Arizona

Arizona has a Democratic governor and attorney general holding the line against a Republican legislature. Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the entire $17.9 billion state budget and imposed a bill moratorium. AG Kris Mayes has filed 41 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Both face re-election in November 2026.

The legislature expanded the nation’s first universal school voucher program to 102,500 students. A state audit found oversight was “haphazard”, and $10 million in taxpayer funds were misspent. Voters approved Prop 314 to let state police enforce immigration law.

---

Hobbs vetoed the entire state budget

On May 5, 2026, Governor Hobbs vetoed all 17 bills that made up the $17.9 billion Republican budget package. She called it “unbalanced and reckless” and said it would default on debt obligations, slash public safety funding, and pay for tax breaks to billionaires by kicking Arizonans off their healthcare.

The fight started in March when Republicans refused to extend Proposition 123, a $300 million annual K-12 funding source that expired in 2025. Hobbs walked away from negotiations and on April 13 declared a blanket bill moratorium.

The moratorium lasted a month. Two bills were exempted for public safety. Every other bill that reached her desk was vetoed. When the Republican budget finally arrived, she vetoed that too.

In her veto letter to House Speaker Steve Montenegro, she wrote three words that summarized the standoff. “I am ready when you are.”

---

A billion-dollar voucher program with no oversight

Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts were supposed to cost $65 million when the legislature expanded them to all students in 2022. Three years later, the program costs over $1 billion annually. More than 102,500 students are enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year, a 60% increase in three years.

$10 million in taxpayer funds misspent by 20% of ESA parents, including purchases of iPhones, widescreen TVs, and Kenmore appliances

The state Auditor General released a report in May 2026 describing oversight as “haphazard, continually changing and lacking concrete instructions.” Superintendent Tom Horne ordered automatic approval of all purchases under $2,000 starting in December 2024. That pushed 2.3 million transactions worth $654 million through with no human review.

Auto-approved purchases included amusement park tickets, airline tickets, hotel stays, and meals. In 14 of 15 cases where the department’s own auditors flagged unallowable purchases, managers took no action.

The program also skews heavily toward wealth. Brookings found 52% of recipients come from zip codes in the top income quartile, with median incomes between $81,000 and $178,000. Only 5% come from the lowest income quartile. Students with disabilities dropped from 60% of users before the universal expansion to 18% today.

Who benefits	Share of ESA recipients
Top income quartile zip codes	52%
Above-average income zip codes	75%
Lowest income quartile zip codes	5%
Students with disabilities (pre-expansion)	60%
Students with disabilities (today)	18%

AG Kris Mayes is investigating the fraud and considering a lawsuit against Superintendent Horne. Only $1.2 million of the $10 million has been recovered.

---

Kris Mayes filed 41 lawsuits and saved $1.5 billion

$1.5 billion in federal funds saved through 41 lawsuits against the Trump administration since January 2025

In 75% of cases where judges have issued rulings, the most recent ruling went in her favor. In 15 cases, courts granted temporary relief blocking federal action while litigation continues.

Both Republican AG candidates, Warren Petersen and Rodney Glassman, are running on the message that Mayes focused on suing Trump instead of protecting Arizonans. Petersen outraised Mayes last quarter at roughly $790,000, but Mayes holds about $400,000 more in cash on hand.

---

Prop 314 turned immigration enforcement into state law

Arizona voters approved Proposition 314 in November 2024 by nearly 2-to-1. The measure makes it a state crime for noncitizens to enter Arizona outside official ports of entry and allows local police to make arrests. State judges can order deportations. First-time convictions carry up to six months in jail.

Critics call it SB 1070 on steroids. In 2010, Arizona passed SB 1070, the “show me your papers” law. In 2012, the Supreme Court struck down three of its four provisions, ruling that immigration enforcement belongs to the federal government.

$224 million to $447 million projected annual detention costs under Prop 314, according to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress

The main enforcement provisions cannot take effect until a similar law in Texas has been in effect for 60 consecutive days, or until the Supreme Court overturns its 2012 ruling. As of May 2026, federal courts have blocked those Texas provisions.

---

Armed federal agents at every polling place

SB 1570, sponsored by Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), would have required ICE agents at every Arizona polling location, early voting site, and ballot drop box for the 2026 election. County recorders would have been forced to sign written agreements with federal immigration agencies to make it happen.

The bill stalled in committee in February 2026 after a six-hour hearing. It missed the deadline to advance and is effectively dead for this session. But no bill is ever truly dead at the Arizona Capitol. Lawmakers can revive it as a strike-everything amendment in the House.

The ACLU cited federal statutes prohibiting “conspiring to prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote.” Civil rights groups called it voter suppression dressed up as election integrity.

What SB 1570 would have done	Status
ICE at every polling location	Dead in committee (Feb 2026)
ICE at every early voting site	Dead in committee
ICE at every ballot drop box	Dead in committee
Can be revived as strike-everything amendment	Yes

---

2026 puts the governor, AG, and superintendent on the same ballot

Arizona’s three most contested statewide offices are all up in November 2026. The results will determine whether the state keeps its Democratic firewall or hands full control to Republicans.

Race	Democrat	Republican frontrunner	Primary
Governor	Katie Hobbs (incumbent)	Andy Biggs (Trump-endorsed)	July 21
Attorney General	Kris Mayes (incumbent)	Warren Petersen / Rodney Glassman	July 21
Superintendent	Teresa Leyba Ruiz	Tom Horne (incumbent)	July 21

In the governor’s race, Biggs leads the Republican primary with 48-50% support. Trump endorsed him. In a general election matchup, Hobbs leads Biggs 44-43 (Emerson) or 41-37 (Noble Predictive Insights). A third of GOP primary voters remain undecided.

The superintendent race matters more than it looks. Tom Horne is the official who ordered automatic approval of all ESA voucher purchases under $2,000, creating the oversight collapse the Auditor General flagged. If he wins re-election, that approach to the billion-dollar voucher program continues.

---

Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration. The primary is July 21. Verify your status at azsos.gov. Arizona’s registration deadline is 29 days before election day.

2. Know your school’s ESA exposure. If your district is losing students to the voucher program, your school board needs to hear from you before the next budget cycle. Ask how many students have left and what the funding impact is.

3. Track your federal benefits. AG Mayes has blocked cuts to NIH grants, SNAP benefits, education funding, and the federal funding freeze. If you receive federal benefits, verify your status now. Do not assume they are secure.

4. Watch for SB 1570 revivals. The ICE-at-polling-places bill can come back as a strike-everything amendment at any time. Follow AZ Mirror and KJZZ for legislative tracking.

5. Call the governor’s office. 602-542-4331. Tell them whether the budget veto matters to you. Tell them what Prop 123 funding means for your district’s schools.