Welcome to the Thursday, June 13, Brew.
By: Mercedes Yanora
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Border law enforcement measure will go before Arizona voters
- Candidates in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Utah agree on extending Tax Cut and Jobs Act, diverge on national debt
- North Dakota voters approve congressional age limit ballot measure – Learn exactly what this means on tomorrow’s episode of On the Ballot
Border law enforcement measure will go before Arizona voters
Arizona voters will decide on a measure that will make it a state crime to unlawfully cross the border from Mexico, as well as allow for state and local police to arrest individuals who unlawfully cross the border. This measure will appear on the ballot on Nov. 5.
States like Texas and Iowa have passed similar laws. But the Arizona measure appears to be the first of its kind to be certified for the ballot. If approved, the measure would be implemented as a state statute.
The measure, HCR 2060, was introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives on Feb. 14. The House passed it on Feb. 22 by a 31-28 vote, with all Republicans voting “yes” and all Democrats voting “no.” The Arizona Senate amended and passed the measure on May 22 by a 16-13 vote, also passing with all Republicans voting for the measure and all Democrats voting against it. The House passed the amended measure by a 31-29 vote on June 4.
The measure would also allow state judges to order deportations. It would also require the use of the E-Verify program to determine the immigration status of individuals before enrollment in a financial aid or public welfare program. Lastly, it has provisions related to the sale of fentanyl, making it a Class 2 felony if the person knowingly sells fentanyl and it results in the death of another person.
Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma (R) spoke in support of the measure, saying, “I am an immigrant. This is not anti-immigrant. This is anti-lawlessness. It’s about securing our border, because the federal government has failed to do their job.”
Governor Katie Hobbs (D) spoke against the measure, saying, “HCR 2060 will hurt Arizona businesses, send jobs out of state, make it more difficult for law enforcement to do their jobs, and bust the state’s budget. It will not secure our border. Despite strong opposition from business leaders, border law enforcement, and bipartisan local leaders throughout the state, extremists in the legislature have chosen to prioritize their political agendas over finding real solutions.”
In March 2024, Hobbs vetoed a similar bill. By legislatively referring HCR 2060 directly to voters, the House and Senate bypassed Hobbs and will not need her signature if voters approve the measure. Arizona is currently a divided government with a Republican-led legislature and a Democratic governor.
Two candidates for the U.S. Senate election in Arizona, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D) and candidate Kari Lake (R), also commented on the measure. Lake supported the passage of the measure, saying, “Arizonans are crying out for common sense security measures. I am encouraged that Arizona Republican state legislators are doing their best to deliver it — even if they have to go around Hobbs’ veto to do it.”
Gallego opposed the measure, saying, “Politicians are refusing to address our border crisis and dragging us backwards to a horrible time. In order to truly secure our border and keep Arizonans safe, we need to hire more border patrol agents, deliver crucial resources to our frontline border communities, and fix our broken asylum system. This bill does none of that.”
Arizona holds its statewide primary on July 30.
This measure is the seventh measure added to the 2024 statewide ballot in Arizona. A total of 481 ballot measures appeared on Arizona’s statewide ballot since 1911. Voters approved 249 (51.77%) and defeated 232 (48.23%). For legislatively referred state statutes, voters approved 17 and defeated 12.
Nationwide, this measure is the only statewide immigration-related measure certified for the ballot this year. Another statewide measure, Washington Law Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws Initiative (2024), has been cleared for signature gathering.
We last covered a statewide immigration-related measure in Massachusetts in 2022. Voters upheld House Bill 4805, which allows applicants who cannot verify citizenship or immigration status to submit certain forms of identification to obtain a driver’s license or motor vehicle registration.
Candidates in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Utah agree on extending Tax Cut and Jobs Act, diverge on national debt
Throughout the year, we’ll bring you coverage of the most compelling elections — the battlegrounds we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive. You can catch our previous coverage of other battleground races here.
Today, we’re looking at the June 25th Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Utah. Four candidates are running in the primary: John Curtis (R), Trent Staggs (R), Jason Walton (R), and Brad Wilson (R). Incumbent U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R) announced he would not seek re-election.
All four candidates attended a candidate forum where they highlighted their policies on the economy and taxes. Lisa Riley Roche of Deseret News said the candidates “largely remained agreeable even as they attempted to highlight their differences.” All four supported extending the Tax Cut and Jobs Act that former President Donald Trump (R) signed into law, which is set to expire this year. When speaking on the national debt, Curtis said he voted against Trump-lobbied legislation that he believes would have increased the national debt; Staggs said Covid-19 spending and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act increased the national deficit; Wilson said his experience managing Utah’s budget would benefit him in the U.S. Senate; and Walton said he supports a balanced federal budget.
Curtis represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District. He said he supports reducing government spending, increasing the country’s energy independence, securing the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing for a tariff on China, and ensuring the state government owns public land in Utah instead of the federal government.
Staggs is the mayor of Riverton, Utah. He said he supports lowering taxes, reducing government spending and regulations, ensuring that the state government owns public land in Utah instead of the federal government, improving the country’s energy independence, and ensuring that liberal ideologies do not influence defense spending and education policies. Trump and the Utah Republican Party endorsed him.
Walton is an entrepreneur and owns 35 businesses. He said he supports reducing federal regulations, promoting free trade, securing the U.S.-Mexico border, prioritizing the military with better training, equipment, and pay, and ending corruption in government.
Wilson is a businessman and served in the Utah House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023. He was the House speaker from 2018 to 2023. Wilson said he supports lowering taxes on the middle class, reducing government spending, increasing parents’ roles in public education policies, securing the U.S.-Mexico border, and expanding gun ownership rights.
As of April 7, Wilson raised $4.8 million in campaign finances, followed by Walton ($2.8 million), Curtis ($2.8 million), and Staggs ($986,729).
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the election as a Solid or Safe Republican race.
North Dakota voters approve congressional age limit ballot measure – Learn exactly what this means on tomorrow’s episode of On the Ballot
On tomorrow’s episode of On the Ballot, Ballotpedia’s weekly podcast, Ballotpedia Podcast Producer Frank Festa interviews Ballot Team Writer Jackie Mitchell and Professor of Political Science Mark Jendrysik (University of North Dakota) about North Dakota Initiated Measure 1, Congressional Age Limits Initiative.
North Dakota voters approved the measure on June 11, with 60.88% of voters voting “yes” and 39.12% voting “no.” Now approved, the measure prohibits an individual from being elected or appointed to serve in the United States Senate or United States House of Representatives if the individual would become 81 years old by Dec. 31 of the year preceding the end of their term. This is the first law of its kind in the country.
Mitchell and Festa discuss the group behind the measure, what it took to get the measure on the ballot, and the results of Tuesday’s election. Festa then interviews Jendrysik. They explore how the measure relates to the 1995 U.S. Supreme Court case U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, where the court decided that states cannot create qualifications for prospective members of Congress that are stricter than those specified in the Constitution. Jendrysik points to the potential of a lawsuit that would challenge the measure’s legality and likely trigger the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton.
You can learn more about the measure by subscribing to On the Ballot on YouTube or your preferred podcast app! This special episode will drop Friday morning.