Play the video above to see these stories on AZ Illustrated Politics for Friday, May 2:
Host Jim Nintzel sat down with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal to discuss the recently completed legislative session and other statewide issues.
DuVal said he would give lawmakers between a “D” and an “F” for the session, saying that they had failed to properly fund education and put off vital reforms to Child Protective Services.
DuVal also said Gov. Jan Brewer made the right decision in vetoing SB 1062, the controversial legislation that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians under the guise of religious freedom. He added that it was time Arizona provide legal protections to gays and lesbians.
DuVal said Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne were moving in the wrong direction in their efforts to block DREAM Act kids from receiving driver’s licenses in-state tuition at community colleges.
Following the DuVal interview, Nintzel sat down with National Republican Committeeman Bruce Ash and Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Don Jorgensen to talk about the political stories of the week. Among the topics discussed:
DREAM ACT KIDS: Jorgensen and Ash agreed that DREAM Act kids should be eligible for in-state tuition at community colleges. Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne have been in court to block the colleges from offering in-state tuition to undocumented youth who are enrolled in the Obama administration’s deferred-action program, which allows them to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.
BARBER V. MCSALLY: In the latest dust-up between Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Barber and Republican challenger Martha McSally, the National Republican Congressional Committee accused Barber of underpaying women in his congressional office compared to the men. Team Barber dismissed the charges, pointing out that he had more women than men on his staff and the three highest paid staffers in his office were women. Jorgensen said it was an effort to distract the GOP’s opposition to the Fair Pay Act, which would prohibit employers from paying women less than men for performing the same job. Ash agreed that it was a distraction, but said that Democratic policies were tantamount to a war on women because so many women had been unable to find work in recent years.
AZ Illustrated Politics is produced by Jim Nintzel. Contact him at jnintzel@azpm.org.
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