Guests - Rachel Keshel, Rodney Glassman

Rachel Keshel: Fighting for Conservative Values in the Arizona Legislature

State Representative Rachel Keshel continues to be a staunch voice for conservative values in Arizona's Legislative District 17. Currently in the midst of the legislative session, Keshel acknowledges it's been "interesting" as lawmakers approach the crucial budget negotiations.

"We're just kind of getting to the budget point of the session and that always gets a little hairy," Keshel explains. "Hopefully I can get some of what I want for my constituents in the budget, and hopefully it's a good conservative budget."

Keshel doesn't mince words about the challenges of working with Governor Katie Hobbs. "It's been difficult with Katie Hobbs on the ninth floor obviously because we always end up negotiating with her far too much in my opinion. But it is what it is, and that's why it's so very important in 2026 to get Andy Biggs in there."

The 2026 Election Landscape

Looking ahead to the next election cycle, Keshel shared some inside information about a potential running mate for her LD17 seat. Kirk Filer, who previously ran in the 2022 primary and currently serves as the Pinal County Republican Party chairman, appears ready to enter the race.

"I got to know him very well in the 2022 primary. He's a wonderful guy, a constitutionalist from what I can see," Keshel says. "As far as I know, he is ready to put his hat in the ring again. Kirk and I work very well together and will definitely be out on the campaign trail together."

For her own re-election campaign, Keshel plans to focus on areas where she sees opportunities for growth. "I'm actually going to be focusing a lot on Oro Valley for myself. I think Kevin Volk spent a majority of his time up there. I seem to do really well on the east side, which is my neck of the woods and Marana, but Oro Valley can be an extra focus for me this next time."

Standing Against Governor Hobbs' Vetoes

While acknowledging that Governor Hobbs did sign legislation for age verification on pornography websites, Keshel expressed disappointment about the governor's recent vetoes on gender dysphoria bills.

"It is disappointing. The interesting thing to note about the 2024 election is that a majority of Americans and Arizonans do not agree with all of these types of ideologies being pushed on our children. They made their voices loud and clear in 2024, and I feel like Katie Hobbs and the Democrats are not paying attention."

Keshel described a recent government committee meeting that illustrated the disconnect: "The very first thing that the Democrats on the panel did was introduce themselves with their pronouns, and I sat on the other side just thinking to myself, 'You still haven't gotten it,' which is good for us because I think we're going to continue increasing our numbers in 2026."

Regarding gender transition issues, Keshel expressed concern about young people making life-altering decisions: "Some of these kids, even when they're 18, who are making such life-changing decisions to get these surgeries, to take hormones—I've read stories about people that have since had major regrets."

She added that there's a troubling dynamic where doctors are "blackmailing" parents by claiming their children will commit suicide if not allowed to transition. "If a child's going to commit suicide, then they're not emotionally stable enough to make a decision about changing their sex," she notes.

Standing Firm Against Lobbyist Influence

When asked about staying true to principles in an environment dominated by lobbyists, Keshel was unequivocal about her commitment to her constituents.

"I made a promise when I first ran in 2022 that I was really going to stand up for the people, that I was going to go up to Phoenix and represent you all. It became very apparent very quickly that the lobbyists had far too much control up there," she explains.

"The people don't elect the lobbyists—that's always been my biggest argument. If the lobbyists are running the legislators up there, we don't elect the lobbyists, so they shouldn't be the ones making decisions."

According to Keshel, the lobbyist influence begins early for many elected officials. "I'm pretty sure that most of these people, when they get elected or before they get elected, they go in conservative and planning on doing the right thing, but the lobbyists are very persuasive."

She describes how lobbyists often present one-sided information: "When they're trying to sell you on a piece of legislation and they sit you down in your office, they tell you all these things that sound so wonderful, and a lot of times they're leaving out a lot of the substance in these bills."

Keshel prides herself on reading all legislation before voting, a practice she used to share with former colleague Cory. "I made a promise to read all the bills. There have been times where, if I didn't have time to vet a piece of legislation well or didn't really understand it, I would vote no."

Financial Mismanagement and Budget Concerns

Keshel highlighted serious concerns about financial mismanagement under Governor Hobbs' administration, particularly regarding federal funds allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"She had gotten a lot of federal dollars during COVID for this DDD program—a program for families with disabled kiddos. Something that needs to change is that we as a state legislature have zero oversight over federal money. We don't even know how much she gets, how much she spends, where it goes. There is no oversight once she has that money."

