Podcast
The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast
Hosted by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com · EN
Helping you keep up with what matters in Arizona's political news. Each week we interview politicians, public figures or journalists to break down one local issue and how it affects your life in Arizona.
Coming to you every Wednesday morning, The Gaggle is hosted by The Arizona Republic's national political reporters Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray, and is produced by Amanda Luberto.
58episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What happened on primary election night 2026
1w ago00:24:28Tap to summarizeEarly tallies for the midterm primaries show that Arizona Republicans have put their trust in MAGA-style candidates for the top three spots on the November ballot. For the most part, the primary races were decided soon after an unexpectedly smooth election day. Voting in Maricopa County, a hotbed for election denialism and backbiting over election responsibilities, went off without any major glitches. This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by fellow Arizona Republic politics reporters for initial thoughts on midterm primary night 2026. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Stacey Barchenger, Laura Gersony Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How to watch the primaries like a pro
2w ago00:33:01Tap to summarizeThe primary election is on July 21 and with only a few days left, there are still major questions and contentious races that political professionals are keeping an eye on. The impact of Turning Point USA's backing, candidates aligning with artificial intelligence and major ad spending are all key factors that are leaving even the most in-tune politicos wondering. This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by two political strategists to talk about the big storylines, the big spenders and the big unknowns heading into primary night. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Jon Seaton, Stacy Pearson Hosts: Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Flock cameras: surveillance or safety?
3w ago00:21:17Tap to summarizeDebates over Flock cameras, license plate readers that use artificial intelligence, are riling up citizens in Chandler and South Tucson who argue that the tech is invading their privacy. But proponents say that Flock is helping local police, the U.S. Border Patrol and agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by two reporters who have been keeping tabs on how some communities in Arizona are handling the fight over Flock. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Sarah Lapidus, Lauren De Young Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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BONUS: The Republicans running for Arizona Governor
4w ago00:16:51Tap to summarizeTwo longtime Congressmen want to leave Washington, D.C., to instead lead Arizona as its next governor. Congressman Andy Biggs and Congressman David Schweikert both have decades worth of experience in politics and both want to the chance to take on incumbent Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in November. First they'll need to win the Republican nomination in the July 21 primary election. In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, state politics reporter Stacey Barchenger walks you through the similarities and differences between the Republican candidates running for Arizona governor. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Hosts: Stacey Barchenger Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How Arizonans are feeling about America
Jul 100:21:45Tap to summarizeThis week, Americans across the country will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. While it should be a time for reflection and patriotism, research shows that Americans have complicated feelings about the country ahead of this milestone. This week on The Gaggle, we turn the microphone over to Arizonans to find out how they're feeling about the country as the country's 250th birthday approaches. We asked them how the anniversary is making them feel, what they would change about America if they could and what makes them proud to live here. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Outspoken: Black people had difficult choices to make in the American Revolution
Jun 2800:15:44Tap to summarizeWalk into the Museum of African American History on Boston’s Beacon Hill right now and the Revolution looks different from the one most of us learned in school. The museum’s new exhibition, "Black Voices of the Revolution: Liberty, Emancipation, and the Struggle for Independence," asks what independence meant to people who were themselves enslaved or only tenuously free. In this Outspoken conversation, I spoke with the museum’s president and CEO, Noelle Trent, about how that lens reshapes our understanding of 1776 and what we should be teaching the next generation as the Declaration of Independence turns 250. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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How Trump's economy is affecting Arizona's tourism
Jun 2400:43:28Tap to summarizeIt's something we can all feel right now at the gas pump, the aisles of the grocery store and just about anywhere you spend money: prices are high. President Donald Trump's foreign tariffs and the war in Iran have put pressure on American consumers In addition, the administration's immigration crackdown and higher fees for foreign travelers have turned off tourists from other countries. This week on The Gaggle, we're joined by an economic expert for a state and nation wide look and the mayor of a small town near the Grand Canyon to talk about how the lack of foreign tourism is impacting them. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Jim Rounds, Mayor Clarinda Vail Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Additional audio in this episode comes from C-SPAN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Outspoken: Meet the Revolution's artists, spies and other unheralded patriots
Jun 2300:17:58Tap to summarizeAs we move toward another Fourth of July, it feels especially urgent to revisit the American Revolution through the lives of people who rarely make it into our textbooks or monuments. Art historian Zara Anishanslin does exactly that by recasting the founding era through the artists — many of them women, enslaved people, and immigrants — who used art, espionage and activism to shape a new nation from unexpected places, including London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Outspoken: This is what inspired colonists to rally for liberty
Jun 2100:18:36Tap to summarizeIn my home, the founding era has long been a family affair — something talked through on early‑morning walks to school, road trips to historic sites, and debates about what the nation’s promises actually mean in practice for each new generation. That personal history is the backdrop for this Outspoken conversation with my son, Blake Burton, a financial crimes analyst and deeply read student of history and philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Outspoken: This is why education always must strive to be inclusive
Jun 1900:16:35Tap to summarizeAs president of Arizona State University since 2002 and the architect of what he calls a New American University, President Dr. Michael Crow has spent 2 decades trying to design a public institution that aligns itself with the country’s founding promise of government by and for the people — not by and for the already‑privileged few. In this Outspoken conversation, Crow argues that if America was born in conscious rejection of hereditary power, its universities should be just as intentional about breaking from the exclusionary, class‑bound traditions they inherited from Britain and Europe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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