Latest news with #GrandCanyonState
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Turning Point backs Arizona congressman, a BYU grad, in his bid for governor
PHOENIX — Turning Point Action didn't leave a single stone unturned for Rep. Andy Biggs' first rally in his bid for governor —sixteen months ahead of the 2026 election. At the rally, Biggs made it clear he is all in on President Donald Trump's plan to reinstitute federalism. When the president does give the power back to the states, Arizona will need 'a strong, conservative governor,' Biggs told the attendees at the rally, held in a ballroom at the Arizona Biltmore Resort Saturday evening. More than a thousand people showed up to support Biggs in the sweltering desert heat, with temperatures rising above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. What is Biggs' vision for the Grand Canyon State? He joked he wants to make Arizona 'the Florida of the West,' a nod to his colleague Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who plans to run for governor of the Sunshine State. Donalds expressed support for Biggs in a video showed at the rally. Like Biggs, Donalds launched his bid earlier this year. For that, Biggs called him, jokingly, a 'copy cat.' 'Byron, here's the deal, my good friend, you're going to win. I'm going to win, and about 90 days after we win, in particular me, you're going to see the tail lights in Arizona scream past you,' Biggs said. 'The idea was to initially be the Florida of the West, but we don't want to be just the Florida of the West. We want to be the most free, most prosperous, safest state, and that's what we're going to do,' he added. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point Action, marveled at the idea of making the Grand Canyon State the 'new Florida.' Biggs thanked his many friends who showed up and spoke in support of him, including Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah. Other Republicans who turned out included Arizona Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert of Colorado as well as former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also made an appearance in a pre-recorded video. Biggs 'works harder than just about anybody you could ever meet in Congress, or anybody who exists,' Lee said in the video message, and asked the attendees to 'join the friends of Biggs club,' of which he said he's a proud member. It's hard to ignore Biggs' lucky streak. For starters, in 1993, he won a $10 million sweepstakes. More recently, in 2016, he initially won the Republican primary for his congressional district by nine votes, although the recount showed a 27 vote difference. But this Brigham Young University graduate and Latter-day Saint has an extensive history in politics that goes beyond the congressional seat he has held since 2016. Biggs served as an Arizona state representative for eight years before being elected as a state senator, then served as the state Senate majority leader and Senate president during three legislative sessions. 'Andy was one of the first to endorse me when I ran back in 2020 and he and his wife, Cindy, came up to Utah,' Owens recalled in a conversation with the Deseret News ahead of the event. 'We sat in an IHOP and just talked a little bit. ... I have a lot of respect for him.' According to Owens, Biggs understands the America First agenda, and should he become governor, the Arizona representative would have a connection to Washington, D.C., knowing exactly 'what levers to pull, who to talk with and how it works.' Attendees at the Biggs rally took their MAGA hats, shirts and other gear out for a serious spin for the first time since the 2024 presidential election. 'It's what hope looks like,' Owens said about the energy at the rally. One attendee, Phoenix Union High School District board member Jeremiah Cota from Laveen, Ariz., thinks it may have to do with Gov. Katie Hobbs' record. 'You don't fill a room with this many people unless the energy is on your side,' he said. 'People have seen what Katie Hobbs has done. It's a disaster for Arizona,' Cota said, calling her a 'veto governor.' According to the Phoenix New Times, Hobbs vetoed 216 bills during the latest state legislative session, far more than the 143 bills she vetoed in 2023 and 73 in 2024. Republicans control both chambers of the state legislature. Owens said he doesn't think the fact that President Donald Trump has endorsed two Republican candidates for governor in Arizona will be a problem for Biggs, especially given the Arizona representative's personal relationship with the president. Biggs touted his endorsement from Trump but didn't mention his Republican opponent, attorney Karrin Robson, who also has Trump's support. 