Party chair’s statement ‘was the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from leadership,’ senators say
Arizona Democratic Party chairman Robert Branscomb II accused his party’s U.S. senators of trying to intimidate and coerce him, prompting sharp rebukes from state and federal officials and pointing to a deep rupture in the state party.
Branscomb alleged in a Saturday morning email to party members that Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, “threatened” and “intimidated” him after he appointed an executive director who is not their preferred choice. According to Branscomb, one of the senators vowed to “no longer support or participate in state party fundraising,” while the other told Branscomb to reverse the decision or “face consequences.”
Within hours, Arizona’s Democratic officials—in a statement sent by party vice chair Aaron Marquez—fired back. The senators—along with Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes—said that “the Chair has lost our trust” and slammed Branscomb’s accusation as “the kind of bad-faith response we’ve come to expect from leadership,” according to Arizona’s 12News.
The public spat comes as Arizona Democrats struggle to regroup ahead of the 2026 elections. In 2024, the party lost ground in both chambers of the State Legislature, while President Donald Trump flipped Arizona, winning the battleground state by 5.5 percentage points.
Branscomb, who accused a Kelly aide of making a racially charged remark about his election, wrote in his email that “no state party chair should be threatened or intimidated by any elected official for making a decision in the best interest of our party.”
“The idea that both Arizona Senators would withdraw support because I did not choose their preferred candidate is not only troubling—it’s a threat to the integrity and independence of our party,” Branscomb continued. “I will not be coerced, and I will not be silenced.”
Branscomb became chairman in January after defeating incumbent Yolanda Bejarano, who was backed by the governor and both senators. Removing Branscomb would require a two-thirds vote of the Democratic State Committee.