Arizona Democrats fear infighting will hurt them in midterms

The Hill

18 hours ago

Democratic frustrations are growing in Arizona amid a feud within the state party, triggering concerns about the ramifications for 2026 and beyond.
Only months into his tenure as Arizona Democratic Party chair, members of the party have voiced exasperation with Robert E. Branscomb II for various actions, including airing grievances with Democratic elected officials publicly; his handling of the party budget and fundraising; and for suspending another party official.
While Branscomb has urged Arizona Democrats to have patience and said his job has a steep learning curve, it's done little to quell discontent within the party: Dozens of Arizona Democratic Party state committee members have signed onto a petition calling for a special meeting to consider removing Branscomb.
Members are already bracing for a chaotic state committee meeting on Saturday and some are concerned the party's fundraising and coordinated campaign could be impacted ahead of the 2026 elections if the dispute doesn't resolve itself soon.
'We run out of money, then what do we do?' said one state committee member who, like others interviewed in this piece, requested anonymity to speak candidly.
'Who's going to run … the party if there's no money?'
Patience is wearing thin among Arizona Democrats since Branscomb was elected chair in January.
Months into his term, he roiled the party after accusing the state's two Democratic senators of intimidating him following his selection of a new executive director for the party, prompting both senators in addition to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to issue a statement refuting Branscomb's letter to state committee members and saying that Branscomb had lost their trust.
More recently, he suspended first vice chair Kim Khoury, with an investigation being launched 'into potential violations of the ADP Code of Conduct and governing procedures,' according to The Arizona Republic, which obtained a copy of the letter.
Democrats have also voiced concern over the state party's fundraising after its treasurer recently estimated that, at the current rate, the party would run out of money by the end of the year.
One longtime state committee person believed there would be money coming into the state for elections and congressional races, but noted that 'it's not going to be through the state party at this point as long as he's involved.'
In an interview with the Arizona Republic last month, the state party chair said that Democrats needed to give him some time to get adjusted to the role and that they needed to have patience.
While he's acknowledged there are things he could have done differently as chair, he's suggested the circumstances he entered into when he took over as chair didn't place him in a strong position to lead the party.
The Hill contacted Branscomb on Thursday, and he indicated he was not immediately available for an interview. He did not responded to additional requests for comment.
While some members of the party are sympathetic to the fact that helming a state party can be challenging, they also say Branscomb did himself no favors publishing his letter invoking the two senators.
'I wouldn't disagree with that,' the longtime state committee member said when asked about Branscomb's comments to the Arizona Republic, 'because I know it's a hard job, and I know there's a learning curve, and I know he's new to the job.'
'The problem is that email basically makes it almost impossible to recover from.'
State party feuding is not new, of course. Former Arizona GOP chair Jeff DeWit left his position early last year following a leaked conversation between him and Kari Lake, in which DeWit sought to dissuade the former local news anchor from running for Arizona Senate.
In Nevada in 2023, Democrats ousted their chair, Judith Whitmer, whose election prompted a number of officials to exit the state party.
And while some members see intraparty conflict as unhelpful and an annoyance, they argue that their candidates, including all three Democratic statewide elected officials, will have the resources needed to be successful and competitive next year. Multiple avenues would be available to them, particularly county parties, to help with fundraising.
'I do think it will be more of a temporary annoyance than something that is actually going to have any sort of electoral impact,' one party insider said, noting that the conflict itself doesn't resolve around an ideological split.
But other Arizona Democrats — even those who voted for Branscomb in January — are concerned that the dragged-out rift could negatively impact the party's fundraising and organizational efforts.
'I don't think we'll have an effective coordinated campaign,' said Steven Jackson, the Legislative District 8 chairman who has led circulation of the petition calling for the special meeting to consider removing Branscomb. Jackson supported Branscomb during the January chair election.
'I think it would affect the [Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee], which will affect legislative races. You know, we've got an attorney general who [won] by 250 votes last time, and a governor's race that's going to be tough,' Jackson added, referring to Mayes's race against Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) in 2022, which she won by 280 votes.
Despite members' frustrations with Branscomb, removing him as chair is still a tall task: Two-thirds of the entire state committee need to vote for his removal in order for it to move forward.
Some members question whether there's enough frustrated Democrats to meet that threshold.
'It's hard to gauge because it is a high threshold, right?' the first state committee member said. 'But the more he stays on, the more he loses trust and confidence.'