'There's a difference between being endorsed by Mr. Trump and being endorsed by President Trump (and) having his personal cell,' Biggs said. 'And we have a kind of mutual respect,' he said, adding their friendship goes beyond Congress. During Trump's first administration, Biggs said Trump invited him 'to go sit in this box (at) the World Series,' but 'that's not the highlight of knowing' the president. Biggs also served on the Latter-day Saints for Trump committee during the 2024 election. Before bringing Biggs up to the stage, Kirk spoke about the need to 'remember.' 'The Bible says over and over, remember, remember, remember ... because remembering leads towards constructive action,' Kirk said. Kirk reminded the audience that the very first Trump rally took place in Phoenix. This milestone helped cement the term 'MAGA' into the mainstream conversation. From that rally through the last several election cycles, Kirk said Trump 'was tested' before he finally won a second term in 2024. 'What started here in Arizona 10 years ago is still continuing,' Kirk said of the initial rally. Diane Anderson, the president of the Leisure World Republican Club in Mesa, Ariz., was one of the thousands of people to attend the first rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in 2015. 'We stood outside for hours. It was so hot,' Anderson said. The venue didn't have any chairs set up so they stood close to the stage. 'There were speakers, and when Donald Trump came on ... I thought that he was rude,' she said, laughing. But after he spoke about shutting down the southern border, she said she was all in and has been a staunch supporter ever since. A decade later, now at Biggs' rally, Anderson said she thinks Turning Point Action is revitalizing the Republican Party. 'They're not turning the government around but they're changing minds of the young people. .. And that's what we need.' Anderson said she considers Biggs 'a dear personal friend' of hers and thinks this election an important one. Arizona has 300,000 more registered Republican than Democratic voters and Trump won this swing state by 5.5% last year. 'They call us a red state. How can we be a red state with a Democrat governor, a Democrat secretary of state, a Democrat attorney general, and our legislature, (which) is red just by a hair,' she said.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
A new law in this state bans automated insurance claim denials
As some health insurance companies have come under fire for allegedly using computer systems to shoot down claims, an Arizona law will soon make the practice illegal in the Grand Canyon State. Republican Arizona House Majority Whip Rep. Julie Willoughby sponsored the legislation, and it was recently signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. House Bill 2175 requires a physician licensed in the state to conduct an "individual review" and use "independent medical judgment" to determine whether the claim should actually be denied. It also required a similar review of "a direct denial of a prior authorization of a service" that a provider asked for and "involves medical necessity." "This law ensures that a doctor, not a computer, is making medical decisions," Willoughby said in a statement. "If care is denied, it should be by someone with the training and ethical duty to put patients first. That decision must come from a licensed physician, not an anonymous program." The law will go into effect in July 2026, so insurers will have time to be ready for the changes, if any. "Arizona families deserve real oversight when it comes to life-changing medical decisions," Willoughby said. "This law puts patients ahead of profits and restores a layer of accountability that's long overdue." The bill passed both chambers with nearly unanimous support. Several healthcare companies, like Cigna and United Healthcare, have faced accusations of using computer systems to deny claims in past years, according to ProPublica and FOX Business. Fox News Digital reached out to Hobbs' office for comment. Similar legislation was signed into law in California last year, which was dubbed the "Physicians Make Decisions Act." The lawmaker in the Golden State was specifically concerned about the rise of artificial intelligence. "Artificial intelligence has immense potential to enhance health care delivery, but it should never replace the expertise and judgment of physicians," Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker said in a December statement. "An algorithm cannot fully understand a patient's unique medical history or needs, and its misuse can lead to devastating consequences."
