So much for transparency. Arizona Republicans are shielding lawmakers from public-records laws, enacting a series of rules changes in the Arizona Legislature that intentionally limit transparency and accountability. The move comes following revelations over the Cyber Ninjas audits and efforts by lawmakers to try to overturn the 2020 election. Both chambers will be exempted from public records laws and will be able to destroy all email communications after 90 days. The state House went as far as to allow members and staff to immediately delete all texts sent and received, and Senate members and staff can do so on nongovernment devices.

Gallego enters the race. After months of speculation, Rep. Ruben Gallego has announced his run for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 2024 Senate race, challenging Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Late last year, Sinema resigned from the Democratic Party, switching her registration to “independent”, after consistently performing poorly in polling. Gallego’s move highlights what has been clear in Arizona for the past several years: Arizonans are looking for an alternative to Sinema, who has routinely prioritized Wall Street and the Senate filibuster over Arizonans.

Trump funded the Cyber Ninjas. Last week, it was reported that a PAC traced back to former president Donald Trump made a secret $1M donation to help fund the so-called “audit” of the 2020 election conducted by the Cyber Ninjas. Previously, Arizona Republican leaders denied Trump was involved. The Cyber Ninjas’ review was backed by Arizona Republicans as part of efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, and yielded no significant findings or issues with Arizona’s election procedures. It instead served to bolster conspiracy theories that the AZGOP would later use to attack Arizonans’ right to vote.

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