Swing State with Eden Sears & Elijah Snyder

Arizona State Senator Mark Finchem joins Elijah Snyder and Andy Powell to discuss election integrity, voter ID, media credibility, political influence, and the realities of serving in the Arizona Legislature.

The conversation also covers President Trump, legislative pay, data centers, nuclear energy, ballot initiatives, and the debate over moving certain Arizona elections to odd-numbered years.

Watch Swing State on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCee8W59kHXWOLsKNKEOKu6Q

What happens when Christianity becomes inseparable from partisan politics?

Eden Sears, Elijah Snyder, and Andy Powell discuss America’s Christian foundations, religious pluralism, secularism, Christian nationalism, and the limits of individual freedom. Can faith provide common ground in a divided country—or does combining religion and political power corrupt both?

Watch Swing State on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCee8W59kHXWOLsKNKEOKu6Q

The Prescott Times founder San Martin Rodriguez joins Elijah Snyder and Eden Sears to talk about the business of getting your attention—and what it costs our communities.

From MySpace bots and intentional typos to online hate and political loyalty, we discuss building an audience without losing sight of the people behind the comments. San Martin also explains his appeal for community funding, keeping local news free, and his work with young people at Lionheart Boxing Gym.

Follow Swing State for more conversations about local life and politics beyond party labels.

Thanks to our sponsor, Mile High Beer Project.

Watch Swing State on YouTube.

Yavapai County District 4 Supervisor Chris Kuknyo joins Eden Sears and Elijah Snyder to discuss his path from co-founding Patriot Disposal to serving in local government—and what business ownership taught him about regulation, taxation and public responsibility.

They examine why government cannot simply be run like a business, who “pro-business” policies actually benefit, how corporate concentration can suppress competition and when protecting local interests becomes protectionism.

This episode is sponsored by Mile High Beer Project in Prescott.

Watch Swing State on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCee8W59kHXWOLsKNKEOKu6Q

What happens when the public stops trusting its leaders—and the systems they build?

In Episode 3, we examine the surveillance footage and police report surrounding Prescott Valley Mayor Kell Palguta’s reported bar altercation, while recognizing that the legal matter remains unresolved. We then debate Flock license-plate cameras, their security and privacy risks, and whether government safeguards mean anything without public consent.

Finally, we ask whether the growing use of referendums represents democratic empowerment—or a loss of faith in representative government.

This episode discusses an ongoing legal matter using information available at the time of recording. Allegations should not be treated as proven unless adjudicated.

What does practical, nonpartisan leadership look like at the local level?

Prescott Valley Mayor Kell Palguta joins Swing State to discuss political division, public accountability, Flock license-plate cameras, privacy, growth, infrastructure, data centers and what comes next for Prescott Valley.

Watch or listen to the full conversation:
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6804119962
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCee8W59kHXWOLsKNKEOKu6Q

#SwingStatePodcast #PrescottValley #ArizonaPolitics

The curious case of Ken Freund.

New episodes coming weekly, starting 8/24/26.