By Joseph Darius Jaafari
March 11, 2026 |
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1.1 MILLION PEOPLE PAY SRP BILLS.
ABOUT HALF CAN’T VOTE IN ITS ELECTION. |
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And Turning Point Action knows that.
The lobbying arm of the far-right organization Turning Point USA is backing candidates in the April 7 Salt River Project election — a little-known race that helps control one of the largest public utilities in Arizona.
Candidates including Chris Dobson, Barry Paceley, Kelly Cooper and Rusty Kennedy are all being supported by the group. Conservative figures such as former state Sen. Justine Wadsack have framed the race as an opportunity to build power in Arizona politics from the ground up, with hopes of helping boost Congressman Andy Biggs’ run for governor.
But here’s the catch: many of the people paying SRP’s bills aren’t even eligible to vote.
LOOKOUT mapped the utility’s service area against voting eligibility and found that large swaths of the Phoenix metro area — including some of the city’s most progressive neighborhoods — are left out of the election entirely.
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| Read our story here |
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OUR TAKE: Turning Point has spent years building political influence in Arizona — from school boards to the state legislature.
The SRP race could be the latest front.
Other outlets have reported that the group sees the election as a way to remove what one Turning Point Action executive called “radical environmentalists.” But there’s been little scrutiny of the structure of the election itself.
That’s where we came in.
Our reporting looks not just at why the voting disparity exists, but who exactly is excluded from participating in the April 7 election.
👉 See the map and our full reporting
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In the rest of this week’s newsletter:
• A Tucson organizer who built a reputation advocating for queer migrants is now running for office in New York City.
• The federal government is forcing some transgender prisoners to detransition.
• And at the bottom of the newsletter, our In-Queer-Sitive news quiz is back if you want to test how closely you followed the week’s headlines.
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🌵 LOCAL NEWS |
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MAGIC CITY: Bullhead City isn't well known for being a queer destination — more for its river traffic. But a lesbian couple has turned a metaphysical shop into an unlikely hub for queer connection in the area and the nation. As part of our Outback series exploring businesses and spaces across rural and suburban Arizona, check out our latest. LOOKOUT
NO PLATES FOR YOU, EITHER: Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have directed money from a specialty license plate to Turning Point USA. Hobbs said license plate revenue shouldn’t fund political groups — though several already do. The fight comes after Republicans for two straight sessions refused to hear a bill that would fund scholarships for LGBTQ+ students at Maricopa County Community Colleges. AZ Mirror
FROM DESERT QUEERS TO CITY QUEENS: David Orkin, a democratic socialist in Queens, New York, is running to unseat a key ally of former mayor Eric Adams. But before entering city politics, he built his organizing experience in Tucson advocating for queer migrants with Mariposas Sin Fronteras. Jacobin
VOTING RECORDS: Maricopa County found itself at the center of viral misinformation this week after a less-than-trustworthy news website said that the Department of Justice subpoenaed records connected to the 2020 election. After the news circulated among MAGA influencers online, misleading claims about the subpoena spread rapidly across social media. AZ Mirror
POSSE PUSHOVERS: Before Trump returned to office, a group of allies tied to his administration quietly drafted plans to deploy the military across all 50 states. Their argument hinged on claiming that immigration constituted a nationwide “invasion.” Phoenix New Times
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🇺🇲 U.S. NEWS |
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FORCED DETRANSITION: The Federal Bureau of Prisons is banning gender-affirming care for incarcerated people, escalating anti-trans policies that critics say amount to conversion therapy. Prisoners previously receiving hormone treatment are instead being prescribed antidepressants. The Marshall Project
CONTEMPT: A Washington, D.C., federal judge is threatening to hold the government in contempt for failing to follow a protective order involving a transgender prisoner suing the Trump administration. Court filings say the prisoner and her roommate are facing retaliation while the order remains in effect. Law Dork
HATE IN OREGON: A Springfield man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after luring a gay man through a dating app and attacking him, leading to federal hate crime charges. KEZI News
VISALIA PROTEST: Community members showed up at a school board meeting in Visalia, California, after students spelled out an anti-gay slur using letters on their T-shirts. The board was considering disciplinary action involving teachers connected to the incident. Valley News
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