Mary Jo Pitzl
@maryjpitzl
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Reporter for The Arizona Republic/azcentral, covering state government policy and politics, elections. Special interest in child welfare. RTs not endorsements.
Phoenix, AZ
Joined December 2008
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He said "no." Cochise County and its supervisors are without legal representation as they head into a Thursday court hearing over failure to certify election results. The board authorized an agreement with Bryan Blehm before getting a commitment. And he's not taking the case
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514
3K
Judge declares
@KrisMayes
winner of the attorney general race per the automatic recount. Wins by 280 votes over
@AbrahamHamadeh
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1K
Attorneys for the GOP Senate team that will review the
@cyberninjas
2020 election audit say they have not yet received any draft, partial or otherwise.
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855
With
@Adrian_Fontes
' win over
@RealmarkFinchem
in Arizona and
@CiscoForNevada
over
@JimMarchant
, the America First Secretary of State Coalition failed in every race in which it fielded a candidate. Election protection seemed to be on voters' minds.
50
178
826
.
@dougducey
announces incentive financing to school districts and charters that follow state laws "for the entirety of the 2020-21 school year." That means if you're mandating masks, you miss out on up to $1,800 extra in federal $$ per pupil
463
416
769
At a Tuesday event,
@KariLake
suggests Arizona should get out of the Affordable Care Act, and "find something better." The act allowed for Medicaid expansion, which
@GovBrewer
fought hard to bring to AZ. It's helped people, health-care institutions and the state budget
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247
653
.
@Adrian_Fontes
announces he has asked
@usDOJ
to investigate the 11 Arizona Republicans who presented themselves as Arizona’s official electors in the 2020 presidential race
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662
Former Phoenix mayor Paul Johnson is asking federal officials for records related to
@RealMarkFinchem
's involvement w/January 6 insurrection and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election
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Attention Maricopa County voters: Your November ballot will be two separate sheets because there is so much to vote on. Candidate races, ballot propositions and judges will fill up the front and backsides of both pages. So you mail-in voters: Don't forget the second sheet!
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I want to know who the guys were in the orange knit caps in the Arizona Proud Boys contingent.
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County officials are asking supervisors Judd and Crosby for candidates they can approach to take on the task
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"Everyone attending tomorrow’s event, particularly any elected official, should set an example to residents by wearing a mask. This includes the President." _
@MayorGallego
on Trump's Tuesday rally in Phoenix
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“My opponent, he wants to be the attorney for Donald Trump; I want to be the attorney for the people of Arizona,@ says Democratic AG candidate
@krismayes
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Spotted this billboard on West Van Buren near the Capitol
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What a day for rule of law: Cochise supervisors order to canvass election results (due three days ago) by 3:30 pm; federal judge issues sanctions against
@KariLake
,
@RealMarkFinchem
for frivolous lawsuit on electronic tabulation machines
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420
With the election four days away, it’s extremely hard to walk away from work. But I am doing so in solidarity with my
@azcentral
and
#Gannett
colleagues as we push for a contract that will provide fair wages and benefits and give staffers a say in work conditions.
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So the attorney who tried to move Cochise County's lawsuit about machine certification to the (non-existent) U.S. District Court's Eastern Division is now representing
@RealMarkFinchem
and Jeff Zink in their election challenge.
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When is the last time you saw water in the Salt River in the middle of Phoenix?! Thank you, Mother Nature!
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.
@RepKinzinger
endorses three AZ Democratic candidates:
@katiehobbs
for governor,
@Adrian_Fontes
for secretary of state and Clint Smith for CD5, where he is challenging
@RepAndyBiggsAZ
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Kaboom! A fireworks bill passes 13-1 in House committee, with bipartisan support. HB2226 would bar overnight use of fireworks, with exceptions around New Year's Eve and July 4. Sponsored by
@DrAmishShah
w/ support from cities, veterans, police, animal protection groups
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Woot! Just learned I won first place in AZ Press Club's social-issues reporting for stories related to the child-welfare system.
