Republican lawmakers in Arizona lost seats in last year’s election and entered the 2021 legislative session with the smallest House and Senate majorities they’ve seen in years.
Yet despite shrinking numbers and Democratic ascendancy at the ballot box, the GOP managed to enact one of the most conservative agendas in memory during the legislative session that ended this week. From abortion to taxes to policing and much more, Republicans moved the state decisively to the right. The GOP’s rightward shift was enabled by the departure of two moderate Republicans who lost their reelection bids last year.
