It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another edition of Journalists’ Roundtable, where we discuss Arizona politics. This week, “Arizona Horizon” host Ted Simons was joined by Dennis Welch of CBS-5 and 3-TV, Mark Brodie of KJZZ Radio and Jeremy Duda of Axios Phoenix.
This week’s topics included:
- Governor Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed the GOP’s budget plan
- Judge blocked Arizona Attorney General from prosecuting trading platform Kalshi
- Congressional District 1 Republican candidates
- Marlene Galan-Woods (D) gets Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nod
- Hugh Lytle (No Labels Party) stays on ballot
- No cannabis reconsideration on ballot
GOP budget plan vetoed by Governor Hobbs
Dennis Welch: “It was clear that the governor was not going to be happy with this plan. Republicans are calling for steeper tax cuts than what the governor wants, they’re calling for 5% nearly across the board, cuts to state agencies and overall they want to spend about $800 million less than what the governor wants to spend.”
Jeremy Duda: “Governor Hobbs has not lifted this veto moratorium she imposed a few weeks ago. She said I’m going to veto every bill that hits my desk until the Republicans show the public a budget. The Republicans brought out a budget, she’s like no maybe not yet.”
Mark Brodie: “I don’t think the legislature wants to be there any longer than they have to be. I mean they’re all running for reelection or running for other offices, so it’s in their best interest to get something done.”
Jeremy Duda: “Hobbs originally walked away because they wouldn’t, she said, because Prop 123, they wouldn’t negotiate Prop 123 with her because they don’t have to, and so they don’t want to and they’re not going to. Nothing’s happening on Prop 123. The Republicans don’t seem likely to budge on that. So I have to wonder what anyone got out of this past six weeks of inaction.”
