Phoenix

blue

A guide to fun things to do in Phoenix this weekend.

Axios Phoenix Weekender

Weekender

Phoenix Members

Membership

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Phoenix with Jeremy Duda and Zach Buchanan.

Axios Phoenix

Standard

Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with the Axios Phoenix newsletter.

Axios Phoenix Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Phoenix Alerts

Alert

Axios Phoenix Partners

DOJ investigates Arizona voter drives days before election

A former GOP election official questions the timing.

Election

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Justice Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/trump-doj-midterms-interference" data-vars-content-id="cfaf39f0-113f-422c-afd9-a8ee3820e933" data-vars-headline="DOJ investigates Arizona voter drives days before election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/trump-doj-midterms-interference" target="_self">Justice Department</a> is investigating the Arizona voter registration efforts of three Democratic-aligned groups after an &quot;undercover&quot; video purported to show volunteers willing to register non-citizens.Why it matters: The Friday announcement comes four days before the Nov. 3 election, and nearly a month after Arizona&#x27;s registration deadline passed, timing one Republican former elections official says could sow unnecessary doubt about the results.

Katie Hobbs wins reelection in Arizona governor's race

Hobbs' victory keeps Arizona's governor's office in Democratic hands and denies Republicans a major pickup.

News

Arizona <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gov. Katie Hobbs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/06/aarp-poll-hobbs-biggs" data-vars-content-id="eeea3e3b-dcaf-46a8-bd48-6b1d5f4f9afa" data-vars-headline="Katie Hobbs wins reelection in Arizona governor&#x27;s race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/06/aarp-poll-hobbs-biggs" target="_self">Gov. Katie Hobbs</a> defeated Republican Andy Biggs to win a second term, keeping the battleground state&#x27;s governor&#x27;s office in Democratic hands, the AP projects. Why it matters: Hobbs has acted as a check on the Republican-controlled Legislature for the past four years, but with Democrats poised to potentially win both the House and Senate, she and her party could have a tremendous impact.

Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature

A few districts will determine if Democrats win the Legislature for the first time since the 1960s.

Arizona Democrats have gotten used to saying &quot;This could be our year&quot; as they try to win <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="control of the Legislature" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/24/legislative-races-to-watch-arizona-primary-2024" data-vars-content-id="3bea28bf-d0d9-43cf-a28c-ccd3a257c945" data-vars-headline="Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/24/legislative-races-to-watch-arizona-primary-2024" target="_self">control of the Legislature</a> — and hopes are high that 2026 could finally be their year.Why it matters: With Gov. Katie Hobbs <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="favored to win" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/arizona-governor-election-polls-2026.html" data-vars-content-id="3bea28bf-d0d9-43cf-a28c-ccd3a257c945" data-vars-headline="Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/arizona-governor-election-polls-2026.html" target="_blank">favored to win</a> reelection next week, control of the Legislature will likely determine whether Arizona has a split government or one-party Democratic control.

New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots

30% of Maricopa County voters who delivered early ballots in the primary used the new option.

Arizonans have a new option this year to bypass the signature verification process for early ballots, potentially speeding up the state&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="infamously long vote-counting process" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/09/19/expect-delayed-election-results-again" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/09/19/expect-delayed-election-results-again" target="_self">infamously long vote-counting process</a>.Why it matters: Ballot-counting in Arizona can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="take days" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/14/hobbs-narrow-lead-lake-gains-arizona-governor" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/14/hobbs-narrow-lead-lake-gains-arizona-governor" target="_self">take days</a> or even <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more than a week" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-government-and-politics-7661ea46b45f432db0e893137598b581" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-government-and-politics-7661ea46b45f432db0e893137598b581" target="_blank">more than a week</a> to determine winners in the closest races.

Valley roadways among the most dangerous in the nation, study says

The region ranks alarmingly high for pedestrian deaths, among other issues.

Public Safety

Our roads in the Valley are some of the deadliest in the country, per a new traffic study. Why it matters: The analysis, conducted by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), could lead to new countermeasures to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="make our roads safer" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/05/11/study-reverse-suicide-lanes-sevens-survey-public-input" data-vars-content-id="b7fe5d8b-6148-4879-9e18-2220aefb7bc3" data-vars-headline="Valley roadways among the most dangerous in the nation, study says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/05/11/study-reverse-suicide-lanes-sevens-survey-public-input" target="_self">make our roads safer</a>.

What you need to know for Election Day

The election will decide state offices, ballot measures, city council seats and more.

Politics

Intersections crammed with campaign signs, incessant text messages, mailboxes overflowing with mailers and wall-to-wall TV ads have led us to this moment — Election Day is here.

All that Halloween weekend rain was really unusual

Phoenix area saw rain Oct. 31 for the first time in nearly four decades.

They say weird things happen on All Hallow&#x27;s Eve, and in the Valley this year one eerie occurrence was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="meteorological" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/17/a-110-degree-halloween" data-vars-content-id="fe460999-0dde-4b7a-9303-3d37d6a7dafc" data-vars-headline="All that Halloween weekend rain was really unusual" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/17/a-110-degree-halloween" target="_self">meteorological</a> — an absurd amount <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="of rain" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/18/second-driest-year-national-weather-service-phoenix-el-nino" data-vars-content-id="fe460999-0dde-4b7a-9303-3d37d6a7dafc" data-vars-headline="All that Halloween weekend rain was really unusual" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/18/second-driest-year-national-weather-service-phoenix-el-nino" target="_self">of rain</a>.Why it matters: Many parts of the Phoenix area received more than 2 inches of rain from Friday through Sunday, including precipitation on Halloween for the first time in nearly four decades.

Where in the Valley?

Welcome to another edition of &quot;Where in the Valley?&quot;How it works: We show you something cool. You tell us where it is.

Take the Axios Phoenix news quiz

See how well you absorbed this week's news.

It&#x27;s that time again! See how well you absorbed this week&#x27;s news with our quiz.

Phoenix's ICE misconduct portal has had roughly 30 complaints

ICE has stepped up immigration enforcement around the country under the Trump administration.

Phoenix&#x27;s portal to report concerns about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="federal law enforcement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/03/25/phoenix-council-city-property-ice-immigration-prohibition" data-vars-content-id="71e266f6-ea23-4b33-861a-e4f11ae08eab" data-vars-headline="Phoenix&#x27;s ICE misconduct portal has had roughly 30 complaints" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/03/25/phoenix-council-city-property-ice-immigration-prohibition" target="_self">federal law enforcement</a> activity in the city has attracted a few dozen reports since launching seven months ago.Why it matters: It&#x27;s not clear from the numbers whether the portal effectively and accurately captures community concerns about ICE, which has stepped up immigration enforcement around the country under the Trump administration — sometimes with deadly results.

News 🗞

Amish Shah flips Arizona congressional seat

Valley roadways among the most dangerous in the nation, study says

Katie Hobbs wins reelection in Arizona governor's race

What you need to know for Election Day

All that Halloween weekend rain was really unusual