The new chair of the Democratic Party, Robert E. Branscomb II, sent a scathing letter to the Arizona Democratic State Committee recently accusing Arizona’s two Democratic senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, of threatening and intimidating him over his selection of an executive director. Branscomb, who became the new party chair in January, chose Michael Ruff, the party’s previous political director, for the position, sparking opposition from the state’s top Democratic leaders.
Branscomb, who owns an insurance agency, accused Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) of ordering him around, telling him he should not make staff changes without consulting him. “He emphasized his role in raising funds for the party and implied that I should be grateful, even beholden, to him for the party’s financial resources,” Branscom (pictured above) said.
Branscomb said after he announced who he was hiring for the party’s executive director, one of the senators texted him and told him he would no longer “support or assist in state party fundraising.” The other senator “called me directly — demeaning me and demanding I reverse my decision within 24 hours or ‘face consequences.’”
Branscomb accused the top staffer of one of the senators of “attempt[ing] to sow division and cause serious harm between Black and Brown communities by publicly stating that my election was the result of ‘Black folks coming after Latinos.’” Branscomb and Ruff are both black, and Branscomb is the first black chair of the party.
An elected official in the Democratic Party told reporter Christy Kelly that there was no problem with Branscom until he hired a black executive director. The official said the rank and file “love” Branscom, who was “coming in and exposing possible corruption and mismanagement.”
Branscom said in his letter, “Let me be clear: no state party chair should be threatened or intimidated by any elected official for making a decision in the best interest of our party.”
Kelly and Gallego, along with Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes, issued a joint letter in response, which was forwarded by party vice chair Aaron Marquez. “His statement today includes many false claims and is the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from the new leadership over the last several weeks,” they said, declaring that Branscomb had “lost our trust” and criticized his leadership, suggesting it was counterproductive to the party’s goals for 2026.
Removing Branscomb would require a two-thirds vote of the Democratic State Committee, a high bar that indicates he may remain in his role despite the opposition.
The previous chair, Yolanda Bejarano, was ousted in January. Despite the support of Kelly, Gallego, Hobbs, and Fontes, she lost to Branscomb by over 100 votes, 206 to his 318.
News articles about the feud such as one by Politico described the state’s Democratic Party as “in a meltdown” and “reeling” after bruising losses in the state legislature last fall, and decreases in voter registration. Republicans soared to a 7 percent voter registration edge over Democrats last month, the highest edge in several years, a trend which began in 2021. Republicans also command a 7 percent lead in Maricopa County, which represents about 60 percent of the state.
The public exchange of letters exposed a “public circular firing squad,” said longtime Arizona Democratic strategist Stacy Pearson, raising concerns about the party’s ability to unite for upcoming elections. Some Democrats are exploring ways to funnel fundraising and resources through county organizations, bypassing the state party led by Branscomb. Worsening the situation, there has been an exodus of Democratic staff members and other party leadership. Lisa Sanor, who was secretary of the Arizona Democratic Party Board, resigned in mid-April.
Without fundraising help from the party’s stars, Democrats will face a tough time in 2026 races. Arizona’s nine House seats are up for election in 2026, as well as all of the seats in the Arizona Legislature.
Hobbs, Fontes, and Mayes are up for reelection next year. Several prominent Republican leaders have announced they are challenging them. Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost the gubernatorial primary to Kari Lake in 2022, are running against Hobbs. State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-Scottsdale), an election attorney, is challenging Fontes. Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and Rodney Glassman, an attorney who served in office previously as a Democrat, are running against Mayes.
This isn’t the first time the Arizona Democratic officials have been rocked by accusations of racism toward blacks. In 2021, Hobbs admitted that she “participated in furthering systemic racism” when she fired a black staffer after the woman complained about pay equity. Talonya Adams filed a lawsuit accusing Hobbs of racism and was awarded $2.5 million over the discrimination.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at the Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Robert Branscom II” by Robert Branscom II.
