Arizona

Gallego’s Arizona Senate run puts Democrats in a bind

Published

2 years ago

January 29, 2023

Gallego’s Arizona Senate run puts Democrats in a bind

Last election cycle, sufficient aggressive Senate races went Democrats’ method to give them a fragile 51-49 majority within the higher chamber. However the get together is staring down a tough electoral map for 2024, one which bought even worse on Monday with Rep. Ruben Gallego’s (D-AZ) entrance into the Arizona Senate race.

His bid units up what is predicted to be a three-way contest between Gallego, the Republican nominee, and newly impartial Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), assuming she decides to run. This prospect has the GOP optimistic, as Sinema, who left the Democratic Get together in December, might siphon votes away from progressive challenger Gallego.

REP RUBEN GALLEGO ANNOUNCES RUN FOR KYRSTEN SINEMA’S SENATE SEAT

Democrats have been already coping with a 2024 headache, with almost half of the Democratic caucus — 23 senators — up for reelection, a number of in states former President Donald Trump gained in both 2016 or 2020.

Now, to avoid wasting the seat, Democrats will really feel inclined to again an impartial incumbent though she left the get together abruptly after years of angering her colleagues by stalling the extra progressive features of their agenda.

“That is completely a priority. The concept two Democratic or Democratic-affiliated candidates with one working as an impartial, each on the poll on the identical time, you recognize — that’s an actual concern that they cannibalize one another’s votes,” mentioned Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

“One has to judge very rigorously if it’s value tempting destiny in such a method, the place, finest intentions apart, you find yourself having a really winnable race for both Sinema or, completely, for Gallego. You can find yourself handing an in any other case winnable Democratic seat to a Republican,” he added.

KYRSTEN SINEMA LEAVING DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO REGISTER AS INDEPENDENT

Gallego instructed Politico this week that fears his candidacy will break up Democratic votes within the state are overblown.

“Let’s be clear about one factor: Sinema will not be going to separate the Democratic vote. She’s much more unpopular with Democrats than she is with Republicans and really has a greater likelihood of taking votes away from their facet in the event that they nominate one other MAGA candidate, which they seemingly will,” he mentioned.

For many years, Arizona was a Republican stronghold, nevertheless it has turn out to be extra aggressive lately. The final couple of statewide elections have been gained by razor-thin margins by Democrats.

This previous November, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) defeated Republican challenger Blake Masters by 4.9 share factors. Sinema narrowly defeated Republican Martha McSally in 2018 by simply over 38,000 votes and about 1.7 share factors. The race took almost every week to name. Independents and unaffiliated voters have tripled over the past 30 years to 1.4 million and make up a few third of the voting inhabitants.

All through Kelly’s most up-to-date profitable marketing campaign, he catered to this key voting bloc by taking part in up his disagreements with President Joe Biden on immigration coverage and casting himself within the mould of his predecessor, the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). For that reason, some Democrats within the state fear about how a progressive like Gallego will fare with the state’s citizens.

“Anybody who appears to be like at our state and thinks it’s purple and even trending blue is critically placing their head within the sand,” mentioned a Democratic strategist in Arizona who weighed in anonymously to mirror candidly on the state of affairs. “There have been some extenuating circumstances within the final couple of elections that compelled some Republican and impartial voters over to our nook. Whereas Sinema has been a thorn within the facet of many Democrats, she’s the correct of candidate to win in Arizona, and I fear a extra progressive candidate will flip off voters.”

Different Democrats within the state really feel otherwise and suppose the fifth-term Home Democrat’s background as a veteran, and the truth that he will probably be working to turn out to be the state’s first Latino senator, might generate pleasure amongst each Democrats and independents.

“It’s a possible danger given the make-up of Arizona, however I might once more say he’s bought loads of time,” mentioned Matt Grodsky, an Arizona Democratic strategist with Issues of State Methods.

“He is bought vitality and momentum, and he is bought time to construct a coalition. I imply, I’m by no means gonna wager towards a Latino in Arizona or Latino who was a Marine,” he added. “I feel if he is bought sufficient of the enterprise group, independents, stakeholders throughout the state, he might be formidable.”

Grodsky identified that if Sinema decides to run for reelection as an impartial within the state, she’ll face a considerably increased signature threshold to get on the poll.

