It’s like 2010 all over again, in more ways than one, when it comes to the self-described “conservative ice cream guy,” Republican state treasurer and wannabe governor Doug Ducey. Back in 2010, Democrat Andrei Cherny opposed Ducey in the treasurer’s race, and took aim at Ducey’s leadership of Cold Stone…

Christine Jones and firearms? Sounds like a fine way to spend a Saturday. Such was my thought when I found out Jones, a contender for the GOP nod for governor, would be at Shooter’s Vault, a gun shop in North Phoenix, for a campaign meet­-and-greet. See, I had a few…

Do I really want to write one more word about recalled ex-state Senator Russell Pearce? Not really. But despite being rejected twice in his own district by a margin of 12 points, first in a historic 2011 recall election and then in the Republican primary for state Senate in 2012,…

Historians, psychologists, sociologists will all have a field day with the mass hysteria prompted by the child refugees from Central America, who came to this country fleeing poverty and violence. Stoked by irresponsible politicians and a too-compliant press corps, the widespread panic, fear, and animosity has been shameful to witness…

Danny Hendon, owner of the embattled Danny’s Family Car Wash chain and a longtime supporter of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty today in federal court to identity fraud, the Associated Press is reporting. Several business entities under the DFC umbrella are scheduled for change of plea hearings today…

Tall with a buzz cut and a toothy grin, Dr. Ralph Heap is a banjo-pickin’ orthopedic surgeon with a handsome family and enough charisma to worry incumbent Bob Worsley in the GOP primary for state senator from deeply red Legislative District 25. Heap also is a colossal hypocrite — and…

You gotta love one thing about Republicans: With them, there’s always blood in the water. With erstwhile Go Daddy exec Christine Jones hard on his heels in the GOP primary for governor, and an awesome anti-Ducey ad by a pro-Jones I.E. in circulation, Ducey has fired back beginning today with…

Christine Jones puts the goober into gubernatorial. Indeed, the former GoDaddy pimp-ess and GOP candidate for governor’s rhetoric on the issue of “border security” is proving increasingly delusional. Jones has zero experience in politics, and it shows. Anyone proud to have the endorsement of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, aka,…

More than a year has passed since former Minuteman leader Chris Simcox was arrested on charges that he molested three minors, including one of his own daughters. Simcox has refused a generous plea deal from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and so he bides his time in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s…

Update 5:13 p.m.: Director of Sycamore Canyon Academy tells me that he has “no date and time” associated with arrival of children. Says he is not aware of children coming on Tuesday. See full update below. A longtime supporter of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says the sheriff tipped him…

I’m supposed to be off this week, using vacation time I don’t normally use. But to quote Al Pacino in The Godfather, Part III, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” See, I happened to spot an item on Tucson Weekly’s website by writer David…

Putting the jerk in knee-jerk, Arizona State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Doug Ducey has rolled out a new TV ad, trying like heck to look tough on the border. That’s no small task for a guy who either has the world’s worst barber or the world’s worst toupee, I’m…

Former Mesa Mayor and GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Smith, known as a relative moderate on immigration, is joining in the inflammatory anti-immigrant rhetoric of his colleagues in a bid to score campaign contributions. In an e-mail fundraising blast sent out to potential contributors on Monday, Smith bashed Barack Obama, unnamed…

While Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne recovers from a four-night hospital visit for what his spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham says was a “minor procedure,” his re-election campaign is dead in the water. According to recently-filed documents with the Arizona Secretary of State, the embattled AG, who is facing active investigations from…

President Barack Obama, whose administration has already deported more than 2 million people since he took office, wants to send back children coming to the U.S. from Central America as soon as earthly possible. Today, the White House made public a letter to Congressional leaders seeing additional funds to deal…

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne’s chief deputy and office hatchet man Eric “Rick” Bistrow has farmed out an internal investigation into allegations made by ex-AG employee Sarah Beattie to two attorneys who have contributed to Horne’s campaign in the past. In a letter dated June 18, Bistrow formally appointed Republican…

A sort of moral sickness has gripped this country in the face of the unprecedented number of minors crossing the border in Texas, one that manifests itself in panic, falsehoods, sheer stupidity, and knee-jerk nativist hatred. In Lawrenceville, Virginia (population 1,300), residents recently pitched a fit when they found out…

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, who literally may end up in handcuffs this year depending on the outcomes of various criminal probes into his scummy activities, is using a photo of migrant children detained in Texas to raise money for his re-election campaign. In a mass e-mail sent out Tuesday…

What does an aged blowhard like Sheriff Joe Arpaio know about the humanitarian crisis involving thousands of children from Central America crossing the border into the United States? Not a damn thing. Arpaio proved this categorically on the conservative site Newsmax TV in a recent interview with washed-up former Republican…

I officially take back everything bad I’ve said about this state’s Clean Elections laws. Well, almost. Because there’s no way in hell that a loser like disbarred ex-county attorney Andrew Thomas should be awarded three-quarters of a million dollars in public cash, as could happen during this election cycle. Still,…