Liberty scorecard lifts Keshel, Farnsworth and spotlights taxes, utility hikes on primary eve

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona has released its 2026 legislative scorecard, and Tucson Rep. Rachel Keshel sits near the top with a 99 out of 100, according to reporting by the Arizona Globe. Mesa’s Sen. David Farnsworth scored 99 on the Senate side, and Rep. Cody Reim posted a perfect 100 in a partial year.

The timing matters. As the Globe notes, the list arrives on the eve of Tuesday’s primary and is pitched as a grassroots guide for GOP voters. The outlet also reports every Republican featured is seeking reelection this year, giving challengers and incumbents a fresh metric to wave around at the finish line.

The caucus calls its scorecard the Liberty Index and says it grades votes it deems pivotal to individual liberty, limited government, and free markets. The Globe reports RLCAZ also weights committee votes, so lawmakers are scored not just on floor votes but on what happens in the weeds where bills live or die.

On policy, the caucus favored HB2010, a consumer transparency measure to stop digital merchants from describing revocable content as a purchase, and HB2113, which requires the state’s Residential Utility Consumer Office to intervene when proposed utility rates would double, per the Globe. RLCAZ opposed HB2950, allowing hotel and lodging businesses to form Tourism Improvement Areas to levy a new guest tax for tourism, and HB2991, to require certain online companies to add new age verification for minors.

One notable split: the Globe reports RLCAZ stood against SB1572, a requirement that public schools hold a Celebrate Freedom Week focused on American civics. Keshel supported that bill, her lone break with the caucus on their highlighted votes, a reminder that even among small-government conservatives there is tension over what counts as liberty vs. mandate.

Top Republican scores cited by the Globe include Keshel at 99, Reim at 100 for his partial year, and Farnsworth at 99. On the other end for the GOP, Rep. Teresa Martinez scored 68 and Sen. Carine Werner 83. Among Democrats, Rep. Kevin Volks led his caucus with 28 and Sen. Brian Fernandez with 14, while Rep. Aaron Marquez scored 6 and Sens. Eva Diaz and Mitzi Epstein registered 0.

Keshel marked the recognition over the weekend alongside Senate President Warren Petersen, the Globe reports, saying she was “honored to do exactly what a representative is elected to do: Fight for the rights and freedoms of every Arizonan,” in response to an RLCAZ post. The Globe notes the scorecard caps Keshel’s freshman term and precedes her Tuesday rematch with Republican John Winchester, whom she first defeated in 2022.

For city halls and ratepayers, the caucus’s picks translate into concrete fights. Opposing new hotel guest districts is a stand against another tourism tax line. Backing a hard trigger for RUCO intervention signals more pressure when utilities seek to double rates. And tightening the language around digital “buys” aims at truth-in-advertising for residents who do not want disappearing purchases.

The Globe’s description of committee vote weighting is also worth flagging for locals. If the caucus is scoring what happens before the bright lights of final passage, then constituents have one more reason to insist committees meet openly, post clear amendments, and show their work. Sunshine is the cheapest check on backroom bonuses and penalties.

Finally, the Globe reports Petersen scored 95 and is also running for attorney general, which gives GOP voters another data point on his legislative record as they cast ballots. A scorecard is not an endorsement. It is a reflection of alignment with one group’s stated values. Voters still have to decide whether those values match the neighborhood’s priorities this year.

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