{"id":2228091,"date":"2024-04-23T12:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T16:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-democrats-stray-from-abortion-message-and-focus-on-water-in-rural-areas\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T12:35:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T16:35:38","slug":"arizona-democrats-stray-from-abortion-message-and-focus-on-water-in-rural-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-democrats-stray-from-abortion-message-and-focus-on-water-in-rural-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Democrats pivot away from abortion stance to prioritize water issues in rural regions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farizona-democrats-stray-from-abortion-message-and-focus-on-water-in-rural-areas%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2228091&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Arizona\u2064 Democrats\u2062 are shifting their focus to appeal to voters by \u200bhighlighting the critical issue of water scarcity \u200din the state.\u200d The \u2062party aims to address concerns amid debates on\u200c abortion\u2062 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">border security<\/a>. Democrat \u2064officials Kris Mayes and Gov. Katie Hobbs are cracking down\u2063 on farms with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-seeks-32-5-billion-in-ukraine-and-covid-aid\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Seeks .5 Billion in Ukraine and COVID Aid\">unlimited access<\/a> to groundwater, a crucial step in\u200c engaging rural \u2063voters. Arizona Democrats are refocusing \u200dtheir efforts to \u2064resonate with voters by emphasizing the pressing \u2063matter of water\u200d scarcity in the state. Amid ongoing debates regarding abortion and border security, Democratic leaders \u2063Kris Mayes and Gov. Katie Hobbs are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/free-beacon-staff-to-editors-arm-the-nathan-robinson-regime-to-prevent-communist-takeover-of-current-affairs\/\" title=\"Free Beacon Staff to Editors: Arm the Nathan Robinson Regime To Prevent Communist Takeover of \u2018Current Affairs\u2019\">taking decisive action<\/a> against farms with unrestricted access to groundwater, a key strategy to\u200c engage rural constituents.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Arizona<\/a> Democrats are looking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/us\/arizona-la-paz-county-water.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>capture voters mindful<\/a> of one resource that is sparse in the desert state: water.<\/p>\n<p>As political battles over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/2959358\/arizona-supreme-court-upholds-civil-war-era-abortion-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>abortion<\/a> and the southern border hit close to home for some Arizonans, record-setting high-temperature summers and droughts worry many. Democrats look to rein in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-5-ore-counties-vote-on-leaving-state-residents-want-to-detach-from-deep-blue-state-and-join-greater-idaho\/\" title=\"Report: 5 Ore. counties vote on leaving state, residents want to detach from deep blue state and join Greater Idaho\">rural voters<\/a> who have turned on the party by framing water as a \u201clife or death\u201d matter going into the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024 elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWater made me attorney general,\u201d said Democrat Kris Mayes, the state\u2019s attorney general. \u201cThis is exactly the kind of issue we can win back some of rural America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In tandem, Mayes and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2910656\/arizona-turns-off-taps-saudi-business-pumping-5-billion-gallons-water-annually\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>cracked down<\/a> on controversial farms that had unlimited access to the state\u2019s limited groundwater supply.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the pair ended a contract with a Saudi Arabian company, Fondomonte, that grew alfalfa in Arizona and then shipped the hay back to the Middle East. Under the contract from former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, the company was given unlimited access to groundwater in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>Mayes has been canvassing in rural parts of the state that are worried about giant farms drying their water supply. In La Paz County, which lies in the western portion of the state on the border of California, the topic hits close to home. There, groundwater is being depleted to the advantage of companies such as Fondomonte.<\/p>\n<p>In Wenden, Arizona, a town with a population of 469, over 150 people attended a talk Mayes hosted about water.<\/p>\n<p>\u200b\u200b\u201cYou have been ignored for far too long,\u201d Mayes said at the event. \u201cConsider the fact that I\u2019m here and the fact that I agree with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Gary Saiter, chairman of the board and general manager of the Wenden Domestic Water Improvement District, walks by a water tank at the district\u2019s well on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Wenden, Arizona. According to Saiter, records indicate the water table at the utility\u2019s well has dropped several hundred feet since the 1940s. He believes the state needs to implement controls to help preserve the aquifer. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to the <em>New York Times<\/em>, Mayes also touted President Joe Biden\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which would fund drought relief projects. The attorney general also said she was exploring whether she would be able to sue large farms such as Fondomonte. Mayes said effects from the farms, including erosion and road damage, could <a href=\"https:\/\/azbar.org\/media\/en2eyts0\/22-nuisance-damages-2017.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>give her reason<\/a> to sue them.<\/p>\n<p>Holly Irwin, a La Paz County supervisor and self-described \u201cstaunch Republican,\u201d told the <em>New York Times<\/em> she was relieved to see support from the Hobbs administration that she did not see under Ducey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a relief,\u201d Irwin said. \u201cWe have a governor who\u2019s listening, and paying attention to water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Residents are also frustrated with the quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blazeradioonline.com\/article\/2023\/12\/phoenix-population-growth#:~:text=MAG%20estimated%20that%20by%20the,the%20US%20Census%20in%202020.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>growing city of Phoenix<\/a> and the outlying suburbs that rely on rural water access. Phoenix previously owned land in La Paz County but has since sold it and no longer has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/drought-ridden-california-slaps-nestle-with-a-cease-and-desist-order-to-stop-illegally-pumping-water\/\" title=\"Drought-Ridden California Slaps Nestl\u00e9 With A Cease And Desist Order To Stop Illegally Pumping Water\">water rights<\/a> there. The Maricopa County suburbs of Queen Creek and Buckeye, however, have both spent millions on water from rural areas to supply their own growing cities.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekaz.gov\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/12869\/13?backlist=%2Fgovernment%2Fdepartments%2Fcommunications-marketing-140#:~:text=After%20a%20five%2Dyear%20process,portion%20of%20their%20water%20rights.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Queen Creek<\/a> received a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2024\/04\/arizona-groundwater-rights-greenstone-resources-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>transfer of water<\/a> from the Colorado River in Cibola, Arizona, to receive 2,033 acre-feet of water per year for a one-time payment of $24 million for the water rights.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some predict water from the Colorado River will increase in value as groundwater could dry up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith ongoing shortages on the river, driven by climate change, Colorado River water is going to become very valuable,\u201d said Rhett Larson, a professor of water law at Arizona State University. \u201cAnyone who understands this dynamic thinks, \u2018Well, if I could buy Colorado River water rights, that\u2019s more valuable than owning oil in this country at this stage.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arizona Democrats shift focus to appeal to voters concerned about water scarcity in the state. With contentious debates on abortion and border security hitting home, the impact of rising temperatures and droughts is unsettling for many. Democrats aim to connect with rural voters disenchanted with the party<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2910,"featured_media":2228092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/az-water-1024x592.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/az-water-1024x592.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}