The result, according to Keshel, was a crisis when it was discovered that funds meant for the program had been misallocated. "She had not used the money wisely. Her budget director resigned, and then the Republicans were left looking like the bad guys and ended up having to bail her out, which I did not agree with at all. That's why I voted no on that bill."

The program in question, which began during COVID when schools and churches were closed, provides payments to parents caring for disabled children. Keshel argues that the program has expanded beyond its intended purpose: "There are parents that are basically getting paid to the tune of $90,000 a year from your taxpayer money to basically just be parents to their own children because now there are caregivers available. That's not a Republican policy."

She added concerns about potential abuse: "Some of these kids are not severely disabled, and some of these parents are billing the state while their kids are at school."

Election Integrity Concerns in Pima County

Keshel expressed frustration with the lack of responsiveness from Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly regarding election procedures.

"We have a letter drafted to Pam Bondi, the AG, because Gabriella, this Democrat activist, is our Pima County Recorder and will not respond back to us at all. All we want to know is: are you following the law when you run elections?"

Of particular concern are the handling of undeliverable ballots and recent changes to drop box locations and mail-in envelopes. "She's now added four new drop boxes, which are unconstitutional, and she's doing something with the mail-in envelope so that your signature, your party, and all your information is going to be on the outside."

Keshel noted that these changes are based on an expired manual that was never properly approved by the legislature. "Adrián Fontes, in conjunction with the Pima County recorder, is going rogue, and they're just making it up as they go along."

She mentioned that her staff is investigating the envelope issue specifically, and praised Alex Kolodin for his legal efforts against the Secretary of State's office regarding the elections manual.

Looking Forward: Changing Political Dynamics

Despite challenges, Keshel expressed optimism about the future political landscape in Arizona, noting shifts in voter registration and demographics.

"Every single county in Arizona is just continuing to increase their Republican voter registration. I don't believe Tucson and Pima County are a lost cause at all," she states. "When you look around, the economy is getting better under President Trump, the border is better, and you have a huge amount of especially the Hispanic working class that are coming to the Republican Party."

She acknowledges that Republicans need to improve their outreach to these voters: "Republicans have always been really bad about that, but they are coming more to our side, and you'll see in a few election cycles that they will start to vote Republican in the down ballot too."

Keshel emphasized the importance of voter roll cleanup for election integrity: "When you have an all-mail-in election and when some of these more off-year elections when the voters don't show up, then you have all of these mail-in ballots floating out there freely to be attached to a voter on the voter rolls that's not supposed to be there."

She concluded with a call to action: "We have to show up, we have to do our part, we have to vote. If we don't vote, we're just handing it to them. We've got to at least do our part and vote, and then grab five or ten neighbors, coworkers, friends and tell them to go vote."

Rodney Glassman: Making the Case for a Republican Attorney General

Rodney Glassman, candidate for Arizona Attorney General, is clear about his first priority if elected: "On day one as Republican Attorney General, I'm going to withdraw Arizona from all of these politically charged lawsuits that liberal Chris Mayes has been filing and signing on to on behalf of our beautiful state."

Glassman criticizes current Attorney General Kris Mayes for repeatedly filing lawsuits against the Trump administration: "Chris Mayes has been waking up once a week since President Trump got in office and filing lawsuits or signing on to lawsuits on behalf of Arizona to sue the administration."

The Power and Role of the Attorney General

Glassman emphasizes the scope and importance of the Attorney General's office: "The Attorney General is the most powerful elected official in the state. The Attorney General is the only person that can wake up and decide in a given morning that she thinks little boys should be able to wake up, decide they're little girls, and go compete against my 14-year-old at swimming."

He points to lawsuits filed by Mayes against Trump administration initiatives, such as efforts to shrink the size of government and end birthright citizenship, as examples of overreach that he would stop.

Glassman characterizes these legal actions as "clickbait lawsuits" designed primarily to generate publicity and campaign contributions: "Every time she files a lawsuit or signs on to a lawsuit with some other liberal Attorneys General across the country, the next thing that happens is her office sends out a press release about it, and then Chris Mayes sends out a campaign contribution solicitation to liberals across the country."

Beyond withdrawing from these lawsuits, Glassman promises to "end the witch hunt indictments that Chris Mayes has been doing, designed to just harass and silence President Trump supporters. She's suing businesses, she's suing Republicans, she's suing the poor Cochise County supervisor."

Qualifications and Background

Glassman highlights his legal and military experience as qualifications for the role: "I've been serving in the United States Air Force JAG Corps reserves for over 16 years as a Lieutenant Colonel. I also am a private attorney and have been doing that for almost 20 years, proud U of A law grad."

