President Donald Trump speaks at an event in Phoenix on April 17, 2026, aimed at rallying the MAGA faithful ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror)

A historically unpopular Trump came to Phoenix to rally the base by bragging about Iran

President Donald Trump is historically unpopular and his approval ratings are underwater in Arizona and the other six swing states he won in 2024, largely because independent voters have abandoned him. With the mid-terms rapidly approaching, the president came to Phoenix to gin up support for Republicans — not by reaching out to those disaffected voters but instead by rallying the MAGA faithful and calling for Republican Party unity…

Risa Lombardo is running for governor as a Green Party candidate, but she was a Republican precinct committeeman until less than a week before she re-registered and launched her campaign. (Photo via iStock/Getty Images Plus)

She sold MAGA merch. Now she’s running for governor as a Green Party candidate.

Risa Lombardo was a Republican precinct committeeman until days before she filed a statement of interest to run for Arizona governor as a Green Party candidate in 2026.

In 2023, Lombardo was hawking “Kari Won” buttons and supporting far-right Republican campaigns, alongside her husband Michael Lombardo, who remains a Republican precinct committeeman for Legislative District 2.

The Arizona Green Party says Risa Lombardo’s candidacy is a sham…

Gov. Katie Hobbs in January 2026. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

Hobbs to Republicans: Show me your budget or every bill you send me is dead

Gov. Katie Hobbs says she won’t sign any more bills until Arizona’s Republican legislative leaders reveal their budget plan.

The Democratic governor paused budget negotiations three weeks ago after she said that the Republicans who control the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate refused to negotiate on…

ICYMI

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