“Once you’re an impartial, that’s considerably extra signatures. So, Sinema has to recover from 50,000 signatures to look on the poll. She’ll in all probability have to get one thing like 70,000 to have a wholesome buffer. So, the actual factor I’d be searching for, given the very fact she has a 12 months and a few months to make it on the poll, does her marketing campaign begin making expenditures to receives a commission circulators out making an attempt to get folks to signal?” he mentioned.

Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declined to say whether or not he would again Sinema if she decides to run for reelection this week, however he praised her as an “glorious senator.”

“Look, Sen. Sinema is a superb Congress member and Senate member, and he or she’s executed a variety of good issues right here, nevertheless it’s a lot too early to decide,” he mentioned throughout his weekly press convention when requested whether or not he would endorse the Arizona senator over a Democratic challenger.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who leads the Democratic Senatorial Marketing campaign Committee, mentioned they haven’t determined the right way to proceed with the race in Arizona and whether or not the committee will again the newly impartial senator or a Democratic nominee.

“It’s nonetheless actually early,” Peters instructed reporters this week.

In previous races, the DSCC has backed independents who caucus with Democrats. They’ll additionally assist increase impartial candidates who caucus with them with out an precise endorsement. In 2012, the marketing campaign arm didn’t particularly endorse Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Democrats, however funded adverts towards Republican challenger Charlie Summers. The DSCC additionally supported impartial candidate Al Gross within the Alaska Senate race in 2020.

“All of them have made, what’s for proper now, a wise strategic calculation, which is to take a seat again and let this play out. I feel the get together doesn’t need to be seen as putting their thumbs on any scales,” Reinish mentioned. “These are good, strategic, but additionally cautious and self-protective folks. They’ve a slim majority to guard, and so they have a extremely powerful map in 2024. They’ll do what’s proper, preserving that map in thoughts. They’ve, as soon as once more, actually no margin for error.”

Senate Republicans are watching from the sidelines, many popping out publicly to induce the Arizona senator to modify sides and caucus with them.

“Clearly, we’d like to have her turn out to be a Republican or not less than caucus [with] Republicans. That might make issues a bit of extra clear,” mentioned Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the minority whip.

Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appeared to brag this week, calling Gallego’s bid a “large dilemma” for Senate Democrats.

“Sen. Sinema has been an necessary half in the USA Senate. Crucial factor she did was to avoid wasting the establishment itself by defending the filibuster,” he mentioned. “She’s additionally been a major a part of the bipartisan agreements which have been reached within the Senate.”

“As as to if or not she chooses to run once more is actually her resolution, and I feel it’s a large dilemma for the Senate Democratic majority to resolve whether or not to assist her or to assist any individual working on the Democratic ticket,” he added.

Although the election is almost two years away, Republicans see the state of affairs unfolding in Arizona as a significant alternative.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“The Democrat civil battle is on in Arizona,” mentioned Philip Letsou, a spokesman for the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee. “Chuck Schumer has a selection: Stand with open borders radical Ruben Gallego or again his incumbent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.”

Jon Seaton, a Republican political strategist and founding accomplice of the agency Camelback Technique Group in Arizona, mentioned the state might function a really promising pickup alternative and might be a deciding think about whether or not Republicans take again management of the Senate in 2024.

“Republicans actually ought to choose up this seat. I assume the few unknowns up to now are: Does Sinema find yourself working, and do Republicans nominate a candidate who can win statewide in Arizona? I feel the dynamics of the race up to now, on the outset, are very, superb for Republicans,” Seaton mentioned.

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Arizona

Instant Grades: Cardinals Sabotage Playoff Hopes

Published

13 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Instant Grades: Cardinals Sabotage Playoff Hopes

The story since the bye week has largely been the same game after game. The Arizona Cardinals had two chances to beat the Seattle Seahawks and fight for first place in the division. They failed both times.

Today, they needed to beat the Carolina Panthers to stay in the hunt with the LA Rams beating the New York Jets. They failed.

The underlying issues of why this is happening is another issue for another article, but the fact is that the Arizona Cardinals are out of the playoff hunt and already looking forward to 2025.

In the meantime, what happened today and how did the various position groups perform? Let’s take a look.

