Goldwater Institute

09/17/2026

Arizona has lost one of its most consequential public servants. Former Senator Jon Kyl has passed away at the age of 84.

Senator Kyl, who represented our state in Congress for more than 26 years, serving first in the U.S. House and later rising to become the second-ranking Republican in the Senate. He earned a reputation as a serious lawmaker who viewed public service as a responsibility and the defense of liberty as its central purpose. Senator Kyl brought that approach to some of our nation’s—and Arizona’s—most difficult challenges.

Senator Kyl’s influence was also instrumental in establishing the Goldwater Institute. He helped found the organization in 1988 and remained a trusted friend and adviser as it grew into a national defender of individual liberty and limited government.

“The Goldwater Institute would not be the organization it is today without Jon Kyl and the leadership he demonstrated during his more than 26 years of public service,” Goldwater Institute President and CEO Victor Riches said.

Kyl studied the issues, defended his convictions and treated public office as a duty rather than a platform for personal attention. He leaves Arizona—and the Goldwater Institute—with an enduring example of principled leadership.

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago, terrorists attacked our nation, our freedoms, and our way of life. The Goldwater Institute remembers the innocent lives that were taken, and we honor them by remaining steadfast in the defense of liberty.

09/10/2026

Why is housing so expensive in Arizona? Join us for a webinar on 9/16 to find out.

One big reason for the high costs? The government. Good news is, there's something that can be done about it.

Join our webinar with Mercatus Center on Sep 16 at Noon (MST) / 3 (EDT) to learn more about the sky-high housing costs and how permitting reform can help solve the problem.

Join the Mercatus Center and Goldwater Institute for a webinar on Arizona housing permitting reform featuring Mercatus housing policy expert Salim Furth and Goldwater Vice President for Legal Affairs Timothy Sandefur. In Arizona, housing prices are 50% higher now than they were at the beginning of 2...

09/08/2026

Join Adam Carolla and the Goldwater Institute on Friday, October 23, at the Arizona Biltmore for our annual Freedom Gala! We are celebrating another year of defending individual liberty!

Tickets and sponsorships are limited, and the event will sell out. RSVP today at GoldwaterGala.com to reserve your seat.

08/31/2026

When Arizona bureaucrats tried to shut down home building with an illegal rule, we took action and put the government in its place. Thank you to State Policy Network for honoring our work with the Bob Williams “Guardian of Liberty” Award! We appreciate your support!

When Arizona bureaucrats imposed an illegal rule that effectively blocked home building in Maricopa County, the Goldwater Institute got to..

08/26/2026

We're standing up for Kathy Kite, a Missouri woman who just wants to feed her community. Bureaucrats are trying to shut her down. Kathy isn't having it -- and neither are we.

"I'm not gonna stop providing for my community. I wouldn't stop feeding my children, I wouldn't stop feeding my family," Kathy said. "I'm not gonna stop feeding my community cause they are my family… This is bigger than that. It's about love and appreciation because they appreciate what I do."

Kathy Kite says she won't stop serving free breakfast in Harrisburg, Missouri, despite a health department letter saying she needs a permit.

08/25/2026

"Teachers unions suffered yet another deserved but embarrassing defeat last week. In Arizona, the state Supreme Court found that not only did unions fail to submit enough valid signatures to get their anti-school-choice proposition on the fall ballot, but they also broke the law by hiring felons to collect signatures.

"This is just the latest example of teachers unions wasting their members’ hard-earned money to fight against popular policies that most voters want. If it wasn’t clear before that teachers unions serve only their own narrow interests, not the public good, it should be now.

"The Goldwater Institute deserves credit for scrutinizing the petitions, challenging invalid signatures, and exposing legally ineligible circulators, including felons. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld enough disqualifications to keep Proposition 212 off the ballot, preserving parents’ ability to choose the education best for their children."

Teachers unions keep losing efforts to restrict school choice as parents embrace education savings accounts and scholarship programs.

08/21/2026

Every morning, Kathy Kite wakes up at 3:30 to make breakfast sandwiches, burritos, biscuits, waffles, and coffee for her neighbors in the tiny town of Harrisburg, Missouri.

She has never charged them a dime.

But local health officials say that if Kathy wants to keep feeding her neighbors, she may need to install a commercial kitchen, obtain a food permit, and submit her home to government inspections. Under the local food code, she could even face thousands of dollars in fines and potential jail time.

Kathy isn't running a restaurant. She's a grandma showing hospitality to her neighbors.

The government should protect neighborly kindness—not punish it.

That’s why the Goldwater Institute is stepping in to defend Kathy’s right to cook for her friends and neighbors without government permission. Read the full story in the link below.

08/18/2026

VICTORY! In a major victory for school choice, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that Proposition 212, the anti-school choice measure funded by out-of-state special interests, failed to turn in enough valid signatures to appear on this November’s ballot.

“Despite spending an unprecedented amount of money in an effort to deceive voters into restricting school choice, the unions could not convince even a small fraction of Arizonans to sign their petition,” said Victor Riches, President and CEO of the Goldwater Institute. “Instead, they had to resort to unlawfully collecting thousands of signatures to try to game the system and dupe their way onto the ballot.”

“Tens of thousands of parents and students across Arizona are breathing a sigh of relief today,” said former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Goldwater Institute board member and chairman of the Institute for American Prosperity. “Today’s ruling should send a clear message to any other anti-parent, anti-school-choice organization: Arizonans overwhelmingly embrace school choice and will continue to do so, regardless of how many millions of dollars these groups waste trying to take it away.”

Arizona’s universal school choice program is the most successful school choice effort in the country, serving over 100,000 kids across the state. Today’s court decision puts the final nail in the coffin of those who seek to restrict parental rights and force children into failing government-run schools. And it marks a critical victory in defending liberty and ensuring Arizona’s students will thrive well into the future.

The Goldwater Institute thanks the plaintiffs and our coalition partners for their support in this monumental effort.

Read more below.

08/17/2026

Is the Supreme Court a conservative monolith?

That’s one of the questions Tim Sandefur and Jon Riches dig into in the Goldwater Institute’s latest Supreme Court roundup.

Link to the full video in comments below --