Gov. Hobbs vs. the Legislature: what can actually get done this year.

The new year also brought a slightly larger Republican majority in
both the House and Senate, furthering the political divide at the
Capitol. Gov. Katie Hobbs has already delivered her first
veto of the year, denying a Republican-backed proposal to
fast-track election results. The political partition complicates
Hobbs’ goal of scoring wins on her agenda ahead of her 2026
reelection bid. It also coincided with the start of President
Donald Trump’s second term, and some of the bills have echoes of
his pledges.  This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast
by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo
Pitzl sits down with Stan Barnes, who's out at the Capitol
often. He’s a former state lawmaker and the founder of Copper State
Consulting Group, a political lobbying firm in Arizona. Together,
they discuss if the Republican dominated Legislature can get their
bills passed into law while Hobbs sits in the head office; key
topics lawmakers are hoping to cover; and how the 2026 election
looms over the session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
megaphone.fm/adchoices