His campaign leadership includes prominent Republican figures: "My campaign is chaired for Attorney General by our Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, who is Joe Arpaio's chief deputy for quite a long time, and our Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne."

Addressing his political evolution, Glassman acknowledges his past as a Democrat: "It was Mayor George Miller, may he rest in peace, back in 1997 when I moved to Tucson, who said if you're going to be involved in this community, you need to be a Democrat. I was 19, 20 years old, and so I listened to Mayor Miller."

His transition to the Republican Party came later: "After getting married, having two daughters, serving in the Air Force for a little bit, working in the private sector, it was actually June 16th, 2015, a day that we probably all remember—that was the day that Donald Trump first came down the golden escalator and announced his candidacy for president. That got me inspired, so on that date, June 16th, 2015, I registered Republican."

The Attorney General's Legal Authority and Responsibilities

Glassman explains the unique position of the Attorney General in Arizona's government structure: "The Attorney General is an elected office. The Attorney General does not work for the governor, doesn't work for the legislature. The Attorney General is elected by and works for the people."

The scope of the office is extensive: "The Attorney General's job is to run the largest law office in the state of Arizona—over 400 attorneys, over a thousand support staff." This includes prosecution, appellate work, and providing legal services to all state agencies.

"Did you know that the Department of Real Estate has no attorneys? They use the Attorney General's office. The Department of Revenue, the State Land Department, the Department of Health Services, the Registrar of Contractors—none of those state agencies have their own attorneys. They're all assistant Attorney Generals."

This centralized legal authority gives the Attorney General significant power: "The governor cannot investigate, and the governor cannot indict the Attorney General, but the Attorney General can investigate and indict the governor."

Supporting Law Enforcement and First Responders

Glassman emphasizes his commitment to law enforcement, noting his service on the board of the 100 Club of Arizona: "The 100 Club of Arizona is an organization designed to provide resources for the health and wellness of our first responders and their families. When a police officer is killed or injured in the line of duty, or a firefighter, we are the ones that step up, have their back, provide them with resources."

He sees supporting police as a critical function of the Attorney General: "We need to have an Attorney General that doesn't just talk about protecting our police officers but actually does."

Glassman points to implementation problems with recent legislation intended to support first responders: "The state legislature referred this 'Back the Blue' referendum to the ballot, and we all raised money and voted for it and got it passed. The pitch was if a first responder is killed in the line of duty, they would receive an increased death benefit from the state."

However, poor drafting limited its effectiveness: "Because no one at the legislature worked with public safety when they wrote it, and because the Attorney General didn't weigh in and actually read it, there are many occurrences where an officer may not receive that death benefit because they're not being assaulted, based on the way the referendum was written."

Election Integrity and Investigations

On election integrity, Glassman references a historical precedent for Attorney General action: "In 2006, there was an RTA special election, Regional Transportation Authority, where the polling numbers did not quite match the results. The elected Attorney General, Terry Goddard, drove down to Pima County and seized 105 boxes of election materials from the Pima County Elections Division."

This example, according to Glassman, demonstrates the Attorney General's authority to investigate election concerns: "The Attorney General's office was doing it, and he has his own investigative unit. There were no chain of custody issues on any of the election materials. The Maricopa County recorder, under the supervision of the AG's office, recounted the ballots."

Though that investigation found no issues, Glassman sees it as illustrative: "That's part of the Attorney General's job—to restore confidence in our elections. We already have many good election laws on the books in Arizona, but who's in charge of enforcing our election laws? The Attorney General."

Defending the Second Amendment and Government Efficiency

Glassman affirms his support for Second Amendment rights: "You can't be a supporter of law enforcement and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force JAG Corps reserves and be someone that wants to protect our public safety and not be a champion of the Second Amendment."

He also criticizes Mayes for opposing the Trump administration's government efficiency efforts: "Chris Mayes is filing unfettered lawsuits on behalf of Arizona against President Trump because she wants more government, she wants more spending."

Glassman argues that the legislature enables this by funding the Attorney General's office: "If you ever have a state legislator that starts complaining about Chris Mayes and all her lawsuits, look them right in the eye and say, 'Then why are you voting for a budget that funds Chris Mayes's lawsuits against President Trump?'"

He calls for greater fiscal responsibility: "We need to shrink the size of government. We need to make it more efficient because government is funded by taxpayers—that means government is funded by us. To have a liberal elected Attorney General suing the Trump administration for trying to shrink government, and then our legislature giving her tax dollars to hire the attorneys to do it, is insanity."