Scarp & Friends

Lieutenant Governor & All ThatArizona has a new job on the ballot next year -- Lieutenant Governor. But is it all it's cracked up to be and WHO should be handpicked by the Democratic and Republican nominees? We name names. Then... School choice is reshaping education nationwide and Arizona’s universal program has been a catalyst for the movement. Scarp sits down with Katie Ratlief of Common Sense Institute and Jenny Clark of Love Your School to talk about how this evolving landscape is opening the door for more specialized education options for families and pushing district schools to rethink how they serve students, especially those with special needs.

How do we finally address the homelessness crisis? It’s increased by 40 percent in Arizona in just the past 5 years. We talked with Devon Kurtz from the Cicero Institute, who has experience on the issue all across the country. The solutions are ones Arizonans largely agree on, now we just need action.

It definitely is NOT as easy as 1-2-3…. Scarp is joined by two veterans of the Prop 123 debate for a discussion of how this complicated education policy came to be and what should happen next.

Is a Democratic primary for Arizona Governor in the making for 2026? We riff on that and so much more as Scarp and his friends just can’t get enough of political gossip.

What does the election mean for business and our economy? We sit down with one of our BEST friends — Arizona Chamber Of Commerce CEO Danny Seiden for some straight talk about what to expect in the New Year from our federal level on down to our local economy.

Scarp and Friends is back! And just in time to touch on all the hot topics in the aftermath of the 2024 election. From President Trump’s historic victory, to how this all played out on the ground, we dive in.

Eight years ago, then Treasurer Doug Ducey, former CEO of Cold Stone and Arizona State University alum, stood and declared that together, with the support of his family, friends, colleagues, and fellow Arizonans, he would run for the Office of the Arizona Governor with the singular focus of providing every Arizonan with more opportunities. As Arizona’s Governor for tough times, Doug Ducey inherited a one billion dollar budget deficit as the economy was still recovering from the great recession. And he helped Arizona persevere through an unprecedented global pandemic. But today, the Governor faces his biggest challenge yet – a podcast interview with Scarp. Listen in as the two great friends discuss his time on the 9th floor and his legacy of service. To learn more about Governor Ducey’s accomplishments throughout his eight-year governorship, visit theduceyyears.com.

Scarp and his good friend, statistical genius Landon Wall, travel to a parallel universe where the theoretical can become reality – the world of polling. They discuss an innovative new polling method and what today’s numbers tell us about the upcoming midterm elections. Scarp is also joined by producer Blake Wilson, to break down subtle yet outside-the-box political strategies and the future outlook of Arizona’s political climate.

In a kickass episode of Scarp and Friends, Scarp interviews a kickass woman – unmatched policy expert, Katie Ratlief, current Deputy Chief of Staff at the Office of the Arizona Governor, who recently announced that she will be the new Executive Director of the Common Sense Institute – Arizona’s leading nonpartisan free enterprise research group – effective in January 2023. They dig into her new job, this past legislative session, and how Scarp screams when scared.Also, Scarp gives a full breakdown on the drama surrounding Arizona’s school choice legislation and the current political climate.

To debate or not debate? That is the question that Scarp discusses in his latest podcast. In this episode, Scarp discusses key insights from the upcoming Arizona gubernatorial election and other issues impacting the midterm elections. Then, he talks (and debates) with a good friend, Democrat State Senator Sean Bowie, to discuss life at the legislature, keys to campaigning, K-12 education and addressing Arizona’s housing crisis.