Looking Beyond Labels in Arizona Politics

A party label can be a useful starting point when researching a candidate, but it does not answer every question a voter might have.

How does that candidate plan to make decisions? Will they automatically vote with a party? What does it mean when someone calls themselves independent or independent-minded? And where can Arizona voters go when they want more information than a campaign sign can provide?

Those questions were at the center of a Kate48 conversation between MOMnation founder and host Katie Halle Lambert and Anthony Ramirez, an attorney and candidate for Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 12.

In the pre-recorded conversation, Ramirez described himself as independent-minded and said he was running under the No Labels Party banner. The discussion offered a useful starting point for understanding political labels, caucusing, candidate research, and the questions voters can ask before making their own decisions.

Kate48 is not about telling Arizona families who deserves their vote. The goal is to make our state government and election process a little easier to understand so voters can research their choices for themselves.

What “Independent” Can Mean in Arizona Politics

One of the first distinctions Ramirez made was between an unaffiliated voter and someone who considers themselves independent-minded while running through a political party outside the traditional Republican and Democratic structure.

Ramirez explained that an unaffiliated voter is someone who does not belong to a political party. He described himself as independent-minded, while saying in the conversation that he was running for Arizona State Senate in Legislative District 12 under the No Labels Party banner.

The No Labels Party of Arizona describes its purpose as creating a home for independent-minded voters, candidates, and community leaders who want to move beyond traditional party politics.

For voters, the useful takeaway is that the word “independent” can mean different things depending on the context. It may describe someone's voter registration, a candidate's political approach, or the way someone talks about making decisions.

That makes the next question more useful than the label itself: What does this candidate actually mean when they use that word?

A Party Label Is Only One Piece of Candidate Research

Republican. Democrat. Independent. No Labels.

Those words provide information, but they do not tell voters everything they may want to know about a candidate.

A candidate's own interviews, website, public statements, debates, social media, and available public records can provide additional context about how that person approaches specific issues.

The YouTube caption accompanying this Kate48 conversation encourages voters to use multiple sources before making up their minds.

That can also mean asking more specific questions.

What issues does the candidate identify as priorities? How do they explain their proposed solutions? What experience are they bringing to the position? How do they respond when someone disagrees with them? Are their answers consistent across interviews and campaign materials?

Candidate research does not have to begin and end with the letter or label beside someone's name.

What Does It Mean to Caucus With a Party?

“Caucus” is one of those political words that can make a conversation sound more complicated than it needs to be.

During the interview, Ramirez described caucusing as lawmakers coming together within their respective political groups. He said that if elected, he did not plan to caucus with either major party and instead intended to consider legislation bill by bill.

That statement does not tell voters how he would vote on every future proposal. It describes how he says he intends to approach the decision-making process.

And that creates another useful question voters can ask of candidates from any party:

How will you decide whether to support a bill?

Candidates may have different answers. Listening to those explanations can help voters understand not only what a candidate believes, but also how that person says they would approach the work of governing.

“Bill by Bill” Is a Starting Point for More Questions

Ramirez repeatedly emphasized his intention to evaluate individual legislation rather than automatically following one party's position.

For a voter researching that approach, “bill by bill” can become the beginning of the conversation rather than the end.

What information would the candidate consider when reviewing legislation? Who would they consult? How would they hear from residents of their district? What happens when different groups of constituents want different things?

Those kinds of questions can be useful regardless of whether a candidate is Republican, Democratic, No Labels, or otherwise politically affiliated.

The point is not to assume that one decision-making style is better than another. It is to understand what candidates mean when they describe how they intend to represent their district.

Local Issues Can Reveal More About a Candidate’s Approach

The conversation also moved beyond political structure and into issues Ramirez said he was hearing about from residents.

He discussed concerns surrounding a data center project in the Ahwatukee area and talked about Arizona's water future. When discussing water, Ramirez was also clear about the limits of his own expertise, noting that he is not a hydrologist or engineer.

His larger point was that complicated problems require listening to people with relevant knowledge and considering different ideas.

For voters, local issues can provide an opportunity to move past general campaign language and ask candidates how they would actually approach a complicated problem.

What do they know about the issue? What do they still need to learn? Who would they consult? How would they balance different interests?

Those questions can tell voters quite a bit about how someone approaches the responsibilities of public office.

Where Arizona Voters Can Start Their Candidate Research

You do not have to rely exclusively on campaign advertisements or social media to figure out who is running.

The Arizona Secretary of State's 2026 Election Information resources are one place to begin researching elections and candidates.

Arizona Citizens Clean Elections also offers a Find My Candidates tool where voters can enter an address to view district-specific candidate information. Clean Elections notes that candidate profiles are optional, so its tool may not contain every candidate who will appear on a ballot. Arizona Clean Elections

From there, the YouTube caption suggests looking at candidate websites, social media pages, interviews, debates, public records when available, and multiple sources.

The goal is not to find one website that tells you what to think. It is to gather enough information to make up your own mind.

Looking Beyond the Label

One of the simplest takeaways from this Kate48 conversation is also one of the most practical: a party label is one piece of information about a candidate, not the entire picture.

Understanding what a candidate means by words such as independent, unaffiliated, or independent-minded can help voters ask better questions. So can understanding terms such as caucusing and asking candidates to explain how they would make decisions once in office.

You do not have to become an expert in Arizona politics overnight.

Start with who is running. Learn what they say they stand for. Look at more than one source. Ask questions when something is unclear. Then make the decision that makes sense to you.

If this conversation helped make Arizona politics feel a little easier to understand, share it with another mom who may be looking for a helpful place to start. 💛

🎧 Watch the Full Kate 48 Conversation 🎧

Hear Katie Halle Lambert and Anthony Ramirez discuss what he means by being independent-minded, why he says he plans to evaluate legislation bill by bill, the role of political caucuses, and some of the Arizona issues he is hearing about from residents.

💜 Connect With katie Halle Lambert💜

Katie Halle Lambert: https://www.facebook.com/KatieHalleLambert

If this conversation helped make Arizona politics feel a little easier to understand, share it with another mom who may be looking for a helpful place to start. 💛

Subscribe to MOMnation USA on YouTube and follow MOMnation Talk Radio so you don't miss future Kate48 conversations.

This episode is prerecorded and is provided for general educational and informational purposes. Kate48 shares conversations, perspectives, and resources to help viewers do their own research.

Nothing in this episode is personal advice or an endorsement of any candidate, political party, proposed or existing law, or opinion expressed by a guest. Guest views are their own. Please check current information and consult a qualified professional about decisions specific to your circumstances.

This discussion provides general legal information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures can change, and how they apply depends on individual circumstances. Consult a licensed attorney before making legal decisions. Viewing, listening to, or interacting with this content does not create an attorney-client relationship.