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On 2-1 vote, the board decides to call a Friday meeting to have further presentation on the accreditation of the voting machines. This delays certification. Supervisor Crosby wants presentations from
@SecretaryHobbs
and people who spoke 11/18 about alleged issues w/accreditation
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Today is the deadline to register to vote if you want to have a say in the Aug. 2 primary. Info at Vote.Arizona or register online at
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Laughter from the audience as
@VinceLeach
defends pay raises for judges, noting if you want good applicants you have to pay them well. Many in the audience are teachers wearing Red for Ed tshirts.
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283
Another nod for
@Adrian_Fontes
from across the aisle: Former Maricopa County supervisor
@AndyKunasek
endorses the Democrat, citing
@RealMarkFinchem
's participation in J6. "Americans must repudiate elected leaders who participate in and even praise such subversive behavior."
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Democrats protest as Republicans shut down an attempt to bring the 1864 abortion bill to a vote. Although
@MatthewGress
made the motion, he sided with the GOP to recess the session — bringing action to a halt
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What's shaking in the AZ Secretary of State race? Lots:
A poll released by the
@Adrian_Fontes
campaign shows the Democrat leading Republican
@RealMarkFinchem
by 9 points, w/a 4.7% margin of error.
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AP has called Adrian Fontes the winner of the Democratic nomination for secretary of state. Bring on the Finchem-Fontes showdown.
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I'm not a coffee drinker, so can someone please tell me why Dutch Brothers is so popular with the long lines, especially at night?
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From
@SheriffPenzone
: if you are an elected official, and you use language about election process that riles the public, you will be listed on the report filed about election problems
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Cochise County official, once in doubt, now says she will vote to certify election results via
@azcentral
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Lawmakers are very concerned about ballot drop boxes. HB2238 would not permit “unmonitored” drop boxes for ballots. Here’s a drop box, out on a street curb, where ballots are dropped off. But no bills (yet) on
@USPS
mail boxes
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As House votes on party lines for universal vouchers, public school supporters shout “shame, shame” from the House gallery. If it passes the Senate as written, it would be the largest voucher program in the nation
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.
@SecretaryHobbs
send criminal referral to
@GeneralBrnovich
regarding Cochise supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby for their recalcitrance in canvassing election returns. This is the action that formally triggers a complaint.
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Change of fortune: Legislative budget officials say the state will end the budget year in June with a $400m deficit, reversing estimates of a $10m surplus. The main reason: lower income tax collections due to the flat income tax. Individual income tax collections down 27.4%
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School superintendents call on
@DougDucey
to keep his promise and call a special session focused only on the school spending limit, which would let Arizona's public district schools spend the money Ducey and lawmakers approved six months ago.
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Legislative Democrats schedule Thursday news conference to ask
@dougducey
to call a special session on the expenditure limit on K-12 schools. This adds to the drumbeat to lift the limit so schools can spend the$$ lawmakers OK'd 3 months ago. But where are the GOP voices?
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Arizona and
@dougDucey
may not be getting much national attention for the raging mask/vaccine debate, but
@ProjectLincoln
has noticed:
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Anti-voucher group Arizonans for Public Schools brought this check to Dream City Church, suggesting it reimburse the state for the
#ESA
money it has received.
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.
@aaron4az
suspends his campaign for governor, saying he doesn't see a path for him to win. He'll turn his efforts now to ensuring a Democrat wins the seat and that "Kari Lake gets nowhere near the governor's office."
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Judge Thomason denies request from
@AbrahamHamadeh
to intervene in recount and delay its results being announced.
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The Free and Fair Elections Act is cleared for the ballot, qualifying with 2,281 more signatures than required. This may not be over: There could be an appeal before the 5 pm today deadline to set the ballot
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These two put the fun in election wonkery. Lots of laughs at packed house for their discussion of elections and what should —and shouldn’t — change.
