Axios Phoenix

July 21, 2026
Happy Election Day! Don't forget to vote in the primary if you haven't already.
🌧️ Today's weather: Slight chance of thunderstorms tonight, high 101.
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Today's newsletter is 795 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: The primary election is here

It's primary election day, and if you haven't voted early, you can still cast your ballot.
Why it matters: The primary winners will shape the general election, and in some races the primary is the only election that really matters.
- Many legislative districts and some congressional districts heavily favor one party, essentially making the general election a formality.
State of play: Polls open at 6am and don't close until 7pm, and as long as you're in line before closing time, you can cast a ballot.
- In Maricopa County, you can vote at any polling place you want. Find a vote center.
- If you still have your early ballot, bring it to a polling place or an official drop box — it's way too late to put it in the mail.
- Remember to bring photo ID if you're voting in person.
1 new option: Voters with early ballots can now bring them to a vote center, show their ID, and have their ballots tabulated on the spot.
- Otherwise, early ballots can't be counted until the voter's signature is verified, which can take days.
There's no U.S. Senate race on the ballot here for the first time since 2014, plus it's a non-presidential year. But there are still a lot of big races to watch.
Governor: Don't expect much drama in the Republican primary — polling has consistently shown front-runner Andy Biggs with a huge lead over fellow U.S. Rep. David Schweikert.
- The winner will face incumbent Gov. Hobbs, who's unopposed in the Democratic primary, in what could be the most closely watched governor's race in the country.
1st Congressional District: Marlene Galán-Woods, Rick McCartney, Amish Shah and Jonathan Treble seek the Democratic nomination, while Joseph Chaplik, Jay Feely and John Trobough face off in the Republican primary for the highly competitive seat that Schweikert is vacating.
- Both national parties' congressional campaign committees have thrown their weight behind candidates — the Dems are spending money to help Galán-Woods and the GOP has endorsed Feely, who also has President Trump's support.
2. Chips & salsa: New prison health care head
⚕️ A federal judge appointed an independent receiver to take over the health care system for inmates in the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. It comes after a yearslong court battle stemming from a class-action lawsuit in which prisoners alleged substandard care violated their constitutional rights. (Arizona Mirror)
Carl Kunasek, the former Arizona Senate president who helped create the state's Medicaid program and presided over former Gov. Evan Mecham's impeachment trial, died at age 94. (AZcentral)
📈 Arizona's unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.9% last month while the national rate fell. (KJZZ)
⚾ D-Backs third baseman Nolan Arenado got his 2,000th career hit last night, becoming the sixth active MLB player to reach that milestone. (Associated Press)
✈️ Boeing plans to build a nearly 268,000-square-foot fabrication center that would expand its Mesa manufacturing campus. (Phoenix Business Journal)
3. Young Suns shine in Summer League
The NBA Summer League gave us a glimpse of what could be a bright future for the Phoenix Suns.
State of play: Summer League in Las Vegas was a showcase for a trio of up-and-coming Suns — Khaman Maluach, Koa Peat and Rasheer Fleming.
Maluach: He was the star of the show.
- The 7-2 Duke alum didn't play much in his rookie year, but if the Summer League is any indication, he could be in line for a bigger role next season.
- He was the Summer League's leading rebounder with nearly 13 a game and averaged nearly 20 points.
Peat: His Summer League play should give fans confidence that the Suns made the right move when they traded up to select the Arizona Wildcats star with the last pick of the NBA Draft's first round.
- His style of play earned comparisons to another one-and-done U of A standout, Aaron Gordon.
- Yes, but: Arizona Sports wrote that there are still "very real concerns" with Peat's long-range shooting, and there's no obvious path to substantive regular season playing time.
Fleming: The second-year forward struggled at the start of Summer League but turned things around with a 22-point game.
- What the Suns need most from Fleming is for him to play defense, be active on the glass and not be afraid to shoot, and that's what he did in Las Vegas, Sports Illustrated wrote.
📰 Jeremy is really glad the Roswell Daily Record is staying in business. He used to cover high school sports in the area and has filed stories from their newsroom.
😴 Jessica is back after getting some R&R yesterday.
Thanks to our editor Hadley Malcolm.
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