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I spent last night with Arizona dems as their world fell apart

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I spent last night with Arizona dems as their world fell apart


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The problem with holding a election-night watch party in the mountain time zone is that by the time people start to roll in, the night will have already taken a turn. After racking up historic wins during the Trump era, Arizona Democrats entered the 2024 election hoping to keep the positive results coming. But at the party’s official celebration at an upscale hotel and conference center in north Phoenix on Tuesday, the mood started off anxious.

When I asked Mary Kuckertz, a mental-health professional from Tempe, how she was feeling, she used a term that to seemed to capture the spirit of the Democratic electorate: “Nauseously optimistic.”

At that point in the night, Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to victory was narrowing but still possible, and Kuckertz, a mental-health researcher, was thinking about what a second Trump term would mean. “So much funding got cut when Trump was president—all of these really phenomenal programs that we’re bringing these mental health services to children and families who really needed it, so many of those services have totally gone by the wayside,” she said. “I can’t handle more trans kids not getting access to basic human care.”

Arizona Dems getting nervous as the hour gets later at the watch party.Cassidy Arai

Arizona was the epicenter for the popular front against Donald Trump and his allies, and the people in the room were a reminder of what this coalition of moderate Republicans, Native Americans, Black and Latino voters, and college-educated whites had accomplished over the last eight years. Attendees heard from Gov. Katie Hobbs, who defeated election-denier Kari Lake two years ago; and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who defeated election denier Mark Finchem that same year; and Sen. Mark Kelly, who defeated Peter Thiel acolyte Blake Masters in 2022 and Trump-backed Rep. Martha McSally two years before that. The volunteers and organizers in the room had flipped a Senate seat in 2018 and knocked Sheriff Joe Arpaio from office in 2016. And on Tuesday, when almost everything else was looking grim, they had delivered a historic policy win—passing Prop 139, a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to an abortion in the state to the point of viability. It wasn’t particularly close.

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These were major accomplishments—the product of years or organizing and tactical ticket-splitting. There was another possible silver lining, too: Lake could lose again, this time to Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who predicted victory in a speech last night, but cautioned supporters that it might take time for the race to be called. (It still hasn’t been.) Gallego, a Marine veteran who was raised by a single mother, would be the state’s first Latino senator, and he ran well ahead of the presidential ticket—particularly among Latino men. He succeeded less through any sort of anti-Trump messaging than through an aspirational pitch for the American Dream and working-class economic priorities.

The longer things went on, though, the more dissonant it seemed to hear Harry Styles and “Mr. Brightside” blaring over the speakers while Steve Kornacki pointed at an increasingly crimson map. (Pick a state—it didn’t seem to matter.) The crowd dwindled, and people started to hit the cash bar with a bit more purpose. 

When I asked Denise Deubery, who was watching the MSNBC feed, how she was feeling, she told me “the best way to put it is nauseously optimistic.”

Breaking down the setup at the watch party on Election Day at the Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak in Phoenix.Cassidy Arai

The phrase was apparently catching on. But the meaning was a little different. The nauseous part was obvious, of course, but as the networks prepared to call more states that would narrow Harris’ path to victory even more, why was Deubery optimistic? It wasn’t about Harris’ chances, she said, but about the work that had brought them all there.

“I’ve never been amongst more encouraging individuals that I’ll probably never meet again in my life,” she said. She’d been volunteering since September. The fight gave her hope. It was the type of thing you could build on. “I’ve never been more of a proud American.”

By the time Fontes spoke, to officially wind the ceremonies down, there were more photographers than partisans on floor. “Wipe that frigging sourpuss face off of your face,” he implored anyone listening. Determined to put a positive spin on things, he noted the high number of outstanding ballots to count in Maricopa, and asked Democrats to be patient as results trickled in over the coming days.

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“The last thing in the world I want to see out of my Democratic Party is a lot of pearl-clutching, a lot of hand-wringing, and a lot of naysaying,” he said. He wanted them to “continue moving forward with joy, whether or not you feel good about what Jake Tapper and the rest of those folks are saying on TV tonight.” Come morning, it was time to start curing ballots.

But there was no point in denying the obvious. 

“Lastly let me say this: If you’re going to drink: good—get an Uber or Lyft when you go home,” he said. “I want y’all to be safe, because we got a lot of work to still do.”



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Arizona

Houston vs. Arizona Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 12

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Houston vs. Arizona Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 12


Houston looks to resume play out of a BYE week building on its second double digit upset of the season against Kansas State with a road game at Arizona. 

The Cougars are two wins away from a bowl appearance and a win on Friday as a small underdog against a struggling Arizona team can go a long way for first year head coach Willie Fritz, who has found a ton of success with Zeon Chriss at quarterback. 

With two teams apparently trending in opposite directions, will it keep up on Friday night? 

Here’s our betting preview. 

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Moneyline

Total: 46.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Houston

Zeon Chriss: When Chriss is on the field, this Houston team is a different group, winning all three full games that he has played in. Chriss left due to injury in the team’s blowout loss to Kansas in the first quarter, so in three full starts he has passed for 305 yards while adding 217 yards on the ground. A dual-threat quarterback has provided a different dimension to this Cougars offense that has been able to lean on its defense to shorten the game and pull it out late. 

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Arizona 

Tetairoa McMillan: In what appears to be a lost season for Arizona, the team needs to win its last three games to go to a bowl game, McMillan continues to produce at an incredibly high level. Arguably the top wide receiver in the country has 63 catches for 1,066 yards with six touchdowns. 

Houston is better than Arizona, so I’m interested in taking the small road underdog in this Friday night matchup. 

The Cougars will be able to push around the Arizona defensive line that is outside the top 90 in both defensive line yards and EPA/Rush, meaning that Houston can move the ball in its preferred method and stay on the field. 