@Adrian_Fontes
@stephen_richer
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For all the obsessing about the use of Sharpies in marking ballots in November, curious that the Senate auditors would shrug off protocols about which pen/ink color to use during the hand count
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A new hire in
@AZSecretary
's office:
@LisaMarra
is on board as deputy state elections director, after leaving her elections post in Cochise County
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You gotta wonder if all this
#RedforEd
turmoil could have been avoided if
@dougducey
and
#KochBrothers
$$ hadn't worked to defeat penny tax increase in 2012. 1 cent = about $1B/year
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Great news! Our documentary on Arizona's child-welfare system has been nominated for an Emmy! And I always thought of myself as a PRINT journalist!
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.
@azcentral
newsroom votes in a union, 68% to 32%. That's a bigger margin than the 1978 effort, which was 56%-44%.
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Doug Logan of Cyber Ninjas has until Sept. 23 to produce a sworn statement on how many documents related to the Senate audit of the 2020 election are yet to be disclosed. Courts have ruled these documents -- emails, texts, Signal messages and others -- are public record
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@Adrian_Fontes
@Richer4Recorder
For the second general-election cycle in a row, we've had a Maricopa County recorder oversee the election -- including their own contest, where they lose to their opponent.
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Arizona school superintendents add their voices to the calls for a special legislative session to raise the Aggregate Expenditure Limit on Arizona's schools. W/out action, schools face a cut of 17% and won't be able to spend the $$ lawmakers allocated them in June.
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.
@Adrian_Fontes
has nearly twice as much cash on hand as
@RealMarkFinchem
in the race for AZ Sec of State, according to campaign finance reports through 9/30: $745,600 v. $384,750
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175
Impeachable? Secretary of State candidate
@Adrian_Fontes
calls on legislative leaders to explore possible impeachment of
@GeneralBrnovich
, citing his actions that prompted the Supreme Court to revisit rules on public attorneys and prosecutors, his support of ending early voting
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Four AZ Dems say they’ll identify as “Forward Democrats” — supporting centrist, bipartisan aims of the
@Fwd_party
.
@almahern
Consuelo Hernandez, Lydia Hernandez,
@Seaman4House16
Also on stage:
@SmithforAZ
who ran for Congress against
@andybiggs4az
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.
@Adrian_Fontes
campaign chair Marlene Woods notes more than 2 dozen election deniers are running for Secretary of State posts nationwide. “We have our own nut job here in Arizona,” Woods says, referring to
@RealMarkFinchem
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Sen.
@ChristinePMarsh
D-Phoenix, announces she will seek re-election to the Arizona Senate, in one of the state's key swing districts (LD 4)
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In an interview on
@ArizonaHorizon
,
@katiehobbs
calls the universal ESA (voucher) bill Alternative Fuels 2.0. “It’s going to break the budget,” she said of the increased spending on the expanded program.
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In Arizona's top election contests, Republicans have formed coalitions to support Democrats via
@azcentral
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Union-represented Gannett workers across America are mobilizing today to leave for lunch....the day before "necessary but painful" layoffs are expected. Our request to the largest newspaper chain in the United States is simple: Cut frivolous spending, not our jobs.
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Arizona secretary of state candidate Adrian Fontes: 'We've got to protect democracy' via
@azcentral
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Actor and ASDB alum Troy Kotsur asks legislative committee to continue the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind for 8 years. The committee is considering a 2-year continuation.
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Arizona Senate pays off the money owed to CyberNinjas, cutting a $100,000 check 3/29. The Senate had withheld full payment on the $150,000 contract until all the work was done. Guess that's done, now that the firm is no more?
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Crews ready the state Capitol for the Jan. 5 inauguration ceremony for
@katiehobbs
and five other statewide officeholders. The rose bushes have been temporarily relocated to make room for seating and the plaza is getting a cleaning aided (hindered?) by the rain.
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In the secretary of state debate,
@RealMarkFinchem
called Arizona's 2020 election "irredeemably compromised." When asked what was different in this year's primary election, which he won handily, Finchem said "the candidates".....
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A
@realSteveGaynor
TV ad says
@katiehobbs
spent years voting for tax hikes. Folks, tax hikes don't happen in the AZ Legislature. The one that did -- a temporary penny tax that
@GovBrewer
championed -- happened before Hobbs was elected
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They're alive! Arizona attorney general unearths no proof for claims of dead voters in 2020 election via
@azcentral
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Arizona teachers plan Friday news conference to call for 20% pay raises, just like
@dougducey
gave to his top staff.
