By The Arizona Republic
It’s been 14 years since Arizona last had a Democratic governor. At that time, just like today, Arizona’s Legislature was controlled by the state GOP.
Democratic wins at the top of the ticket are not new in Arizona anymore. Since 2018, Democrats have won three U.S. Senate races, and voters helped make Joe Biden president in the 2020 election.
Last year’s midterms also showed Republican voters weren’t thrilled with the Republican nominees in the state’s biggest races. Democrats won the gubernatorial race and secretary of state and attorney general races as well, while down-ballot Republicans often won as expected.
As Gov. Katie Hobbs settles into her role, she’s battling a Republican-controlled Legislature she hopes will turn Democratic in November 2024. Today, we’re talking to reporters in two states where Democratic governors have been hard to find — and their legislatures took two different paths.
In this episode of The Gaggle, national politics reporter Ron Hansen and state reporter Mary Jo Pitzl sit down with two reporters from states whose recent histories look similar to Arizona’s present: Michigan and Kansas.
