Guests - Cheryl Caswell, Joel Strabala, Elijah Norton, Dave Smith
Election Season Heats Up in Southern Arizona
Kathleen Winn celebrates reaching Friday amid beautiful spring weather in Southern Arizona, with temperatures climbing and summer on the horizon. She emphasizes the critical phase of election season, where candidates prove their commitment to the ballot and voters get to know those stepping up for office.
Cheryl Caswell's Strong Start in LD 19
Cheryl Caswell, candidate for Legislative District 19, joins to discuss her campaign momentum. She turned in over 1,300 signatures for the ballot, exceeding the required 585, with 1,288 accepted. "It feels so fabulous because now we're on campaign 2.0. We're just now getting out there to the doors. We're hosting meet and greets. Several fundraisers are planned and so right now we are just gonna be out in the community with the voters, talking to the voters about the important issues they want addressed." Fundraising has hit 50% of its goal since the year's start.
LD 19 spans five counties: southeast Pima, eastern Santa Cruz, most of Cochise (except the border area held by Grijalva), Greenlee, and Graham. Caswell notes the diversity: "Cochise has the largest landmass and right now holds the voter plurality within our Legislative District for the moment." Cochise's population has stagnated around 125,000-130,000, while southeast Pima grows rapidly. Graham follows, then Santa Cruz (smallest voting bloc, more rural), with Greenlee slightly larger than eastern Santa Cruz.
Priorities include border security, affecting all counties with drug trafficking, human smuggling, and crime spillover—even homelessness in Graham. "My sister, I buried in 2021. She's 10 years my junior and she died of a fentanyl related overdose. So crime and drugs is something that I would like to see addressed. And I'd like to see more enforcement on the drug cartels and those that are trafficking the drugs, real teeth." She pushes for stronger legislation with mandatory minimums for child protection, anti-DEI in schools, and election integrity. Caswell, a longtime precinct committeeman and Turning Point USA supporter, aims for fresh approaches: "I appreciate the work that they've done holding the line in this state, keeping our district red. But now it's time for some fresh faces, some fresh approaches."
Water issues vary: Cochise faces aquifer concerns from industry like data centers and aluminum plants; Graham deals with mining and agriculture watersheds. "We have disparity in what's even being reported. First, I think somewhat like Doge, we need to take a full accounting of where we are with our water situation in the state." She advocates community involvement to counter misinformation.
Voter Access Challenges in Pima County
Joel Strabala, LD 17 Chairman and Election Integrity Commission member, addresses election logistics. With 77,773 ballots left to tabulate as of the previous night and 453 undergoing curing, final unofficial results are expected tonight around 5 p.m., official by Monday or Tuesday. "The numbers should not change over the weekend."
For the recent RTA election (Props 418 and 419), only three polling places served the county: 240 North Stone, Country Club annex, and Ward 2 on Broadway—none outside Tucson city limits. The mobile voting center, a new tool, faced issues: equipment failure at Nannini Northwest Library and poor scheduling communication, like voters arriving in Sahuarita the day after its visit. Strabala anticipates its use in the July primary but seeks details at the March 20 EIC meeting (9 a.m., Herbert K. Abrams Building, 3950 South Country Club Road).
Green Valley's Green Valley Recreation Association declined to host centers due to safety concerns tied to ICE protests. Strabala confirms no sites outside Tucson for election day. Caswell shares constituent calls: "I inquired at the elections department... and I am told that the Association Green Valley Rec has decided they will not be hosting any of the vote centers in the primary election." She offers to assist finding alternatives like churches or schools, noting requirements for space and Board of Supervisors approval.
Turnout hit 36-37% for Republicans, trending up but needing improvement. Strabala urges precinct committeemen: "You get to meet your neighbors and you get to discuss political issues that impact the community and get to help the community." Petitions due March 21; sign online at the Secretary of State's Equal site or in person.
Caswell stresses planning: "Arizonans travel during this time. So the most important thing they can do is make a plan to vote ahead of time, especially for this primary."
Elijah Norton's Vision for State Treasurer
Elijah Norton, running for State Treasurer, explains the role's intersection with global events. "Anytime the market moves or changes, you know, we have 60% of our portfolio, we have $32 billion in assets under management. 60% of that is invested in the, in equities, which are stocks, right?" Oil spikes from the Iran conflict, AI surges, and Fed decisions affect returns.
Norton's insurance CEO experience managing $100 million in claims reserves (70% bonds, 30% equities) and excess cash (80% equities) qualifies him: "I'm constantly monitoring market conditions and over the years we've made a lot of money on, on the market." He contrasts with opponent Nick Mansour, former Arizona College of Nursing CEO: "The Democrat has a, uh, was the former CEO of the Arizona college of nursing, uh, and, uh, which is a business, but it's not a investment business."
On Prop 123 (education funding from state land trust): "We are distributing more than we're receiving in dividend. So at some point in the next 20 or 30 years, we're going to run out of money." Solution: Accelerate land sales—millions of acres idle—for minimal disruption, stabilizing the trust without cuts. "We need to identify the parcels of land that we could sell that would create the least amount of disruption. Uh, and, and, and look at the economic impact of selling it."
Norton warns Democrats seek the $32 billion: "There's the Democrats want nothing more than to have their hands on $32 billion." His edge: "I have the background and I have the skillset to manage a portfolio of this size."
Dave Smith on Media Bias and Radicalization
Dave Smith addresses the Old Dominion University shooting, where an ISIS-supporting gunman killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shaw and injured others. "The narrative is in the predominant narrative without the media is always that the worst threats to our nation and our safety are white supremacists." The suspect, a Lebanese national naturalized under Obama, entered via Detroit in 2011 as a spouse of a U.S. citizen—radicalized despite legal status.
Smith criticizes media: "They are pure propagandists. They absolutely plant or they either not. Uh, they don't provide the full story. They, they provide just a small percentage of the story or they completely lie and they lie with impunity." He calls for vigilance: "We have 2 million of them that we don't even know. Why did they not bother to at least sit down in front of a border patrol vehicle and get transported somewhere? The 2 million gotaways are terrifying."
On Pima County: "Tuesday, of course, we all know that, uh, they had a little makeshift, uh, uh, protest out in Marana... The, the question becomes is, uh, why doesn't, uh, our local political class worry about our local issues?" He slams Supervisor Chairwoman Jen Allen and Andres Cano: "She's useless... this little jerk begins to attack him." Smith urges engagement: "Tucson is just going to become another California. Just drive down Speedway... Look at the zombie apocalypse that's happening at every bus stop. Look at the potholes."
He ties to broader threats: "Iran has been at war with us for 47 years. It's time to end that war." Optimistic on Trump: "Finally, we have a president that says, okay, you're at war with us... And it's going to be interesting because the American people are going to start seeing the positive effects of this worldwide."