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Black leaders blast Katie Hobbs after verdict in Arizona Senate discrimination case via
@azcentral
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.
@DougDucey
urged
@SecretaryHobbs
to Expedite review of petition signatures filed to block a voucher bill. But he didn’t expedite his own work on the bill, waiting the full 10 days the law allows to sign it. That reduced the 90 days for a referendum drive to 80
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One name stands out from the many donors to Fontes: Benjamin Finchem from Michigan, who gave $25 in early September and has tweeted before about his father being served with a subpoena from the
@January6thCmte
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A big day for
@RealmarkFinchem
in the news: His attorney sends cease and desist letter to broadcast media statewide, demanding they take down an anti-Finchem ad from
@azdemparty
because it falsely claims Finchem “helped organize the
January 6 protest where police were attacked.”
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema voted to limit background check reporting hours before Maine shootings via
@azcentral
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Wil they or won't they? Cochise Board of Supervisors about to start meeting at which they will consider whether to certify the 2022 election results. By law, they must certify, but two of the three have suggested they might not
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138
.
@jamescita
on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at the AZ Legislature calls for $ for ground-penetrating radar at AZ Indian school site to search for children's remains. This in light of discoveries at other Indian boarding schools
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State fire officials tiptoed around Q of role of climate change in AZ wildfires, but state fire mgmt officer John Truett tells lawmakers water sources are drying up. “The availability of what we usually have – the ponds, the lakes, -- it’s basically non existent.”
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139
Did a double take when I saw this headline — thought it was from the way-back machine!
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Arizona's 'In God We Trust' license plates fund anti-LGBT group; lawmaker wants to put a stop to it via
@azcentral
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.
@GovernorHobbs
establishes a bipartisan Elections Task Force to come up with improvements to Arizona's elections procedures with a focus on security and accessibility; report due Nov. 1.
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Court hearing ongoing in Prescott re:
@GeneralBrnovich
case against
@SecretaryHobbs
over the Elections Procedures Manual. First Q from teh judge: Why isn't the governor involved in this? His approval is needed for the manual to be in force. AG: WE can add him to this later
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The Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says
@dougducey
's decision to rescind his executive order on mask use at schools could lead people to think the pandemic is over. It isn't, says Dr. Jason Vargas, pres of the AZ chapter:
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The effort to eliminate vote by mail in Arizona continues: SB1571, which passed a Senate committee Tuesday, requiress early ballot must be returned in person. The return can be to a dropbox, but only if the box is equipped with a camera and the technology to print out a receipt
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.
@SenatorSinema
was at Grant Woods' memorial service; one observer noted it's pretty risky to drop into a crowd of Democrats at a time like this.
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For the last 1 1/2 years, there have been news reports based on Finchem's own tweets that showed he was in regular communication with Ali Alexander who was key in organizing the "Stop the Steal" protest in DC on Jan. 6. Finchem was slated to give a speech at the rally/protest..
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To the tune of $1.4m,
@MoveOn
funds an independent expenditure committee to oppose
@RealMarkFinchem
for AZ Secretary of State
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Condemnation from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors of
@GeneralBrnovich
‘s investigation of 2020 election. He went looking for fraud but found none, says supervisor Thomas Galvan
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130
In Kari Lake's campaign for governor, misinformation and deception remain hallmarks via
@azcentral
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Ending classes early, axing graduations: Arizona schools face big cuts as Legislature idles via
@azcentral
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Congrats to my colleague and bureau buddy! Stacey Barchenger named journalist of the year by Arizona Newspapers Association via
@azcentral
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Maricopa County: The bottom line: the AG has not identified even a single instance where a ballot was accepted with a non-matching signature (or signature that was later cured).
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Parents, children, lawmakers show support for universal education scholarship accounts for private education, pushing back against
@GovernorHobbs
proposal to roll back the program to what it was last year
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