Arizona

Arizona Democrats say they are "cautiously optimistic" about flipping the state Legislature, where Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the Senate (17-13) and House (33-27). House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos points to a cost-of-living backlash against Republican policies as a key factor, while Senate Pro Tempore T.J. Shope says the GOP's candidates and messaging will hold the majority. Every seat in both chambers is up for election, but only a handful of districts are genuinely competitive. If Democrats win both chambers alongside Gov. Katie Hobbs's re-election, it would end years of divided government and Hobbs's record pace of vetoes.

Bo Tyler Hounshell, son of the former Apache County sheriff, has been arrested on charges of impersonating a sheriff's deputy and misconduct involving weapons, and is held on a $100,000 cash bond. Investigators say Hounshell, who works in the county's emergency management "drone unit," used an unmarked county truck to pose as a deputy, including visiting a friend's ex-wife and urging reconciliation. The Coconino County Attorney's Office is handling the case due to his parents' county roles. The arrest follows an Arizona DPS drug search of his home and comes weeks after separate DUI and child abuse charges tied to a traffic stop with his young son in the vehicle.

Project 50, a political group founded by Illinois abortion-rights veterans including former state Sen. Heather Steans and ex-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is working to replicate Illinois' decades-old shift toward abortion access by targeting state legislative races in conservative states with bans or heavy restrictions. After early setbacks in Arizona, the group refocused on culturally conservative states in 2023, winning three races in its first three years and four more in 2025, including in Virginia. It has raised over $3.7 million from donors such as Michael Bloomberg and Gov. JB Pritzker. Organizers say the strategy targets voters uneasy with total abortion bans, not broad support for unrestricted access. Abortion-rights opponents call its electoral impact limited so far.

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi and co-founders Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara, alleging illegal promotion of online gambling, including a pattern of unlawful activity felony and multiple felony and misdemeanor counts. Charging documents cite an undercover agent placing sports bets on the platform in September, after a federal judge ruled in August that federal law did not bar Utah from enforcing its gambling statutes against Kalshi.

The move follows Brown's earlier civil lawsuit and comes a day after the CFTC sued to block Utah's enforcement. Kalshi called the charges political overreach and vowed to fight them, as it did successfully in Arizona, the only other state to bring a criminal case.

Civil rights leader and labor organizer Dolores Huerta died Wednesday at age 96. Co-founder of the United Farm Workers union, Huerta coined the rallying cry "Sí, se puede!" during a 1972 Phoenix protest against an anti-labor law and spent decades advocating for farmworkers, women, and civil rights, including later campaigns against SB1070 and for the Equal Rights Amendment.

Arizona officials across parties and government, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Greg Stanton and Adelita Grijalva, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and Councilmember Betty Guardado, praised her lasting influence on the state and nation. A candlelight vigil was held outside Phoenix City Hall in her honor.

A new HighGround poll shows Democrats ahead in Arizona's top statewide races one week before Election Day. Gov. Katie Hobbs leads Republican Andy Biggs, Democrat Adrian Fontes leads Republican Alexander Kolodin for secretary of state, and Democrat Kris Mayes leads Republican Warren Petersen for attorney general. The results are notable in a state where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by roughly 300,000 voters.

Leading GOP candidates have embraced or been endorsed by President Donald Trump, which helped in primaries but appears to be a drag in the general election as Trump's approval rating has slipped. Analysts note undecided voters remain limited, though races could still tighten before polls close.