Face-painted, shirtless and wearing bullhorns, Arizona resident Jacob Chansley became the face of the January 6 insurrection. Meanwhile President Donald Trump used Arizona as ground zero to try and over turn the results of the 2020 election. Arizona lawmakers leaned in.

While this was happening, one question came to mind:

What is going on in Arizona? 

Chansley is an outlier, but he's not alone. Extremism is nothing new in Arizona and it’s been happening for generations.

From Confederate soldiers to the John Birch Society, militias patrolling the Mexican border to Arizona Proud Boys joining the Capitol insurrection, Arizona has a long history of indulging extremists, people whose views often reflect anger and intolerance. 

This history isn't random acts of criminal behavior but a threaded story of disillusionment, distrust of government and sometimes outright rebellion which have mixed into Arizona’s culture and politics.

In season 4 of Rediscovering, an investigative podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts of The Gaggle Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl break down over a century of state history to give context to the state's brushes with extremism.

Rediscovering: The Roots of Radicalism, coming this summer.

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