Meanwhile, this Houston defense should force Arizona into a ton of mistakes. Quarterback Noah Fifita has regressed a ton this season amidst a scheme change under first year head coach Brent Brennahn and his staff, and Houston’s first year head coach Willie Fritz has this defense humming, ranking top 50 in havoc rate. 

This matchup sets up nicely for Chriss and Houston to dictate the terms of engagement and continue its ascent up the Big 12 standings. 

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Arizona has been a nightmare all season for bettors, 1-8 against the spread and 0-4 as a favorite. 

Take the team that is trending up towards the end of the season. 

PICK: Houston +2.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.



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How Democrat Ruben Gallego Was Elected Senator in Trump’s Arizona

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How Democrat Ruben Gallego Was Elected Senator in Trump’s Arizona


PHOENIX — Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from further padding their Senate majority.

Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes for the Senate in a state that was reliably Republican for those seats until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona voters had rejected Trump-endorsed candidates in every election since, but the president-elect won Arizona this year over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris

“Gracias, Arizona!” Gallego wrote on the social platform X.

With Gallego’s win, the GOP will have 53 seats in the 100-member Senate.

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Gallego is a five-term House member and an Iraq War veteran with an up-by-the-bootstraps life story that he featured prominently in his public appearances and ads. He will replace Kyrsten Sinema, whose 2018 victory as a Democrat created a formula that the party has successfully replicated ever since.

Sinema left the Democratic Party two years ago after she antagonized the party’s left wing. She considered running for a second term as an independent but bowed out when it was clear she had no clear path to victory.

“Yes, he could!” several Gallego supporters shouted in Spanish as he offered his first comments after the race was called.

“I will fight for Arizona in Washington,” Gallego told the cheering supporters, saying that he would fight as much for the people who did not vote for him as the ones who did.

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In his brief remarks, Gallego several times mentioned the single mother who raised him, crediting her with his success. He promised to work to fix what he said was the nation’s broken immigration system, and would continue to fight for veterans and for women’s reproductive rights.

The Associated Press left a voicemail and email message seeking comment from Lake’s campaign Monday night.

With Gallego’s win, there was only one more major race left uncalled in Arizona. The race between Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democrat Kirsten Engel for the 6th Congressional District remained too early to call.

Gallego ran ahead of Harris, suggesting a substantial number of voters supported Trump at the top of the ticket and the Democrat for Senate, a pattern seen in Sinema’s victory and both of Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s wins in 2020 and 2022. Ticket-splitters also were decisive in the Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada Senate races this year, which Democrats won even as Trump won their states.

Republicans flipped Democratic-controlled Senate seats in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Montana. In the latter three cases, defeated Sens. Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey and Jon Tester also ran ahead of Harris but couldn’t overcome their states’ shifts toward the GOP.

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Gallego led comfortably after the first results were released on election night, but his lead narrowed as more ballots were counted. Arizona is notorious for a drawn-out count because most people vote by mail—which takes longer to verify and process—including many who drop off ballots on Election Day.

The son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, Gallego was raised in Chicago and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.

Gallego maintained a significant fundraising advantage throughout the race. He relentlessly attacked Lake’s support for a state law dating to the Civil War that outlawed abortions under nearly all circumstances. Lake tacked to the middle on the issue, infuriating some of her allies on the right by opposing a federal abortion ban.

Gallego portrayed Lake as a liar who will do and say anything to gain power. He downplayed his progressive voting record in Congress and leaned on his personal story and his military service to build an image as a pragmatic moderate.

Lake is a well-known former television news anchor who became a star on the populist right with her 2022 campaign for Arizona governor.

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She has never acknowledged losing that race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book. She continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn it even after beginning her Senate campaign.

Her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that consecutive elections were stolen from Trump and from her endeared her to the former president, who considered her for his vice presidential running mate. But it compounded her struggles with the moderate Republicans she alienated during her 2022 campaign, when she disparaged the late Sen. John McCain and then-Gov. Doug Ducey.

She tried to moderate but struggled to keep a consistent message on thorny topics, including election fraud and abortion.

Lake focused instead on border security, a potent issue for Republicans in a border state that saw record border crossings during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. She promised a tough crackdown on illegal immigration and labeled Gallego a supporter of “open borders.” She also went after his personal life, pointing to his divorce from Kate Gallego shortly before she gave birth. His ex-wife, now the mayor of Phoenix, endorsed Gallego and has campaigned with him.



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Latest Arizona election numbers; Spirit Airlines flight hit by gunfire | Nightly Roundup

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Latest Arizona election numbers; Spirit Airlines flight hit by gunfire | Nightly Roundup


From the latest election results to what prompted a plane from Florida to divert to another Caribbean country, here’s a look at some of the top stories on FOX10Phoenix.com for Monday, November 11, 2024.

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1. Latest election results from Arizona

Votes are still being counted in Arizona, and we have the latest numbers from last week’s elections. Read More

2. What the election results are saying about the state of Arizona politics

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Flag of Arizona (From File)

Overall, Mike Noble with Noble Predictive Insights says this election and its results signal a larger reshuffling in the way Americans vote. Read More

3. Experts weigh in on future of CHIPS and Science Act in Arizona

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As we look ahead to the second Trump administration, comments he made on a podcast about the CHIPS and Science Act caused a huge reaction in the semiconductor industry. Read More

4. 1 critically injured after vehicle crashes into home

The crash happened over the weekend, and police say the victim was decorating a family Christmas tree when she was struck. Read More

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5. Spirit Airlines plane hit by gunfire

A spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said the plane was struck by gunfire while making a landing in Haiti. Read More 

Also, your weather forecast for tonight



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