Axios Phoenix

August 03, 2026
Happy Monday! On this day, Jesse Owens won gold in the 100-meter dash at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 113 and a low of 91.
Today's newsletter is 1,015 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Andy Biggs plays it safe with Kerr
Former state lawmaker Sine Kerr, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs' running mate in his bid for governor, isn't considered as politically extreme as he is — but she probably won't broaden the congressman's appeal, veteran political consultants tell Axios.
Why it matters: Kerr is strongly conservative. But Biggs, who is considered one of the most extreme members of Congress, needs to woo moderate Republicans and independents to beat incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.
Catch up quick: Biggs announced Kerr, who most recently served as the Arizona executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency, as his lieutenant governor pick on Friday.
What they're saying: "It is certainly a safe, conservative pick," GOP consultant Barrett Marson tells Axios. "Won't rock the boat. Won't make much of a difference."
State of play: A longtime dairy farmer, Kerr has deep agricultural ties in the state.
- But Biggs has "got rural Arizona, and he has the agricultural community in support of him," Chuck Coughlin, a longtime political consultant who has historically worked for Republican candidates, tells Axios.
Zoom in: Tyler Montague, another Republican consultant, concedes that Kerr maybe helps with rural turnout, but says, "I don't think she woos moderates very well."
- Working against Kerr are her vote for the Cyber Ninjas audit of the 2020 presidential election — the results of which Biggs attempted to overturn — and her support of a complete abortion ban.
Yes, but: Kerr told Axios on Friday that the 2020 election had "gone through the courts and it's been proven that Biden won. We have to accept that."
- She also said that "the voters spoke" in 2024 when they passed Proposition 139, which added abortion access to the state constitution.
The other side: At a campaign event Friday, Biggs said Kerr checked several boxes, including having experience in the legislature, federal government and private business. She also "could connect to a different demographic," specifically rural communities.
- "Sine brings the ability to connect with everywhere else, and I bring the ability to take Maricopa County," said Biggs, who lives in Gilbert.
2. 🔞 Pornhub wants back in Arizona
Pornhub is hoping to return to Arizonans' web browsers by challenging the state's age verification rules.
Why it matters: It's been one year since residents could directly access one of the biggest names in online pornography.
State of play: Pornhub sent a letter to more than 300 state leaders across the country this week — including state Rep. Nick Kupper and Gov. Katie Hobbs, who sponsored and signed Arizona's law, respectively — asking for them to rethink laws that require adult website visitors to verify their age, Politico reports.
- The laws in roughly half of all states "demonstrably do not work" and fail to shield the minors they were written to protect, Pornhub wrote.
Flashback: Under the Arizona law that went into effect last year, websites that publish content harmful to minors (i.e., porn) have to verify that users are 18 or older by collecting and reviewing personal identification information.
- In response, PornHub blocked access to its site in Arizona.
Reality check: Porn has remained accessible for Arizonans despite the new law.
- Using a virtual private network, or VPN, can mask a user's location and evade both Pornhub's blackout and Arizona's law.
- Many noncompliant porn sites remain reachable by anyone with an internet connection.
That's why Pornhub is pushing for device-based rather than site-based verification.
Yes, but: There's little indication that Hobbs or state lawmakers want to revisit the law, which passed with bipartisan support.
- Neither Hobbs' office nor Kupper responded to questions about Pornhub's letter.
3. 🏕️ Last-minute camping app
Forget about pitching the tent. The hardest part of camping can be getting a campsite — which can require reservations months in advance.
- Now, there's an app to make last-minute camping feel possible again.
Driving the news: Software engineer Daniel Maynard built Camp Sage — a free campsite finder — that skips the booked sites and shows only campgrounds with reservations actually available.
- A quick look at the sites' map function Friday afternoon showed openings at several sites across Arizona.
How it works: The tool searches public reservation data from state parks, Recreation.gov and other public campground systems, then displays available sites on an interactive map.
- It lists only sites with at least two consecutive available nights and lets users filter for weekend trips, group campsites and Wi-Fi availability.
4. Chips & salsa: 🎓 Eyes on ASU
🚨 Investigators released two ransom notes sent in connection with Nancy Guthrie's disappearance, saying the writing style could generate new leads in the months-old case. (New York Times)
📞 Amish Shah said in a private call that the primary was "damaging" after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's lack of support for his U.S. House campaign. (AZCentral)
📹 Students and civil liberty advocates are raising concerns about Flock surveillance cameras at ASU's Tempe campus.
- ASU confirmed the cameras, known to read license plates, were installed in 2022 and the data collected is only used during investigations. (AZ Family)
🕰️ Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are reporting benefit losses, paperwork delays and longer waits as Arizona works to reduce its SNAP payment error rate. (Arizona Capitol Times)
🐋 The Sleepy Whale, a Chandler craft beer bar, opened a second location in Uptown Plaza, replacing Dynamite Beer Co. (Phoenix New Times)
5. Where in the Valley?
Welcome to another edition of "Where in the Valley?"
How it works: We show you something cool. You tell us where it is.
- The first reader who names the spot gets a shoutout in the newsletter.
You tell us: Where in the Valley can you find this monument?
Catch up quick: Congratulations to Don S., the first reader to give us the correct location for last week's "Where in the Valley?" photo.
- The mural is at the S'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly the Pueblo Grande Museum) at 44th and Washington streets.
🏝️ Jeremy is out.
😎 Zach is not someone you'll have to wrestle for a campsite. He likes air conditioning too much.
Thanks to our editor Astrid Galván.
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