Dems Worry About Consequences of Arizona Breakdown
Democrats are seeking county organizations to channel fundraising efforts and resources, sidestepping the state party.
TroibNews 
Arizona Democrats are working urgently to address the fallout from internal conflicts that have involved their state party and leading officials, with concerns that these issues may negatively impact their performance in the 2026 elections.
Tensions escalated after the state party chair made critical remarks about Arizona’s Democratic senators over the weekend. Local party leaders cautioned that the breakdown of important intra-party relationships could jeopardize the party's midterm prospects. In response, Democrats are seeking to engage county organizations for fundraising and resource allocation, circumventing the state party, according to four sources familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This situation represents a significant challenge for Democrats in a state where Republicans have historically struggled with infighting and dysfunction—in contrast, the Democratic Party now finds itself in turmoil. Following accusations from the chair, Robert E. Branscomb II, who claimed Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego were using their financial contributions to undermine him, the senators and other statewide officials issued a joint letter asserting that Branscomb had made false accusations and that he had “lost their trust.”
Steven Slugocki, a former chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, remarked on the situation, calling it the “stereotype of Dems in disarray.” He emphasized the urgency of upcoming elections. “We can’t have any of these distractions. We’ve got statewides to win and a legislature to flip. We need a strong party. It’s more critical than ever that we have a strong, united party,” he stated.
Using county parties as a substitute for the state party to coordinate voter registration and get-out-the-vote strategies is not a new approach. However, in recent years, such measures have often stemmed from ideological divides. In Arizona, the current schism appears to arise from factions at odds with each other and broader accusations of mismanagement.
This turmoil comes at a particularly precarious time for Democrats, who are focused on reelecting Gov. Katie Hobbs and other statewide officials next year. Hobbs is expected to confront a tougher challenger than in 2022, making a robust state party infrastructure even more critical to support campaign efforts.
If forced to liaise primarily through a county, Maricopa County—home to a majority of Arizona's population—is the leading candidate due to its size. Nonetheless, donors are exploring options across the state, including contacting smaller and more rural counties like Mohave and Navajo, according to local leaders.
One Democratic county official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal party matters, indicated that discussions have likely occurred between Democratic leaders across all 15 counties and donors interested in assessing the capacity of different areas to manage additional donations while continuing their local organizing efforts. “The top of the ticket and donors know what’s at stake. And we all know we don’t have the luxury of time,” the official remarked.
What has particularly angered local Democrats is how quickly a disagreement among top party leaders spiraled into a public dispute. Longtime Arizona Democratic strategist Stacy Pearson shared her frustrations, stating, “The party has two jobs: Raise money, register voters, and I have no idea how airing this dirty laundry accomplishes either of those goals. This public circular firing squad is remarkably unhelpful.”
As stated by another longtime Democrat in the state, “People are just really frustrated with the fact that this dirty laundry got aired the way it did… This is pulling us off message at a time when we really don’t need to be doing that, especially given the stakes that we’ve got.”
Branscomb ignited the current crisis with a letter sent on Saturday to members of the state central Democratic committee, in which he criticized Kelly and Gallego. He mentioned that one senator—without specifying who—claimed he would no longer “support or participate in state party fundraising” following Branscomb’s recruitment of an executive director whom the senators reportedly opposed.
In response, Kelly, Gallego, Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes jointly issued a letter stating that Branscomb's claims were unfounded and constituted a “bad-faith response.” They concluded, “Any efforts not devoted to winning are simply a waste of resources,” emphasizing that, despite the broken trust, “we’re not going to let that deter us from our mission of winning in 2026.”
As pressure mounts for Branscomb to resign, his intentions remain uncertain. When queried about his potential resignation, he told a local TV station, “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong,” adding that he would share more information in the coming days.
Democrats hope for a swift resolution from Branscomb to begin rebuilding the party's reputation and alleviating donor concerns ahead of the critical 2026 elections, during which both Hobbs and Fontes will headline the ticket.
