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AZ to Steyer: Thank you, next

With another move attacking Arizona Public Service, it appears California billionaire and now presidential candidate Tom Steyer cannot seem to quit Arizona.

Steyer鈥檚 attacks against the Arizona utility date back to the 2018 election cycle when his attempt to mandate onerous new renewable energy standards was rejected by voters in a 2 to 1 margin.

Now, Steyer is using a digital ad to accuse the company of corruption. This is the second time in recent months that Steyer has inserted himself into Arizona issues.

Many observers attribute his behavior to a desperate attempt to increase his name ID in the state and salvage his reputation after and painful and expensive loss in the fall.

鈥淐alifornia billionaire Tom Steyer can鈥檛 stop meddling in Arizona politics,鈥 Arizonans for Affordable Electricity spokesperson Matt Benson said. 鈥淚t was just last year that Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected Steyer鈥檚 Prop 127, which would have added $1,000/year to the typical family鈥檚 electricity bill. Now he鈥檚 back 鈥 this time as a self-described 鈥榬atepayer advocate.鈥

“You鈥檙e not fooling anybody, Tom.鈥

The California billionaire, who made millions investing in fossil fuels, is inserting himself in Arizona policy conversations claiming the state is being misguided by corporations and elected leaders. But the state鈥檚 economy has been booming for the past year with local economists touting the diversity in job and industry growth.

Arizona鈥檚 economy continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the nation, ranking聽fourth in the U.S. for GDP growth last year and second in the country for personal income growth.

More than聽300,000 new jobs have been added since 2015聽and Arizona is projected to聽add another 165,000 new jobs聽by 2020.

Also, the greater Phoenix metropolitan area has officially eclipsed its pre-recession job peaks in almost every industry.

鈥淎rizona is open for business and our economy is booming,鈥 said Governor Doug聽Ducey in a statement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not by accident: Arizona鈥檚 pro-business policies, low taxes and light regulations are delivering more job opportunities and bigger paychecks for Arizona workers.鈥

Business community advocates say Steyer鈥檚 latest advertisements are likely to prove as unsuccessful as his previous political activities in the state.

鈥淭his guy apparently can鈥檛 take a hint,鈥 Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry spokesperson Garrick Taylor said. 鈥淎rizonans have rejected over and over Steyer鈥檚 job-killing agenda, but yet he keeps coming back here. Arizona鈥檚 economy is doing just fine without Steyer, thank you very much, in large part because lawmakers and the governor have studiously avoided the sort of policies he advocates.鈥

Steyer鈥檚 efforts in Arizona began in 2018 when his progressive political action committee, NextGen Climate Action, launched an effort to mandate that utilities provide half their annual retail sales from renewable energy sources by 2030 鈥渋rrespective of cost to consumers.鈥 The effort excluded zero-emission nuclear energy from the definition of renewable energy.

Then in May, Steyer portrayed himself as a ratepayer advocate by engaging in an APS rate case before the Arizona Corporation Commission. Many were quick to point out that his 2018 energy mandate, known as Proposition 127, would have increased costs on Arizona residents, including low-income families and small businesses. Estimates revealed the typical Arizona family would see its utility bills increase by $1,000 or more over the course of a year.

In addition to the $28 million Steyer dumped into the failed campaign, he also attacked Republican candidates, spending more than $3 million against Attorney General Mark Brnovich and engaging in the Arizona Corporation Commission race through dark money groups such as ChispaAZ.

On Tuesday morning, Steyer announced his candidacy for president in a digital video. Steyer plans to spend at least $100 million on his campaign.

Lorna Romero

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