Arizona: Harbinger of American politics

Politics in the Zeros
By Bob Morris
Oct 28, 2011, 7:00 am

Zócalo Public Square, a project of the Center for Social Cohesion from Arizona State University, in partnership with the New America Foundation, recently hosted a discussion about Arizona politics. Chief among the topics was: is Arizona politics unique to the state or an early indicator of what’s coming for the country in general?

Only 35% of Arizona voters are registered Republicans, even as the Right controls the legislature. SB 1070, the stringent anti-illegal immigration law, got nationwide attention (but much of it has yet to go into effect due to a federal injunction). But it can also be seen, at least partly, as a states’ rights issue as it mandates that the state do what the federal government isn’t doing. Along with this, the population of Arizona is shifting from older Anglos to younger Latinos, a trend which will surely continue and eventually upset existing political power structures and alliances. Author Tom Zoellner calls this “gray vs. brown,â€