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By Mar y Jo Pitzl || The Arizona Republic
The 56th Arizona Legislature opens for work Monday, with 41 new members, new leaders and a new governor.
Opening day also will mark the return of divided government, something the state hasn’t seen for 14 years. While Republicans have retained control of the Legislature, albeit with one-vote margins in both the House and Senate, a Democrat now occupies the Governor’s Office. Gov. Katie Hobbs will have to work with a Republican-controlled Legislature, and vice versa.
While leaders from both parties hold aspirations for bipartisanship, disagreements and vetoes are expected — and probably inevitable.
“You’re going to have a little bit of gridlock,” Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told the audience at an Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry luncheon Friday. A legislative veteran, Petersen’s colleagues are expected to elect him Senate president Monday.
The session officially starts at noon, when all 90 lawmakers take their oath of office. After that, they will elect a
Rep. Ben Toma, R-Peoria, is expected to win the speakership, although he faced a challenge from his right during caucus meetings held in the wake of the Nov. 8 election. But unlike the U.S. House, where the leadership vote turned into a drawn-out national drama, Toma said he is not anticipating a Kevin Mc-Carthy moment.
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