American business leaders and wealthy people are looking for new places to live and do business. Their long-time stomping grounds on the East and West Coasts have grown inhospitable, even hostile. If Arizona wants those prosperous, successful folks to bring their businesses and wealth to our state, we need a governor that appeals to them. The best choice for governor, among the leading candidates, is David Schweikert.
Last October, the Reason Foundation, a free-market think tank, ranked states by their debt load. Not surprisingly, California is at the top of the list. Reason’s article on its analysis of state debt, part of its Financial Transparency Project, looked at state debt obligations in several categories. California ranked at or near the top in all of them. Tops in total debt ($498 billion), long-term debt ($298 billion), and outstanding debt in bonds, loans and notes ($111 billion). Yes, California is our most populous state. But, when you look at per capita debt loads, California consistently ranks in the top 10. The vast majority of the states at the top of Reason’s per capita debt charts are blue states—Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington.
Blue states have lots of people to pay. State employees, unions, pensioners, people on state benefits, etc… Those people vote, and they will want to be paid. So, where will these Democrat state governments get the money to pay them?
The bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he robbed banks. Because that’s where the money is, he supposedly replied. Well, nowadays the people in blue states with money are the business leaders and wealthy residents. They are far, far outnumbered by “those people” who vote for Democrat politicians and want their state checks and other benefits.
Hence, we see New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani making videos in front of a wealthy New Yorker’s house, where he promises to tax the rich. On the other side of the country, Seattle mayor Katie Wilson laughed and said “Bye” to wealthy Washington residents that bristle at her tax plans. (Starbuck’s CEO says he plans to expand his company’s operations in Miami and Nashville). Ken Griffin, the “wealthy New Yorker” I mentioned at the top of this paragraph, is founder, CEO and majority owner of the Citadel hedge fund. After Mamdani’s video stunt in front of his NYC home, Griffin announced plans to expand Citadel operations in…Miami!
Griffin is no fool. He knows that blue state Mamdanis will HAVE to come after wealthy residents, even if they don’t want to. Their voters want their checks and benefits, and someone will have to pay for them. Expect California’s wealthy residents and successful businesses to come to the same conclusion. They hear Seattle Mayor Wilson cackling, and they see California’s plans to levy a special tax on billionaires.
What would induce successful California residents and businesses to move to Arizona? Among other things, a state government that’s friendly to business. Nevada has a GOP governor, but its state legislature is Democratic. Arizona, on the other hand, has a long-term trend of GOP control of its legislature. Couple that with a GOP governor and attorney general in 2026, and you have a recipe for long-term economic success: prosperous people and successful businesses being pushed out of California, and a state (Arizona) where they feel comfortable moving to.
These refugee businesses and people are not MAGA. They are moderates or liberals. They won’t be attracted by Andy Biggs, darling of the Freedom Caucus. (Especially after the Katie Hobbs/Democrat propaganda machine gets through with him). They will, however, feel comfortable with a moderate GOP Arizona governor. The best man for that is David Schweikert.
You may not like Schweikert. But, this is business.
Don Smith is a government contractor and a retired Army Reserve officer. He lives in Tucson.
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