AZ Political Podcast: David Schweikert talks run for governor, how Republicans can pass spending bill

I was able to get a lot of mileage out of U.S. Rep. David Schweikert when he joined me on the AZ Political Podcast this week.

You might think that’s because he just announced he’s running for governor of Arizona. While we do touch upon that, we also talk about a timelier issue: the government shutdown.

As a sitting member of Congress, David is deeply immersed in government funding issues. Currently, he’s working to end the shutdown.

In fact, he was a little late to our taping because he was on a Zoom call with other GOP members strategizing how to get the government back to work.

David Schweikert interview on U.S. government shutdown, solutions

Schweikert and I also talk about how he sees himself governing differently from both incumbent Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs (in too many ways to count) and his GOP primary opponents, Andy Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson (in more nuanced ways).

I ask about his personal and professional motivations for leaving Washington at the end of what will be his eighth term in the House of Representatives.

But one thing he wants to do more of upon returning to full-time life in Arizona still puzzles me: in-person homework with his 10-year-old daughter. Doing that with my own 10-year-old makes me feel like I’m not qualified for any public office.

The AZ Political Podcast is available at KTAR.com, the KTAR News app and everywhere you get your podcasts.

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