Quarterback – C-

No, Kyler Murray didn’t put the entire team on his back today to force a win, but it also can not be argued that he had much help from the team around him other than James Conner. That is not an excuse though for a player in his sixth NFL season with a massive contract that comes with high performance expectations.

Still, Murray is supposed to be a special player and he did not look special today. There was a flash of the special quarterback in the fourth quarter with a 20-yard rushing touchdown, but it was too little too late.

Most concerning, late in the fourth quarter Murray made a boneheaded mistake throwing to a spot of the field without an obvious receiver and the Panthers picked off the floater and held the ball till the very end, effectively ending Arizona’s season. There has not been a game since the bye in which Murray has not made a similarly mind-bogglingly bad play.

Offensive Line – B-

There were certainly concerns about the offensive line going into this game with left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. out with a knee injury and center Hjalte Froholdt suffering from an illness.

Thankfully, Froholdt was able to play through illness and Kelvin Beachum plugged in at left tackle and played another decent game.

Overall, the offensive line played a fine game and were one of the few position groups that showed up and simply did their job althought their performance was noticeably impacted after Jonah Williams went to locker room with a knee issue in the third quarter.

Tight End – C

Hard to really grade this position since, in a major switch from previous weeks, Trey McBride did not feature heavily for the Cardinals offense.

McBride caught three of the four balls that came his way, but only for a gain of 20 yards and once again was kept out of the end zone to extend his scoreless streak.

Running Back – A

James Conner is every coaches dream power back. After Petzing belatedly figured out that the Panthers possess the worst run defense in the league, Conner truly took over the offense.

Sadly, Conner hurt his knee in the third quarter and did not reenter the game leaving Michael Carter and DeeJay Dallas as the remaining active running backs.

Without Conner’s special gifts the Cardinals offense was not the same and the Panthers took advantage of that fact.

Wide Receiver – C-

The reader would be excused for not believing the Cardinals have any wide receivers on the roster considering the lack of impact they have had in several games this season.

Petzing has faced severe backlash for not finding ways to get the ball to the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, Marvin Harrison, Jr, and for good reason. Still, trying to force the ball to Harrison, Jr. has not worked out and the connection between Murray and his rookie receiver is still not there.

Michael Wilson has shown up in big moments several times this year and did have a major 38-yard grab in the third quarter that gave the Cardinals some life.

Defensive Line – C-

The Cardinals defensive line failed in the two areas that were criticial to helping their team succeed this afternoon; contain Chuba Hubbard and put pressure on Bryce Young.

Naquan Jones was the only defensive lineman to actually get to Young but otherwise the young, second-year quarterback had time to do what he wanted and even saw multiple gaps open up through the defensive line and broke off some major runs that put the Cardinals in a hole early.

Hubbard really started to have his way in the second half and on several drives basically controlled the entire Panthers offense, often getting through the first line of defense untouched.

Linebacker – C+

The most that can really be said for this group is that Baron Browning flashes occasionally and did manage to get Young on the ground today for a sack.

Otherwise, the linebackers did not have a significant impact on this game after being one of the most consistent position groups all season. That being said, Kyzir White’s sack in overtime gave the Cardinals much needed hope and forced a punt, but again, too little too late.

The problems containing Panthers running back Hubbard might have started with the defensive line but the linebackers are supposed to stem the bleeding and they failed consistently in that effort in the second half.

Secondary – B-

Young did not have an inspired passing game today at all, and that is largely thanks to a sticky Cardinals secondary that did not allow him many easy downfield passes.

Rookie Max Melton had some rookie moments, but he continues to show some flashes that indicate a bright future in the league. It was second-year cornerback Garrett Williams that had some coverage issues.

Budda Baker did Budda Baker things but a big coverage whiff in the fourth quarter put the Cardinals in tough position. Fellow safety Jalen Thompson teamed up with Baker to clean up a lot of mistakes.

Sean Murphy-Bunting has struggled in big moments all season and today was not an exception. Needing a big stop early in the fourth quarter he allowed a corner of the end zone touchdown that put the Panthers up by ten and effectively ended the Cardinals season. A bad individual performance but not necessarily indicative of the entire position group’s performance.