New York Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Led by a Vulnerable Governor, Arizona Democrats Brace for a Bumpy Campaign Ahead
Any Democrat trying to win an election in Arizona, most political strategists agree, must do nearly everything right — and still hope for a little luck. By that standard, next year's elections are looking worrisome for Democrats in the Grand Canyon State. Their standard-bearer, Gov. Katie Hobbs, is among the nation's most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election in 2026. And, rather than bolstering her with vital political muscle and support, the party has been consumed by an acrimonious and seemingly petty feud between the new state Democratic chairman and Arizona's two Democratic senators. In a swing state with around 300,000 more Republicans than Democrats, and where President Trump stormed to victory in November, Ms. Hobbs is also likely to face a more formidable opponent than she did in 2022, when she squeaked out a win against Kari Lake, whose stolen-election lies had alienated voters across the political spectrum. Representative Andy Biggs, a hard-right populist, and Karrin Taylor Robson, a businesswoman from the party's more moderate McCain wing, have entered the G.O.P. primary. Both have been endorsed by Mr. Trump, but their contest is already shaping up as a fierce battle, with die-hard Trump supporters mocking Ms. Robson as having suddenly jumped on the president's bandwagon. If Ms. Hobbs's first task is to consolidate her own support, however, her low-key approach may be holding her back, according to interviews with more than a dozen Democratic politicians, strategists and their allies in Arizona, many of whom insisted on anonymity to speak candidly. 'It's really hard to win in Arizona as a Democrat, always,' said Andy Barr, a longtime strategist for Democrats in the state. 'Anyone who feels confident is just not living in reality.' While serving as Arizona's secretary of state, Ms. Hobbs, who declined to be interviewed for this article, gained prominence by vocally resisting Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Running for governor in 2022, though, she took such an under-the-radar approach that it led to hand-wringing by supporters, a perception she was avoiding the news media and a jeering question from Republicans: 'Where's Katie?' In office, Ms. Hobbs — a former social worker who drove for Uber to help pay the bills when she was a state senator — has stuck with that low profile, casting herself as a moderate pragmatist focused on business interests. But she may not have done enough to earn affection from Democrats. She rarely campaigned last year for former Vice President Kamala Harris, opting to focus on down-ballot races. She frustrated the left by vetoing a bipartisan housing bill that would have encouraged more starter homes, saying the legislation would have 'unintended consequences.' She disappointed teachers by failing to clamp down on Arizona's costly private-school voucher program. And, courting moderates, she dismayed immigration activists by backing a migrant detention law signed by Mr. Trump, though she has also vetoed bills that would force cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As immigration rhetoric has shifted rightward, 'Governor Hobbs was not bold in protecting people or opposing that narrative,' said Viri Hernandez, former executive director of Poder in Action, a progressive Arizona group. Echoing others on the left, Ms. Hernandez said she believed the governor and other Democrats were taking an overcautious approach to working-class issues that 'continues to be a failing strategy.' Worse, Ms. Hobbs's bridge-building attempts are short on results, as the Republican-controlled State Legislature has blocked many of her priorities. They stymied Ms. Hobbs's school voucher efforts, and so effectively stonewalled the approval of her appointees to run state agencies that the governor installed them without confirmation, running afoul of the courts. Democrats have been encouraged to see Ms. Hobbs play a little hardball more recently. Exasperated by Republicans' delay in funding a program for disabled people, she threatened in April to veto all other bills until the Legislature funded the program, which it soon did. Indeed, Ms. Hobbs's strongest case for re-election may lie in what she has stopped Republicans from doing: She has rejected hundreds of bills, including legislation that would have legalized gun silencers and treated fetuses as people, shattering records and earning bragging rights as the state's 'Veto Queen.' Ms. Hobbs has other things to brag about, too. Despite rising costs, Arizona's economy is in good shape. Her pro-business attitude has borne fruit: She signed a bill last month allowing a technology company, Axon, to build a local headquarters without voter input, after it had threatened to leave the state. 