However, some party members concede that even if he steps down, the damage may already be too extensive to fully recover from. “I mean, the infrastructure is in disarray,” Pearson noted. “So, I mean, at this point, I'm not sure if it matters.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Tensions escalated after the state party chair made critical remarks about Arizona’s Democratic senators over the weekend. Local party leaders cautioned that the breakdown of important intra-party relationships could jeopardize the party's midterm prospects. In response, Democrats are seeking to engage county organizations for fundraising and resource allocation, circumventing the state party, according to four sources familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This situation represents a significant challenge for Democrats in a state where Republicans have historically struggled with infighting and dysfunction—in contrast, the Democratic Party now finds itself in turmoil. Following accusations from the chair, Robert E. Branscomb II, who claimed Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego were using their financial contributions to undermine him, the senators and other statewide officials issued a joint letter asserting that Branscomb had made false accusations and that he had “lost their trust.”
Steven Slugocki, a former chair of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, remarked on the situation, calling it the “stereotype of Dems in disarray.” He emphasized the urgency of upcoming elections. “We can’t have any of these distractions. We’ve got statewides to win and a legislature to flip. We need a strong party. It’s more critical than ever that we have a strong, united party,” he stated.
Using county parties as a substitute for the state party to coordinate voter registration and get-out-the-vote strategies is not a new approach. However, in recent years, such measures have often stemmed from ideological divides. In Arizona, the current schism appears to arise from factions at odds with each other and broader accusations of mismanagement.
This turmoil comes at a particularly precarious time for Democrats, who are focused on reelecting Gov. Katie Hobbs and other statewide officials next year. Hobbs is expected to confront a tougher challenger than in 2022, making a robust state party infrastructure even more critical to support campaign efforts.
If forced to liaise primarily through a county, Maricopa County—home to a majority of Arizona's population—is the leading candidate due to its size. Nonetheless, donors are exploring options across the state, including contacting smaller and more rural counties like Mohave and Navajo, according to local leaders.
One Democratic county official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal party matters, indicated that discussions have likely occurred between Democratic leaders across all 15 counties and donors interested in assessing the capacity of different areas to manage additional donations while continuing their local organizing efforts. “The top of the ticket and donors know what’s at stake. And we all know we don’t have the luxury of time,” the official remarked.
What has particularly angered local Democrats is how quickly a disagreement among top party leaders spiraled into a public dispute. Longtime Arizona Democratic strategist Stacy Pearson shared her frustrations, stating, “The party has two jobs: Raise money, register voters, and I have no idea how airing this dirty laundry accomplishes either of those goals. This public circular firing squad is remarkably unhelpful.”
As stated by another longtime Democrat in the state, “People are just really frustrated with the fact that this dirty laundry got aired the way it did… This is pulling us off message at a time when we really don’t need to be doing that, especially given the stakes that we’ve got.”
Branscomb ignited the current crisis with a letter sent on Saturday to members of the state central Democratic committee, in which he criticized Kelly and Gallego. He mentioned that one senator—without specifying who—claimed he would no longer “support or participate in state party fundraising” following Branscomb’s recruitment of an executive director whom the senators reportedly opposed.
In response, Kelly, Gallego, Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes jointly issued a letter stating that Branscomb's claims were unfounded and constituted a “bad-faith response.” They concluded, “Any efforts not devoted to winning are simply a waste of resources,” emphasizing that, despite the broken trust, “we’re not going to let that deter us from our mission of winning in 2026.”
As pressure mounts for Branscomb to resign, his intentions remain uncertain. When queried about his potential resignation, he told a local TV station, “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong,” adding that he would share more information in the coming days.
Democrats hope for a swift resolution from Branscomb to begin rebuilding the party's reputation and alleviating donor concerns ahead of the critical 2026 elections, during which both Hobbs and Fontes will headline the ticket.
However, some party members concede that even if he steps down, the damage may already be too extensive to fully recover from. “I mean, the infrastructure is in disarray,” Pearson noted. “So, I mean, at this point, I'm not sure if it matters.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