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Arizona

Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers live score updates for NFL Week 16 game today

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers live score updates for NFL Week 16 game today

The Arizona Cardinals continue their 2024 NFL regular season schedule with an NFL Week 16 game against the Carolina Panthers today.

The Cardinals are coming off a 30-17 win against the New England Patriots at home in NFL Week 15.

The Panthers lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 30-14.

The Cardinals are 7-7 on the season. The Panthers are 3-11.

Follow our live updates of the game, which is being played at Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium, for the latest score, news, notes and analysis of the Week 16 NFL game Sunday.

Watch Cardinals at Panthers with FUBO (free trial)

Cardinals vs Panthers schedule: What time is NFL Week 16 game?

The game is on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 11 a.m. MST, 1 p.m. ET.

Cardinals vs Panthers TV: What channel is NFL Week 16 game on?

The game can be seen on FOX.

Cardinals vs Panthers streaming: How do I watch NFL Week 16 game on livestream?

Streaming options for the Cardinals at Panthers game include FUBO and other streaming services that carry FOX.

Cardinals vs Panthers announcers: Who is calling the NFL Week 16 game?

Chris Myers (play-by-play) and Mark Schlereth (analyst) are scheduled to be the announcers for the Cardinals-Panthers Week 16 NFL game.

Cardinals vs Panthers game odds: Who is favored in NFL Week 16?

The Cardinals are a four-point favorite over the Panthers in NFL Week 16 odds for the game, courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.

Arizona is -225 on the moneyline, while Carolina is +180.

The over/under (point total) is set at 47 points.

Pregame reading for Cardinals at Panthers game today

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Arizona

Arizona ‘villain’ Charles Smith arrested after filming himself spray bug killer pesticide on food inside Walmart

Published

16 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Arizona ‘villain’ Charles Smith arrested after filming himself spray bug killer pesticide on food inside Walmart

A self-described Arizona social media “villain” was arrested after he filmed himself allegedly spraying bed bug killer on groceries inside a Walmart as he boasted to police about his prank videos.

Charles Smith, 27, is accused of grabbing a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer and unleashing the pesticide on a series of perishable items in the Mesa, Ariz. megastore around 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 19.

In the now-deleted video, the influencer filmed himself wearing a black hoodie and pink bandana while spraying the toxin on bananas, acorn squash, potatoes, lemons, green apples and Roma tomatoes at the store — located in a neighborhood southeast of Phoenix.

Police claim the TikTokker, who goes by the username WolfieKahletti, intentionally went to the store to film pranks for his channel.

Smith identifies as an online “troll,” according to court documents viewed by Az Family. He has more than 300,000 followers on TikTok.

The troublemaker allegedly told police that he makes between $6,000 – $10,000 per month filming his provocative prank videos.

”I think social media has got people doing crazy things out here,” Walmart shopper Xavier Griego told the outlet. “It’s unfortunate that somebody would mess up their whole life, potentially, for something on social media for views.”

Smith voluntarily turned himself over to police on Dec. 21.

He faces charges of introducing poison (a felony) as well as three misdemeanors that include criminal damage, endangerment and theft.

A spokesperson from Walmart told AZ Family that store employees removed the directly impacted products and cleaned the affected areas of the store.

It’s not clear if any customers were injured from eating the contaminated items.

“This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks,” the Mesa Police Department said in a statement.

Other videos posted online by Smith include the posts of him seemingly mixing in bacon and eggs in a stranger’s load at the laundromat as well as locking people inside a different grocery store.

The spray is “harmful if swallowed” and “prolonged or frequently repeated skin contact may cause allergic reactions in some individuals” per HotShot’s website.

Suspects convicted of tampering with consumer products face up to 5 to 20 years in prison.

In 2022, an Arizona man was sentenced to 10 years of probation after being convicted of adding harmful chemicals to food at several retail stores in the Phoenix area.

David Lohr was ordered to pay restitution to a grocery chain for $390.42 and ordered to participate in a mental health evaluation and any additional recommended treatment.

There were no reported injuries or illnesses associated with the tampered items during the 2018 stunt, prosecutors said.

Lohr was accused of tampering with products at stores in California one year later and sentenced to a 51-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release with mental health services.

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