Alma Hernandez

AI, whether you like it or not: The House passed Republican Rep. Justin Wilmeth’s HB2592, which — if Hobbs were to sign it — would require government agencies to find opportunities to implement artificial intelligence into their practices and axe regulations that stunt AI “innovation.” The three Hernandez Democrats — Reps. Alma, Consuelo and Lydia Hernandez — joined Republicans to push the bill over the finish line. (June 10, 2026)

Held in Eloy: Several members of a Venezuelan family that ICE arrested on Friday in Tucson are being held at the Eloy Detention Center, Democratic state Rep. Alma Hernandez said in a social media post. They still don’t know why they are being held in detention, she said. ICE officers tried to get them to sign deportation papers, but the family is seeking asylum in the U.S. and has the appropriate paperwork. (January 27, 2026)

Not just late fees: In an op-ed in the Star, Rocque Perez explained why he sued state Rep. Alma Hernandez, who Perez is trying to unseat this year. Perez says the basis of his lawsuit — that Hernandez should be disqualified from the ballot because she filed campaign finance reports late and owes thousands of dollars in fines — is about more than a filing dispute. It’s about the role of money and influence in politics. The duo heads to court today. “Over time, my opponent’s fundraising has increasingly come from beyond Tucson and beyond Arizona, with substantial support from PACs, lobbying networks, utilities, developers, insurance and pharmaceutical interests, political insiders, and even billionaires from across the country,” Perez writes. (April 13, 2026)

The other Hernandii lawsuit: State Rep. Consuelo Hernandez is also facing an election challenge this year in Legislative District 21, reportedly over unpaid campaign finance fines. We wrote about her sister, Alma, being challenged in neighboring Legislative District 20 yesterday. Both are being challenged on the allegation that they both have more than $1,000 in fines, which could make them ineligible to vote under state law. (April 10, 2026)

The lawmaker doth protest too much: You may have noticed Republican state lawmakers pushing quite a few bills aimed at protesters. The Republic’s Taylor Seely breaks them down for you, from whether you would be able to blow a whistle at ICE agents to being charged under racketeering laws if somebody in your protest causes property damage. (And don’t forget, Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez pushed through a bill last year cracking down on campus protests.) (March 3, 2026)

Call it the Don Lemon law: Disturbing worship services would be a misdemeanor under HB4117 from Republican Rep. Teresa Martinez, KJZZ’s Kathy Ritchie reports. And at least one Democrat is on board. Rep. Alma Hernandez said “none of us want to be disturbed when we’re at a religious service.” (February 20, 2026)

Gotta start somewhere: The House Commerce Committee passed Tucson Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez’s bill to create a $5 million rental assistance program for Arizonans in financial emergencies, KJZZ’s Katherine Davis-Young reports. Only families with children would be eligible, and they could receive two months of assistance a year from the state’s Department of Economic Security, though there’s a $5,000 cap on it. Even if it becomes law, it would still need a line item in the budget for funding. Though Hernandez admitted the limited money is “a drop in the bucket” of the larger problem, the small size of the program has garnered a fair amount of GOP support. (February 4, 2026)

It pays to be rich: Executives at Axon pumped thousands of dollars into the campaigns of lawmakers who passed a controversial bill last year to allow the Taser manufacturer to build a massive headquarters in Scottsdale, KJZZ’s Wayne Schutsky reports. The Axon executives created a new PAC that pushed $67,000 to lawmakers, including $5,000 to the sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Tony Rivero. The rest of the campaign contributions were spread out in smaller chunks to about 50 Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Axon’s founder Rick Smith also gave $5,500 to Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez. (April 22, 2026)

Grifting off Guthrie: The frustratingly slow drip of information about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is pushing news consumers to latch onto whatever tidbit they can find online, no matter how unreliable the source, Republic columnist Bill Goodykoontz writes. In a similar vein, Democratic state Rep. Alma Hernandez is fed up with the national podcaster crowd stirring up misinformation, saying the “circus of so-called ‘journalists’ flooding into our city right now is not helpful.” Hernandez’s Twitter spat with the conspiracy-mongers caught the eye of CNN producers, who gave her a national stage to vent her (and probably a lot of Tucsonans’) frustrations. (February 17, 2026)

