its location seem to be missing.

  As costs climb and the city faces a budget squeeze, the Tucson City Council will have to decide whether to reimpose fares for bus service. The Democrats running in the Aug. 5 Council primary disagree about maintaining fare-free transit.

  Gov. Katie Hobbs will choose from among five nominees when appointing a new judge to the Pima County Superior Court bench.

  Arizona AG Kris Mayes and other state attorneys general sued the Trump administration over a demand for SNAP user information, claiming President Trump seeks to build a database of people’s information to target immigrants.

  The Tucson City Council is tentatively scheduled to decide whether to move forward with a Southeast Side data center before the city’s November election, but Council candidates are weighing on whether they would support Project Blue if they were in office.

  The Trump administration said it’ll soon release billions in Education Department funding that has been frozen for weeks, delaying disbursements to K-12 schools throughout the country.