'It sends a message that Arizona is open for business and we're not gonna let politicians use the government to shut business down,' Ms. Hobbs told a local radio station. A spokesman for the governor, Christian Slater, pointed to other housing bills Ms. Hobbs has signed, as well as actions she has taken to protect the state's water supply, repeal a restrictive abortion ban and combat drug cartels. 'Governor Hobbs is a common-sense leader who will work with anybody, no matter their party, to deliver results for everyday Arizonans,' Mr. Slater said in a statement. A spokesman for her campaign also noted that Ms. Hobbs had never lost an election. If voters continue to sour on Mr. Trump's presidency, Ms. Hobbs could enjoy a favorable national environment for Democrats in 2026. And her team has sought to exploit the natural advantages of incumbency by arranging for her to appear on local radio and television shows with more frequency this year. Still, she is dealing with a fractured state party. Adrian Fontes, the Democrat who succeeded Ms. Hobbs as secretary of state, last year considered challenging her for governor. Both Mr. Fontes and Attorney General Kris Mayes, who has aggressively opposed Mr. Trump, are viewed as more visible Democratic leaders, and tensions between them and Ms. Hobbs are an open secret. Both declined to comment. The stakes are high, and will only rise: Mr. Fontes, who announced last month that he was instead running for re-election, and Ms. Mayes, also are expected to face tougher re-election opponents. A potentially more damaging conflict broke out into the open this spring within the state party, whose responsibility it is to raise money and help Democrats get elected. Angered by Mr. Trump's victory, Democrats installed a new party chairman: Robert Branscomb, an insurance company owner who had been a vice chair. Mr. Branscomb soon began clashing with staff members over personnel decisions and accused them of sabotaging him by withholding financial documents. Mr. Branscomb, who declined to comment for this article, wrote to party members detailing the infighting and attacking Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, both Democrats, for criticizing one of his staffing choices. He claimed that one of the senators had called him, 'demeaning me and demanding I reverse my decision within 24 hours or 'face consequences.'' 'I will not be coerced, and I will not be silenced,' Mr. Branscomb added. The backlash against him was swift. Some Democrats called on Mr. Branscomb to resign and compiled lists of potential replacements. A statement signed by both senators and the three statewide elected Democrats said Mr. Branscomb had 'lost our trust.' Some joked, darkly, that Mr. Branscomb had accomplished the impossible: uniting the state's constantly bickering Democratic elected officials. But the disarray posed an unwanted distraction for the party as Ms. Hobbs steels for a tough re-election fight. Party infighting 'hurts the vibes,' acknowledged Eric Chalmers, a Democratic political consultant, though he said it ultimately wouldn't make or break anyone's campaign. More infighting could lie ahead when, under a new state law, Ms. Hobbs will choose a running mate who would serve as lieutenant governor if their ticket wins: It is not assured that she would pick a Democrat. John Giles, the Republican former mayor of Mesa, a Phoenix suburb, confirmed that Ms. Hobbs had discussed the role with him last year and told him that he was on her informal shortlist for the job. (A spokesman for Ms. Hobbs, Michael Beyer, said the governor had never initiated a conversation about the role and was noncommittal when the topic came up because it was 'far too early' to think about a running mate.) In an interview, Mr. Giles, who backed Ms. Harris last year, said he was flattered to be considered, but also questioned whether picking a moderate Republican like himself would be of much help if Ms. Hobbs faced Ms. Robson in the general election rather than the far-right Mr. Biggs. 'If it's Karrin Taylor Robson — she's a more moderate candidate, and I don't know,' Mr. Giles said. 'That would be a very competitive race.' Ms. Hobbs's defenders argue that the most consequential factor in her bid for re-election will be how voters perceive her in November 2026. Unlike other Democrats, she has not sought the spotlight as the national party searches for a direction after Mr. Trump's victory. Even the governor's allies acknowledge that she does not often demonstrate the soaring oratory or charismatic appeal that has turned other Democratic governors into political celebrities. But they say that Ms. Hobbs's understated demeanor and eat-your-vegetables approach to governing helps her relate to the average voter. 'She really shines through when she can interact with day-to-day people,' Mr. Slater said, 'because she is such a normal person.'
