Voter Suppression Is ‘Theme’ for #AZLeg in 2019 (video)

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers

Republicans have two big problems with the 2018 election: too many of you voted, which resulted in too many of them losing.

Each year of the Arizona Legislature seems to have a theme. For 2017, the theme was big tax giveaways. For 2018, it was Red for Ed. The theme for 2019 is voter suppression. One of the Democrats suggested that the Republicans were overreacting to their losses in 2018.

The sheer volume of voter suppression bills is staggering. In the multiple ways, the Republicans are trying to make it more difficult to vote, to register someone to vote, and to submit Citizens’ Initiatives. They also want to solidify big money politics by attacking the independence of Clean Elections Commission.

There are so many awful bills that I needed a cheat sheet to do this video. Many of these are still in play, and you can use the Request to Speak system to comment. HB2724 (anti-Clean Elections) and HB2616 (adds penalties and unnecessary burden to registering people to vote) passed the Arizona House this week and will head to the Senate. (You can stop them there!)

Continue reading Voter Suppression Is ‘Theme’ for #AZLeg in 2019 (video)

Arizona Women Win 42 Legislative, State & Congressional Races (video)

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers

Arizona has a history of electing women to public office. In 1932, Arizona elected Isabella Greenway to the US House of Representatives. In 1972, State Senator Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female president of the Arizona Senate. In 1998, Arizona voters elected five women to run the state government— Jane Hull (Governor), Betsy Bayless (Secretary of State), Janet Napolitano (Attorney General), Carol Springer (Treasurer), and Lisa Graham-Keegan (Superintendent of Public Instruction). To this date, Arizona’s Fab Five remain the most number of women elected to state government at the same time. In 2017, the Arizona Legislature had the highest percentage of women (40 percent) of any state Legislature in the Country.

In 2018, Arizona elected its first female US senator and 41 other women to political office. Out of 108 races, women won 39 percent of them this year. After inauguration in January 2019, half of Arizona’s statewide offices (4/8), 27 percent of our Congressional delegation (3/11), and 39 percent of the Arizona Legislature (35/90) will be women.

Most of the woman who won are Democrats but not all. In the Congressional races, US Senate was won by Kyrsten Sinema (D), Ann Kirkpatrick (D) took CD2, and Debby Lesko (R) was re-elected to CD8. On the statewide level, women took: Secretary of State (Katie Hobbs, D), Treasurer (Kimbery Yee, R), Superintendent of Public Instruction (Kathy Hoffman, D) and one of the Arizona Corporation Commission seats (Sandra Kennedy).

Continue reading Arizona Women Win 42 Legislative, State & Congressional Races (video)

Blue Wave Washed over #AZLeg: Seven GOP Incumbents Lose Seats

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers
Arizona House Democratic Caucus, 54th Leg.

Since the 2018 Midterm Election, pundits have been judging the size and very existence of the predicted Blue Wave . To determine if the Blue Wave of newly elected Democrats was a tsunami or a just ripple, the media has focused primarily on Congressional and gubernatorial races–with little or no mention of state legislatures.

With voter turnout at 60%, there is no doubt that a Blue Wave washed over Arizona on Nov. 6, 2018. Democratic women won major victories: US Senate (Kyrsten Sinema), CD2 (Ann Kirkpatrick), Corporation Commission (Sandra Kennedy), Superintendent of Public Instruction (Kathy Hoffman), and Secretary of State (Katie Hobbs). The incumbent Republicans for three of these seats– Corporation Commission (Tom Forese), Superintendent of Public Instruction (Diane Douglas), and Secretary of State (Michelle Reagan)– all lost in the primary. Now, Democrats will hold those seats.

In the Arizona House, the Blue Wave was more of a tsunami. Seven Republican incumbents will not be returning to the Arizona Legislature in January 2019.

Continue reading Blue Wave Washed over #AZLeg: Seven GOP Incumbents Lose Seats

On Nov 6: Vote as if Your Rights Depend on It

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers

Nov. 6, 2018 is a day that millions of Democrats have been waiting for and working toward for the past two years. Since President Trump’s election, people have been organizing and working hard toward nationwide Democratic victories in 2018. Every Presidential Tweet and every backward policy announcement made us cringe but also made us stronger in our resolve to take back our government and our country.

