Too extreme for Arizona. Mike Pence and Donald Trump were both in Arizona on Friday supporting their chosen candidates for Arizona’s next governor, Karrin Taylor Robson and Kari Lake, respectively. Over the last few months, the Republican primary for governor has turned into a proxy battle between the mainstream and MAGA wings of the Republican Party, with both sides arguing over who is the “real” conservative. At the end of the day, both of these candidates are pushing an extremist agenda that is not in line with the values of Arizonans.

AZ Republicans vote no. The U.S. House passed two bills that would protect same-sex marriage and access to contraceptives last week. All four of Arizona’s Republican Representatives voted no on these bills, demonstrating even further how out of touch they are with the needs of Arizonans. These bills will now head to the Senate, where they face what is likely to be an uphill battle due to the filibuster rule. The need to pass legislation protecting marriage equality and access to birth control is even more urgent given the Supreme Court’s signal that they could look to reconsider other precedentsfollowing the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Masters and Thiel. Billionaire Big Tech investor Peter Thiel has invested another $1.5M into Blake Masters’ controversial campaign, bringing his total investment up to $15M. Thiel’s financial backing raises obvious concerns over Master’s independence, as a candidate who has vowed to harness Big Tech. This election cycle, Thiel has been spending big in both Arizona’s and Ohio’s Senate races in order to boost candidates that will promote his far-right views and keep his taxes low, and has drawn increased scrutiny as an extremist Republican megadonor.