George Khalaf on ESAs, Henry Thomson on Elections, John Rogers on 2026 Strategy

George Khalaf on ESAs, Henry Thomson on Elections, John Rogers on 2026 Strategy

May 22, 2026 · 1h 29m

About this episode

The episode features discussions on Arizona politics, including Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and strategies for the upcoming elections.

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds Chuck Warren and Sam Stone are joined by George Khalaf, founder of The Resolute Group, First Day PR, and Data Orbital, who discusses his campaign for Arizona State House in LD 3 and why he decided to move from political consulting to running for office. Khalaf breaks down the issues facing voters in Anthem, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, and Carefree, including water, affordability, school choice, and growing distrust in elected officials. He also explains the fight over Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and why he believes protecting ESAs is critical for families across the state. Then, Henry Thomson, Associate Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University, joins the show to discuss his book Watching the Watchers , which explores how communist dictatorships used secret police to maintain control. Thomson also compares historical surveillance systems to modern authoritarian regimes and discusses his research on off-cycle elections in Arizona, where major bond decisions can be made with extremely low voter turnout. Then, John Rogers, Executive Director of America First Works, joins Chuck and…

More episodes of Breaking Battlegrounds

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Breaking Battlegrounds podcast page.