With door-to-door canvassing, postcards, and e-newsletters, my team has reached out to more than 80,000 LD9 voters. With social media, the reach is well over 100,000.

On Nov. 6, it is your turn. I hope you will consider voting to re-elect me– Pamela Powers Hannley– to the Arizona House of Representatives.

When I ran for office in 2016, I said I wanted be your voice—the voice of the people—in the Arizona Legislature. And that is exactly what I did.

I used my voice, my votes, my amendments, and my bills to fight for the rights and wellbeing of workers, patients, teachers, students, women and the underserved.

It’s time for the Arizona Legislature to fund the People’s To-Do list instead of the corporate wish list. It’s time that we funded education, healthcare, infrastructure and safety and security. That would economic development. Continue reading…

To learn more… about my plans and ideas, check out these blog posts links and related videos:

Pamela Powers Hannley: Your Voice in the Arizona House

Balanced Public Health Policy Should Be Legislature’s Goal (video)

LD9 Debate Reveals Stark Contrasts between Democrat & Republican Candidates (video)

Gosh Darn Podcast Interview with Rep. PPH Delves Deep into Education Views

Arizona Daily Star Endorses #LD9 Democrats (video)

#RedForEd: Don’t Get Mad. Get Even on Nov 6 (video)

Where I stand on the issues… check out these links for information and videos on specific issues.

Overall look at issues here.

Specifics about education and funding for it here and here.

Check out news stories and interviews here.

Many have endorsed me… check out this link.

As a progressive Democrat and a Clean Elections candidate, I accept no big money donations or dirty money. As a result, I am beholden only to you, the voters– and not to wealthy national donors or special interest groups.

I want to continue to be your voice– the voice of the people– in the Arizona House. Our work is not done. Please vote for my on Nov. 6, 2018. Thank you so much for your support.

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Healthcare & Equality: Two Big Events on Nov 1 (video)

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers
ERA

When your state and your Congressional district are being targeted by both major political parties and several special interest groups, the days leading up to Election Day are fast-paced as national groups and speakers come to Arizona.

Nov. 1 is a big day for political events.

Tucsonans Talk Back to McSally & Trump Jr.

As Donald Trump Jr. stumps for Congresswoman Martha McSally in Maricopa County, Tucsonans will be protesting in front of her office on Broadway Blvd. Organized by Arizona Healthcare Voters, the purpose of the rally is to call out McSally’s lies about her votes on the Affordable Care Act and on healthcare in general. Media advisory here.

As the ranking member of the Arizona House Health Committee, I am happy to be participating in this event hosted by Arizona Healthcare Voters.

The US has the most expensive and least effective healthcare insurance system when compared to other developed countries. McSally and the Republican Party want to make our already overly complicated and expensive system even more restricted and more expensive. That is going in the wrong direction.

Come on down and tell McSally what you think of her record on healthcare, health insurance, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and more.

The organizers’ Facebook event is here.
https://www.facebook.com/events/429229150943449/

Equal Means Equal presents: The Equality Tour 2018

To gear up for Nov. 6 and for the 54th Session of the Arizona Legislature, the Equal Means Equal Equality Tour is stopping in Tucson on Nov. 1 and in Tempe in Nov. 3.

The directors of the movie “Equal Means Equal,” Kamala Lopez and Natalie White, will be in town for the event.

Come on down for a full evening of entertainment– dotted with a few speeches. I will be one of the speakers, along with LD9 Senate candidate Victoria Steele.

Continue reading Healthcare & Equality: Two Big Events on Nov 1 (video)

Gosh Darn Podcast Interview with Rep. PPH Delves Deep into Education Views

Posted on by Pamela J. Powers
Red for Ed

University High students Rose Long and Grace Proebsting have been interviewing political candidates and others for their podcast on economics entitled Gosh Darn Podcast (GDP). My interview is linked below, but if you go to their Sound Cloud page, you will see interviews with other locals.)

During my interview with them we delved deep into public education, vouchers, charter schools, teacher pay, Red for Ed, tax giveaways and strategies for funding public education. Check out the interview link below.