More Obama aides knew of IRS audit; Obama not told

WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and other senior advisers knew in late April that an impending report was likely to say the IRS had inappropriately targeted conservative groups, President Obama’s spokesman disclosed Monday, expanding the circle of top officials who kn…

Media, tea party coalesce around common enemy

Breaking news: Conservative organizations suddenly have found common cause with one of their favorite objects of contempt - the benighted Mainstream Media.

Melvin plans dark-horse run for GOP gubernatorial nomination

PHOENIX - Three-term state Sen. Al Melvin announced Monday he intends to run for governor this coming year.

Melvin plans dark-horse run for GOP gubernatorial nomination

Sen. Al Melvin

US Sen. Rand Paul endorses immigrant path to citizenship

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is endorsing a path to citizenship for the nation’s illegal immigrants, a significant move for a favorite of tea party Republicans who are often seen as hostile to such an approach.

Groups mount effort to remove Ariz. justice, prompting Pelander to consider rare campaign

PHOENIX - A loosely organized effort to oust a state Supreme Court justice is forcing him to consider an unprecedented campaign to keep his job.

Fitz Blog:Miller's lament

     Teapublican Ally Miller is running against Nancy Young Wright for the seat of retiring Pima County Supervisor Ann Day. Miller sent out this memo to the press yesterday.

Fitz Blog:Flags over Saddlebrooke

"When I see a house with an American flag I know it's a conservative home," Republican state senator "Capt." Al Melvin told a recent Tucson Tea Party rally while stroking a flag on a nearby stand and snarling.

Tea Party 'Conservative Cruze' set for Saturday

The Tucson Tea Party has scheduled its first big event in months with a ‘Conservative Cruze’ across the county Saturday.

Fitz Blog:Tea party hangover

Tea party candidate wins primary for Texas Senate seat

AUSTIN, Texas — Tea party darling Ted Cruz convincingly defeated the Republican establishment favorite, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in Texas’ runoff election Tuesday, capturing the GOP nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as fiercely conservative voters shook one of Ame…

Political events

• May 14. The Democrats of Greater Tucson host Stefanie Mach, candidate for LD 10 House, and Sal Baldenegro Jr., candidate for LD2 House. Lunch begins at noon, and the speaker begins at about 12:30 p.m. at Dragon's View restaurant, 400 N. Bonita Ave.

Woman who stole from tea party can't withdraw plea

A judge says a woman who pleaded guilty to stealing from the Prescott Tea Party's accounts can't withdraw her plea so she can have a jury trial.

Fitz Blog: News of the week

This is the news this week from Arizona, also known as the latest scoop from the Tea Party's sand box.

Campaign-type apparel at polls may be OK soon

PHOENIX - The next time you go to the polls, it might be OK to wear that T-shirt with a Democratic donkey or those Republican elephant earrings.

Political notebook: Politicos on left, right renew tea-party spat

The ongoing feud between the Tucson Tea Party and Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers continued Wednesday at the Rick Santorum event.

Tea party rallies nationwide focus on Nov. 2 rather than 9/11

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Originally billed as a chance to reflect on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a series of raucous tea party rallies around the country on Sunday ended up focusing almost entirely on an event still to come - the Nov. 2 election.

Sen. John McCain Interview: Public sentiment

The Star editorial board met with Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain on April 1. Excerpts of the conversation were published April 11 in the Star print edition, and we've collected segments, organized by topic, of the wide-ranging interview online: