Ahead of several important elections next year, Arizona Democrats are in danger of upending the state party due to an intraparty fight.
In a letter to state committee members, newly elected state Democratic Party chair Robert E. Branscomb II claimed that a number of his personnel decisions within the state party had infuriated Democratic Sens.
Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, with one threatening to cease supporting the party’s fundraising efforts. The infighting was evident over the weekend.
In response, Kelly, Gallego, and a number of Democrats from throughout the state wrote a letter accusing Branscomb of making “many false claims” and referring to his speech as a “bad-faith response.”
As the state Democratic Party prepares for multiple competitive elections in 2026 to protect its governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, the public rivalry between the two parties occurs.
When Lisa Sanor left as Arizona Democratic Party secretary earlier this month, tensions inside the party began to simmer.
She bemoaned the party’s “significant challenges” in a letter to the state party and others, citing “the absence of strategic planning, a budget, and timely replacement of vital staff members who departed en masse.”
She further claimed that in addition to “a concerning lack of understanding from leadership regarding some of our critical systems and internal operations,” there had been a “lack of transparency” around the appointment of particular personnel.
But over the weekend, Branscomb’s letter—a copy of which The Hill was able to obtain—made that friction even more obvious. The past ninety days have been “marked by both unexpected challenges and significant groundwork for the future,” he informed the members in it.
Shortly after his election, Branscomb claimed to have discovered a “empty workspace” at the state party office and accused Morgan Dick, the departing executive director, of obstructing his progress.
Additionally, he said that “outgoing leadership stonewalled my efforts, withheld banking information, and discouraged current staff from staying on, even offering to help them find other jobs.”
Additionally, he claimed in his email that when Branscomb fired Dick as the party’s executive director, Kelly had called him and told him that he “strongly discouraged me from making staffing changes without consulting him.”
Lastly, Branscomb claimed that both senators chastised him for his decision as soon as he appointed Michael Ruff as the party’s new executive director.
A few hours later, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D), Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D), Gov. Katie Hobbs (D), Gallego, and Kelly issued a statement denouncing Branscomb’s letter, claiming it contained “many false claims” and “is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks.”
Dick released a statement of her own, denouncing the state party chair’s message as “counterproductive” and erroneous.
While members of the party claim that infighting and occasional arguing is nothing new, they were astonished to see it touch a fever pitch with Branscomb’s letter.
That individual contended that the party won’t have any issues in November of next year if the internal strife is resolved quickly. However, the insider cautioned that “it can have a huge impact” if it went forward.
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The acrimonious public dispute is taking place in one of the nation’s most crucial states, which frequently determines who controls the White House and who has the Senate majority.
The GOP can pick up seats from Hobbs, Mayes, and Fontes, who are all running for reelection next year. In 2022, Hobbs and Mayes each won by less than a percentage point.
Democrats are dealing with a decline in Democratic voter registration, which is compounding the already turbulent beginning of the 2026 election season.
Democrats are behind the GOP by 324,000 registered voters and by 231,000 unaffiliated voters, according to data from Fontes’ office that was made public this month.
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Democrats behind Republicans by 242,000 registered voters and by 177,000 unaffiliated voters, according to data released precisely one year ago.
Additionally, some Democrats are becoming more concerned about the likelihood that they would need to raise money for the state party.
The late Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) worked around the state GOP in 2010 and assisted in directing some funds through the Yuma County GOP instead, setting some precedent for that in Grand Canyon State.
