This article was originally published by the Repro Rights Now. Written by Cody McDevitt
Organization worked with women candidates to improve chances at every level of government
Staffers with an organization called Arizona List have worked for 18 years to get liberal candidates elected in the state. Dr. Catherine Nichols, a leader of the organization, said they had helped 102 women this year.
“We have incredibly strong candidates for school board, county attorney and for state attorney general,” Nichols said. “And all of them have funding issues, and all of them need support.”
Nichols said that with so many states in the country at play, she felt that Arizona had not had the appropriate amount of attention and funds directed toward it.
“Normally, we would be a place where people would focus resources,” she said. “But because there are so many states in play, and it’s so critical to keep the Senate and it’s so critical to keep the house, there hasn’t really been an influx of funds.”
Nichols said voter enthusiasm has never been higher since the Dobbs decision came down and removed the constitutional right to an abortion.
The attorney general’s race, which pits liberal Kris Mayes and Republican Abe Hamadeh, has been closely watched by political observers and operatives in the state. Mayes has worked extensively on water shortage issues, which is the most important one in the state. Nichols said that Hamadeh had nearly 2,000 tweets that included anti-Semitism and legal issues he had with his family.
“There was just a story in the paper this morning about how his own father sued him for taking land out of a land trust without his knowledge,” Nichols said. “He is apparently under a federal court-martial, which we should hopefully be hearing the results on soon.”
Nichols said that any money invested in Arizona politically could go a long way. She said it’s a small media market. So advertising would reach a wide audience for a low cost.
“An investment in that attorney general’s race that I mentioned will make a difference,” Nichols said. “All of these races are pulling 5050 right now. Every single thing we do is going to make a difference.”