Arizona stories ready to republish | October 15, 2026

Below are today’s Arizona and national stories, available for immediate republication. You can access them via The Center Square RSS feed or BLOX Content Exchange.

Republicans aim to retake Arizona’s executive branch
Senate President Warren Petersen and U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs are vying to give Republicans back control of Arizona’s executive branch. During the Nov. 3 general election, Petersen, R-Gilbert, will face Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes in the attorney general's race, while Biggs, R-Gilbert, will challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s gubernatorial race. By Zachery Schmidt.

County officials respond to election workers controversy
The dust has yet to settle in Arizona’s largest county after a pair of Maricopa County employees were seen on camera in the late-night hours of Oct. 7 in what has become an election controversy. By Christopher Boan.

Dozens of residents talk to Mayes about data centers
What was meant to be a stop on the campaign tour for Arizona’s attorney general deep in the heart of Mesa became a one-topic free-for-all instead on Wednesday night. The city of about 500,000 people, near Phoenix, is where Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes came to lay out her vision for data center development. But most of the town hall at the Eagles Community Center was spent talking about a particular 38-acre tract of land in the southern fringes of the Phoenix city limits. By Christopher Boan.

State attorney general to discuss data centers at town hall
A horde of Phoenix area residents will shoehorn their way into Mesa’s Eagles Community Center Wednesday evening to hear about the future of a hot-button topic, both in Arizona and around the country: data centers. By Christopher Boan

Poll: Two years out, Harris remains frontrunner in 2028 presidential primary
Former Vice President Kamala Harris remains the top choice for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination among nearly 30% of Democratic and left-leaning independent voters surveyed, with her support holding virtually unchanged over the past year, according to The Center Square’s latest poll.

Taxpayer Philanthropy: Feds gave nonprofit $23M despite accounting woes
The National Council of Urban Indian Health received $23.6 million in federal funds over four years even as an auditor flagged accounting problems in three of those years, an investigation by The Center Square found.

Report: U.S. banks restricted customers over political, religious views
Nine of the largest U.S. banks dropped services for customers over political and religious views, according to a report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released Wednesday. The OCC, within the Department of the Treasury, analyzed the practice of "debanking," where a financial institution may suddenly close a customer's bank account or terminate loans. Specifically, certain banks restricted access to industry sectors' in oil and gas, firearms distribution and digital assets including cryptocurrency.

IMF: US can’t grow its way out of $1T interest bill
The United States cannot grow its way out of a debt load costing taxpayers more than $1 trillion a year in interest, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

U.S. inflation rises to 3.7% in September report 
U.S. inflation rose 0.6% in September for an annual rate of 3.7%, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

HHS moves to end subsidies for 189,000 improper ACA enrollments
The Department of Health and Human Services has moved to terminate subsidies for another 189,000 Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollments involving deceased individuals or people also covered by Medicare, Medicaid or CHIP, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday.

Social Security recipients to see 3.6% benefits boost in 2027 
More than 71 million Americans receiving Social Security benefits will see a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment beginning in January, the federal government announced Wednesday.

New bill would expand outbound inspections targeting cartel trafficking in US
A bipartisan bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate to target cartel trafficking in the U.S.  The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act was filed to increase inspections of traffic heading south to Mexico through any U.S. state to combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug cartels.

U.S. Supreme Court appears skeptical of consumer privacy lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Wednesday during arguments over whether video consumers are protected from having data shared between online companies.  

Policy group calls for data center power studies, tax break reviews
Advancing American Freedom Foundation wants Congress to see how much electricity data centers use. It also wants states to reveal how much their data center tax breaks cost.

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8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RACE:  U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, faces Democrat Bernadette Greene Placentia. The Center Square is interviewing the candidates. By Zachery Schmidt.

GALLEGO’S PLAN FOR $20 MINIMUM WAGE: The Center Square has interviewed officials with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute and Project 48 Arizona to get reactions to U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, and his bill for a federal $20 an hour minimum wage. By Christopher Boan.

SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION RACES: The Center Square will look at the state schools superintendent races in Arizona and California and discuss candidates’ views on voters' biggest issues in K-12 education. By Esther Wickham.

VVP GOP PRESIDENT: With the 2028 presidential election just over two years away, Vice President JD Vance is gaining steam, reaching a high of 44% support in the latest of five Republican presidential primary polls conducted by The Center Square over the past year.

TAXPAYER PHILANTHROPY: A Minneapolis nonprofit that has received millions of dollars of state funding also paid the founder and his family members nearly $1 million — a big chunk of its budget — in its most-recent year that is disclosed in the nonprofit's tax returns, an investigation by The Center Square found. 

VVP TRUMP APPROVAL: More than half of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and his overall job performance. The Center Square speaks with experts on presidential polling and economic approvals. (Andrew Rice) 

VVP DIRECTION: Fifty-eight percent of American voters say the country is on the wrong track, against 31% who say it’s headed in the right direction, according to a new poll from The Center Square. The wrong-track number is unchanged from August and June but up from 54% in March. True independents are at 70% wrong direction, with 17% unsure, the highest uncertainty in the sample. Democrats and leaners say wrong track 82% to 12%, while Republicans and leaners split 54% right direction to 32% wrong. (Brett Rowland, Friday)

TARIFFS-DEMOCRATS: House Democrats promise to undo President Donald Trump’s tariffs on day one, but the Supreme Court already struck down one set, and the replacements cannot be reversed over a presidential veto. More than a dozen Democratic tariff bills sit unmoved in Ways and Means, and CBO has scored none of them. (Brett Rowland)

ELECTIONS AND IRAN: Not only has President Donald Trump said that the U.S. won’t strike Iran prior to the midterm elections next month, Israel, which engaged in joint strikes against the Islamic Republic, will be holding similar elections 10 days prior to the U.S. elections. (Sarah Roderick-Fitch)

CONSUMER SPENDING: The Census Bureau will release its September retail sales data Thursday morning, providing a fresh look at consumer spending trends and the strength of the U.S. economy. (Morgan Sweeney)

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Dave Mason
Regional Editor
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