Arizona Legislature Kicks Off with Democrats vs. ESA (Again)

The 57th Arizona Legislature opened its session with a series of dueling press conferences that spotlighted the continued divide between the Republicans and Democrats. Like last year, the forefront of this year’s legislative agenda is the ongoing battle over the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) program. Democrats, led by Governor Katie Hobbs, have made it clear they intend to scale back the program, while Republicans have drawn a firm line, vowing to defend the widely popular program.

The Republican majority kicked off the session with a press conference, beginning with a prayer emphasizing unity and collaboration. House Speaker Steve Montenegro, representing Legislative District 29, spoke confidently about the party’s strengthened position. “We are stronger than ever before right now,” Montenegro declared, pointing to recent electoral gains that expanded the Republican majority to 33-27 in the House and 17-13 in the Senate.

The Joint Democratic Caucus, including Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan and House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos, met in a unified show of force. De Los Santos said, “Number one, we are going to protect public education.” He continued, “We will tackle the waste, fraud, and abuse of the ESA voucher scam. ” He added, ” The headlines we have seen about the ESA disaster are outrageous.” He went on to detail a few “fraud” cases that support his assertion.

De Los Santos stated, “We will continue to work with Attorney General Mayes to address these criminal abuses.” The Globe previously reported on Arizona Department of Education Superintendent Tom Horne’s efforts to identify and eliminate fraud within Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. In December, Horne scored a significant legal victory when a grand jury indicted two individuals for allegedly enrolling fictitious ESA students.

Public support for Arizona’s ESA program remains strong across many demographics, as illustrated by a recent WPA Intelligence poll by the “Yes—Every Kid” Foundation. The poll found that 78% of parents and 62% of non-parents support ESAs. Currently, over 72,000 students in Arizona participate in the ESA program.

Democrat De Los Santos claimed, “The Republicans are fractured,” pointing to the Freedom Caucus holding a separate press conference from the Republican Majority as evidence.

The Freedom Caucus, led by Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-LD15), held the final pre-opening-session press conference, and Hoffman came out swinging. He criticized Governor Katie Hobbs’s administration’s policies and agenda, directing much of his ire directly at Hobbs.

The Freedom Caucus’s press conference was the most fact-intensive of the three. Hoffman has repeatedly stated that ESAs are a key priority, and contrary to Del Los Santos’ claim otherwise, it seems that all Republicans are, in fact, united on this issue.

When addressing De Los Santos’s assertion that “Republicans are divided,” Hoffman responded, “Republicans are united around conservative principles.” Former State Senator Anthony Kern joined the Freedom Caucus along with several other former members. Kern’s presence generated significant excitement in light of his serious car accident over the Christmas break. Kern’s sister, Janelle Bowles, helped keep him stable while walking. Bowles is a newly elected Peoria School Board member.