Marian McClure

According to a story in the Arizona Republic this morning Prop 200, which was overwhelmingly rejected by voters last week, may be the end to payday lenders in Arizona. Despite spending more than $14million on Prop 200, the measure was defeated by the opposition which spent only $175K. Lobbyist Stan Barnes says the defeat may mean the loss of 2500 jobs while a Tucson Citizen guest editorial by Representative Marian McClure says good riddance.    

Half of all votes have been counted, and so far none of the six candidates for Arizona Corporation Commissioner are significantly outpacing or under-performing against any other.

As it stands, Democrat Sandra Kennedy leads the pack with 17.8 percent, while state Rep. Marian McClure (R-Tucson) trails at 15.8 percent.

That means there is no greater than a 2 percent difference between any of the candidates in the race.

In the race for the three empty seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, the Democratic team's hopes appear to be buoyed by new internal poll numbers, while Republicans remain cautiously optimistic of their chances, according to two of the candidates.

Democratic candidate Paul Newman said he didn't know how the vote was going to end up, but that two rallies at which he appeared over the course of Monday "should translate positively" for the Democratic candidates. 

Newman was the second-highest vote getter in the four-way Democratic primary where Kara Kelty was eliminated. He and fellow Democratic nominees Sam George and Sandra Kennedy have dubbed themselves the "Solar Team," and are focusing on issues of renewable energy, solar at the forefront.  

"Arizona needs strong advocates for solar," said Newman. "We absolutely should be the solar leader of the world."

Republican Arizona Corporation Commission candidate John Allen confirmed to PolitickerAZ.com that he put in a congratulatory call to Barry Wong, but has not yet conceded the race.

By the unofficial preliminary count, Wong appears to have won the third GOP spot on the ACC general election ballot. However, Pima County has not finished its count of ballots cast in Tuesday's primary, and Maricopa County has reported it has 43,000 ballots, primarily mailed or walked in, that remain to be tallied.

Therefore, said Allen, he has not ceded the race to Wong yet.

"I said let's let the system work its way through," said Allen, recounting his coversation with Wong. "Though it would be very difficult to win from the position I'm in, I'm certainly giving him the understanding that I'm not conceding anything yet."

A day after the Arizona primaries, Two Republican candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission are still waiting to see which of them will be on the general election ballot.

Barry Wong currently leads John Allen by 1,000 votes, out of more than 720,000 votes cast. Only 13 precincts, or .6 percent of total precincts, have yet to report, but those votes could make the difference.

There are three seats on the ACC to fill, meaning three slots open on the general election ballot for both the Republicans and Democrats.

Arizona state Reps. Bob Stump (R-Peoria) and Marian McClure (R-Tucson) have already earned their places on the November ballot in the Republican column, grabbing 21.5 percent and 14.7 percent of the vote respectively. After a close race for third on the Democratic side, the slate is set as Sam George, Laura Kennedy and Paul Newman.

State Rep. Bob Stump (R-Peoria) will be on the Arizona Corporation Commission ballot in November as one of three Republican candidates.

After over 67 percent of votes have been tallied in the Republican ACC primary, Stump is far ahead of any of his fellow seven rivals, at 22.2 percent. His closest competitor at the moment is state Rep. Marian McClure (R-Tucson), who has so far gained just over 14 percent.

Stump and McClure are running as a "team" with state Rep. Bob Robson (R-Chandler), who is thus far trailing most of the field at 10.4 percent. 

Sonoran Alliance today continued their endorsements in the primary by endorsing the candidates for Arizona’s Corporation Commission they thought were the most free-market candidates. Those candidates included Bob Stump, Joe Hobbs and Rick Fowlkes.

Hobbs and Fowlkes are running as part of a team with Keith Swapp, who was not endorsed by the Sonoran Alliance.

Bob Stump is running on as part of a ticket with Marian McClure and Bob Robson.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle GiffordsTUCSON -- The Southern Arizona Solar Energy Development Conference, brought over 100 elected officials, industry leaders and public administrators to the Arizona Historical Society Monday, provided more than a comprehensive look at the state of solar energy development in southern Arizona. It was a public declaration of the strength of the solar movement among leading political figures, prefiguring a spate of potential battles to come between those who prioritize solar development and those who don’t.

Lawmakers and their election year opponents are debating the nation’s energy future in all 50 states and the nation’s capitol, with all agreeing that there is a looming crisis but with little consensus on solutions.

In southern Arizona, which experiences more sunshine than any other region in the nation, the political ramifications of solar development are serious. As expected, the race to fill three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which oversees the state’s public utilities and is intimately involved in shaping Arizona’s energy policy, has and will continue to feature the question of renewable energy sources, solar chief among them.

L to R: John Allen, Rick Fowlkes, Keith Swapp, Joseph HobbsLast night, the seven Republican candidates for Arizona Corporation Commission gathered in Scottsdale to present their ideas on how they would operate if elected to the board that oversees Arizona's public utilities. During a rapid-fire series of questions from former state legislator and blogger, Greg Patterson, similarities - such as an across-the-board refutation that global warming is a threat - and differences emerged in experience, philosophy and goals. The conversation was sometimes suprising, sometimes lively, but above all, substantive.

The AP takes a look at the GOP lawmakers who are looking to run for the Corporation Commission.

“Three state legislators have announced they're running for Arizona Corporation Commission seats to replace three fellow Republicans who are term-limited and cannot run for re-election.  read more »