Alma vs. Democrats: Democrats in Legislative District 20 will decide tonight whether to censure their Democratic state Rep. Alma Hernandez. The resolution that’s up for a vote in Hernandez’s home district states Hernandez “expressed support for policy objectives aligned with former President Donald Trump’s ‘Project 2025’” and other actions that don’t align to Democratic Party principles. But watch for fireworks, as we’re told that Hernandez is prepared to fight the allegations at tonight’s meeting. (April 27, 2026)

Rental help incoming: Democratic state Rep. Alma Hernandez is rallying support for a pair of housing bills she introduced via an op-ed in the Tucson Sentinel. HB2682 and HB2698 would create a targeted rental assistance program that she says would pull from $5 million in state funds to provide $5,000 to eligible renters. (February 3, 2026)

His past catching up with him: Local Democratic Senate candidate Rocque Perez is facing tough questions over social media posts he made when he was in college. Among the various posts cited by the Republic’s Ray Stern was a comment Perez made in 2020, saying “So kill them, do your duty baby girl” to a Twitter user who was complaining about conservative family members. In another post, he said “someone throw this b—— off the capitol building roof please” about Ivanka Trump. Perez was cagey as he answered questions from Stern about the posts (and about whether he ran an OnlyFans account), but he acknowledged he knew the posts would become an issue as he ran for office. Perez’s opponent in the Democratic primary in Legislative District 20, incumbent Rep. Alma Hernandez, said his posts were “unacceptable for anyone seeking public office.” “To brush it off and say you were young and dumb, that’s not an excuse,” Hernandez said. (June 1, 2026)

Election challenges dead: The Arizona Supreme Court has upheld a Pima County Superior Court ruling allowing state Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez to remain on the ballot in their respective legislative races this year. The sisters had faced election challenges over unpaid campaign finance fees, but the court agreed those fines do not disqualify them from seeking another term. (May 6, 2026)

Stick with him or cut ties?: State Rep. Alma Hernandez threw down the gauntlet for local officials who endorsed her opponent in the Legislative District 20 Senate race. The Republic recently reported on social media posts by her Democratic opponent, former Tucson City Councilman Rocque Perez (who says he was endorsed by five members of the council), that included saying Ivanka Trump should be thrown off the Capitol building roof and urging a Twitter user who was complaining about conservative relatives to “kill them, do your duty baby girl.” As far as we can tell, nobody has rescinded their endorsements. (June 2, 2026)

Court or classroom? Hobbs decides: Lawmakers are awaiting Hobbs’ decision on a bill that would let parents sue public school teachers over antisemitic conduct. Democrat Rep. Alma Hernandez, the bill’s sponsor, recently complained about a Palestinian flag in the window of a school near her home, saying “that flag is not a flag of a country, for those of you who confuse it, it is a political statement which should not be allowed in our public schools,” the Daily Star’s Tim Steller writes. The Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center is asking Hobbs to veto the bill because it could suppress Holocaust education. Plus, teachers could be sued for discussing Israel’s classification as an apartheid state by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. (June 10, 2025)

No tents allowed: If the Arizona House has their way, the next time University of Arizona protesters set up tents during an on-campus protest they’ll be breaking the law, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports. The bill was written by Tucson Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez, who is Jewish and cited the pro-Palestinian and anti-Isreal protests at Arizona universities last year. (March 5, 2025)

As close to an apology as you’re gonna get: After the Republic’s reporting on his angry social media posts put him on the hot seat, Rocque Perez, a former Tucson City Council member who’s running for the Senate seat in Legislative District 20, penned an op-ed in the Star that focuses on the challenges of his childhood, what Gen Z brings to the political conversation and the voting record of his Democratic opponent, Rep. Alma Hernandez. Perez didn’t squarely address the social media posts, except for these lines. “As someone who came of age online, I also directed anger toward the Trump administration in public. How I went about that then is not how I would do so today,” Perez writes. (June 9, 2026)

Winners and losers: The “challenge” portion of election season is over and the final tally is 12 candidates who were blocked from the ballot and 10 who survived court challenges, which usually deal with verifying signatures and technical errors, Kiera Riley reports for the Capitol Times. Notable survivors include gubernatorial candidate Hugh Lytle and Democratic incumbent Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez. (May 8, 2026)