Mark Kelly

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.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has introduced the No Public Executions in America Act, legislation that would prohibit federal officials and Defense Department personnel from recording, streaming, publishing or distributing footage of executions. The bill would also bar the use of taxpayer money to publicly distribute video of federal executions.

The measure follows President Donald Trump's decision to abandon plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Kelly has characterized broadcasting executions as dangerous and un-American, arguing that public distribution of such footage crosses a line regardless of the circumstances surrounding a case.

The proposal sets up a potential legislative fight over how the federal government handles execution transparency and media access going forward, and could affect future policy on military and federal capital punishment procedures.

Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas, said he would not support Sen. Charles Schumer's bid to remain Senate Democratic leader, citing a need for "fresh ideas" and "fresh people." Hamilton, a Methodist pastor and former Republican running as a centrist against GOP Sen. Roger Marshall, made the comments Sunday on ABC's "This Week." He has held a slight edge in recent polling, fueling Democratic hopes of flipping the seat as part of a path back to a Senate majority.

No Democrat has formally challenged Schumer's leadership, but Hamilton named Sens. Tim Kaine, Mark Kelly, and Elissa Slotkin as senators he respects who could fill the role. He also pointed to Vice President J.D. Vance's recent campaign visit to Kansas for Marshall as evidence Republicans are worried about the race. Hamilton further distanced himself from national Democratic positioning, saying he opposes biological men competing in women's sports while criticizing Republican rhetoric he called fearmongering toward transgender people.

Giffords PAC, the gun-control group led by former Rep. Gabby Giffords and backed by Sen. Mark Kelly, has made Pennsylvania a central battleground in its effort to help Democrats win a House majority. The PAC is endorsing nine Pennsylvania candidates, including Gov. Josh Shapiro as he seeks reelection against Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity, who has the NRA's backing. Other endorsees include Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, Janelle Stelson, and incumbent Reps. Madeleine Dean, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, Summer Lee, and Mary Gay Scanlon. Notably, the PAC also endorsed Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who has an "F" rating from the NRA.

The group has committed roughly $850,000 toward Cognetti's congressional bid alone and plans to spend $10 million nationally this cycle. Cognetti's opponent, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, has pushed back, citing her past comments questioning police and citizen gun ownership. Giffords PAC frames Pennsylvania as pivotal not only for 2026 but for positioning ahead of 2028, underscoring how gun policy remains a flashpoint in competitive House races nationwide.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear campaigned across South Carolina's Orangeburg and Charleston counties on Oct. 2, stumping for local Democratic candidates while fueling speculation about a possible 2028 presidential bid. He framed his pitch around having won two elections as a Democratic governor in a heavily Republican state, arguing liberal candidates need not avoid contentious issues such as transgender rights or diversity policies to win. Beshear said he has vetoed anti-diversity, anti-abortion-rights and anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Kentucky and urged Democrats to spend most of their time on bread-and-butter issues like roads, schools and healthcare, while speaking about hot-button topics in plain language rather than "advocacy speak."

He also called for constitutional changes banning partisan redistricting, imposing congressional and Supreme Court term limits, and tightening campaign finance rules. Beshear's visit came as South Carolina Sen. Mark Kelly and Rep. Ro Khanna also campaigned in the state the same weekend, ahead of its first-in-the-nation status on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar.

A new state audit has intensified debate over Arizona's Parents as Paid Caregivers program, which pays parents to care for children with severe disabilities. Auditors found the state could have saved up to half a billion dollars in fiscal year 2026 had officials fully implemented cost-control measures required under a 2025 law, including a new assessment tool that Gov. Katie Hobbs suspended amid threatened litigation from advocacy groups.

The program's costs have surged as it expanded from covering adult children to minors during the pandemic; related attendant-care spending rose from $77 million in 2019 to nearly $615 million in 2025, with the parent caregiver program driving much of the increase. About 8,800 children now receive parent-provided care, up from roughly 3,469 in 2023.

Republican lawmakers, including Rep. David Livingston and Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, call the program "out-of-control" and want deeper cuts, while Hobbs' office and disability advocates warn that reducing hours could force children into costlier institutional or foster care. A legislative hearing is expected early next year.

San Diego's congressional delegation—Reps. Mike Levin, Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs and Juan Vargas—sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao demanding answers over reported poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier and its roughly 5,000 sailors have been deployed since Thanksgiving supporting operations related to the war in Iran, exceeding 240 consecutive days at sea without a port stop and well past an initial May return date. Reports describe moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, food and supply shortages, and sailors attempting to jump overboard amid fatigue concerns.

Arizona Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have also demanded Pentagon accountability, with Kelly citing sailors' mental health struggles. Hegseth has publicly denied the reports, accusing media of misrepresenting the strike group's mission. Lawmakers posed detailed questions about supply delays, safety reporting channels, meal access, and disease prevention. President Trump said the Lincoln will soon be relieved by the USS George Washington, though officials say that ship's arrival could still take several weeks, and he maintains the deployment has not been excessively long.
Lawmakers from San Diego and Arizona press the Pentagon over hardship conditions during the USS Abraham Lincoln's extended deployment.