Arizona Globe’s Top Stories of 2025

Arizona politics in 2025 didn’t have one defining storyline—it had a stack of them: immigration flashpoints, budget brinkmanship, party infighting, culture-war fights in schools, and the kind of inside-baseball Capitol drama that turns into statewide news fast. Below is a recap of ten of the Arizona Globe’s biggest reader-interest stories from 2025:

1. Hoffman Deportation “Bounty” Bill Stirs Controversy

   This one hit the viral-politics sweet spot: immigration enforcement, incentives, and a bill concept that people could argue about in one sentence. The story centered on Sen. Jake Hoffman’s push to strengthen deportation efforts—and the blowback over paying agencies for apprehensions/deportations, as well as the policy mechanics of how the program would be funded. 

2. Hobbs Shunned Gress-Chaired Ad Hoc Oversight Committee

   Nothing drives clicks like a political standoff with a ticking deadline. The Globe reported that Gov. Katie Hobbs prohibited her agencies from participating in a legislative oversight hearing tied to executive budget mismanagement and the DDD shortfall—turning a funding crisis into a separation-of-powers brawl. 

3. Controversy Surrounds Karrin Taylor Robson’s AZ Gov Launch

   The early governor’s race coverage that helped set the tone for the year: Karrin Taylor Robson’s launch immediately triggered a GOP argument about who’s “really” aligned with Trump-world—and what counts as an endorsement versus a supportive comment. This is the kind of intra-party story that tends to overperform because it’s both strategy and soap opera. 

4. Swoboda Retains AZGOP Chair after Contentious Race

   Party leadership elections are often proxies for bigger fights—and this one played like a forecast for 2026. The Globe captured the AZGOP chair contest, including the vote totals and the message it sent about faction strength inside the party heading into an election cycle. 

5. Hoffman Blasts Budget Deal as “Epic Cave” by GOP Leadership

   Budgets are where governing meets branding—and where primaries are born. The Globe covered Hoffman’s scorching criticism of a budget deal involving Hobbs and legislative leadership, framing it as a conservative base-versus-leadership rupture that won’t politely disappear before the next election. 

6. Horne, Boggs Respond to DOE’s Anti-DEI Initiative

   Education + DEI + federal directives are basically guaranteed audience heat in Arizona. This piece focused on reactions tied to a U.S. Department of Education mandate to end DEI and the pressure campaign for state compliance, pulling in state and county education leaders and the broader political framing. 

7. Petersen Addresses New Luna-Nájera Misconduct

   Scandal stories pull readers because they combine accountability, institutional response, and raw human drama. This one centered on fallout related to Rep. Elda Luna-Nájera and the Tolleson district settlement, along with questions about whether she could politically survive the controversy. 

8. Geoengineering Bills Languish in Committee “Graveyard”

   A very 2025 Arizona phenomenon: public distrust, unconventional policy demands, and lawmakers deciding whether to indulge or shut it down procedurally. The Globe reported that efforts to ban geoengineering stalled when committees declined to hear them—yet the issue remained loud among grassroots activists. 

9. Bolick Striker Saves Stolen Valor Act

   Even broadly popular bills can become legislative knife fights. This story explained how SB1424 (the “Stolen Valor Act”) stalled, then got revived through a strike-everything amendment—ultimately landing on the governor’s desk after a turbulent path. 

10. AZ GOP Leaders Praise Trump’s “Miraculous” First 100 Days

    National politics drove local narratives all year, and this piece is a clean example: Arizona Republican lawmakers giving quote-heavy, celebratory reactions to Trump’s early second-term agenda—especially on immigration enforcement and bureaucracy—and positioning those themes for state-level messaging. 

What 2026 is likely to focus on in Arizona politics

If 2025’s biggest stories were any clue, 2026 is going to be a power-and-alignment election: the governor’s race and down-ballot primaries will revolve around who gets to define the GOP (and what “MAGA” means in Arizona), while Democrats try to hold the line with a coalition that’s always one news cycle away from fracturing. Expect immigration, election administration, and education culture fights to remain the most reliable turnout triggers—while the governing issues (cost of living, housing, water, and agency competence on big programs) become the contrast weapon candidates use to argue not just “my opponent is wrong,” but “my opponent can’t run the state.”

EDITOR’S NOTE

Everyone here at the Arizona Globe wishes you a most Happy New Year. We look forward to providing thorough, thought-provoking reporting in the coming year, and thank you for your continued interest and support!

Steve Kirwan, Editor