Arizona

John Fees and Adam Goodman, CEOs, Co-Founders of Leadership Now Arizona—a cross-partisan group of business leaders—issued the following statement after Arizona’s primary elections:

“With Primary Day behind us, we thank the thousands of election officials, poll workers, and volunteers who ensured yesterday’s election was conducted safely and transparently. For Arizona’s business community, confidence in elections comes not from speed, but from the legitimacy of the process behind them. While results are not yet certified, we encourage Arizonans to rely on official election sources and remain patient as ballots are counted. Respecting the outcome, irrespective of who prevails, is foundational to economic and political stability.”

In a new op-ed, Leadership Now Arizona co-founders and CEOs John Fees and Adam Goodman make the case that staying silent on workforce instability carries its own risks — and that coordinated action through coalitions gives business leaders both credibility and protection.

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Arizona’s 2020 election has been examined more than perhaps any election in modern American history—audited, litigated, reviewed, and certified multiple times. Each review reached the same conclusion: the election was conducted accurately and the results were legitimate, with no credible evidence found to call the outcome into question.

The recent federal subpoena seeking records from the Arizona State Senate related to its prior review of Maricopa County’s 2020 election risks reopening a chapter that has already been thoroughly settled.

For Arizona’s business and civic leaders, the concern is clear: efforts that revive debunked claims about past elections threaten to undermine public confidence in the very systems that safeguard our democracy.

We, the members of Leadership Now Arizona, are a cross-partisan group of business and community leaders who believe that strong democratic institutions are essential to a strong economy and a stable society. Arizona’s continued growth depends on the rule of law, predictable institutions, and public trust in our democratic processes.

Accurate, accessible and secure elections are the bedrock of that system.

Attempts to cast doubt on elections long after they have been audited, certified, and upheld in court risk spreading misinformation and eroding the confidence that voters, businesses, and investors rely on.

Leadership Now Arizona will continue to:

• Speak out against election denialism and disinformation wherever it appears.

• Support election officials and administrators who work under intense scrutiny – and now threats to their safety –  to run safe, secure, and transparent elections.

• Defend the legitimacy of certified election results and the rule-of-law processes that govern them.

Arizona has demonstrated that its elections are secure, transparent, and accountable. Our state’s future—its democratic stability and economic prosperity—depends on maintaining that trust.

Leadership Now Arizona calls on leaders across the state to reject efforts that undermine confidence in our elections and to stand together in defense of the democratic institutions that sustain Arizona’s economy and civic life.

New survey finds overwhelming concern spans political affiliations about the impact of increased ICE activity

PHOENIX, AZ — February 23, 2026 — A new survey of Arizona business leaders finds overwhelming concern about the economic consequences of a potential expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the state. More than eight in ten Arizona business leaders (81.4%) say a surge in federal immigration enforcement activity would have a negative impact on Arizona’s economic activity.

Views across political affiliations show that more than eight in ten Independent business leaders (81.4%) and a majority of Republican business leaders (62.1%) expect expanded federal immigration enforcement to negatively affect Arizona’s economy.

“Business leaders across Arizona are raising serious concerns about the economic consequences of large-scale immigration enforcement operations,” said Adam Goodman, CEO of Goodmans and co-founder of Leadership Now Arizona. “What happened in Minneapolis — with widespread disruption and significant economic fallout — cannot happen here in Arizona.”

Minneapolis’ recent experience illustrates these concerns. Following a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation earlier this year, city officials estimated more than $200 million in economic losses in a single month, including up to $81 million in lost revenue for restaurants and small businesses, according to a preliminary city assessment.

As immigration detention and processing capacity expands in Arizona, Goodman added, “enforcement efforts must be grounded in public safety and focused on serious offenders, not broad deployments that create fear, disrupt workplaces, and destabilize local communities. Even as enforcement shifts toward more targeted approaches, uncertainty and disruption can still have rippling economic effects.”

John Fees, CEO of GradGuard and co-founder of Leadership Now Arizona, added, “This survey shows that concern about expanded immigration enforcement isn’t necessarily ideological—it’s economic. Leaders across industries and political affiliations are worried about major disruption, workforce stability, and Arizona’s long-term competitiveness. We stand ready to work with officials to keep Arizona safe, stable, and open for business.”

Research Method

This survey was conducted online by Leadership Now Arizona from February 8–17, 2026, among 145 Arizona-based business leaders, including CEOs, senior executives, business owners, and partners across a range of company sizes and sectors. Results reflect the views of respondents at the time of the survey.

Threats against Senator Mark Kelly and his family are unacceptable. Public servants in both parties should be able to do their jobs without fear.

When political disagreement turns into personal threats, it stops the real work — solving problems, strengthening our economy, and bringing people together. Politics should be conducted through debate and civic participation, not intimidation.

We said this after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, and we say it again now: Political violence in any form is unacceptable. Business and civic leaders must be clear in defending the rule of law and keeping Arizona a place where people can work and invest safely.

In December’s In Business Magazine, John Fees — Co-Founder and CEO of GradGuard and Co-Founder of Leadership Now Arizona — is recognized as one of the Valley’s 16 Top Leaders of 2025. Fees highlights a leadership philosophy centered on a simple principle: do the right thing. At GradGuard, that means radical candor, speaking uncomfortable truths, and ensuring every stakeholder — students, families, institutions, employees, and partners — is treated with integrity.

Reflecting on the past 18 months, Fees notes that political division and misinformation are among the most damaging disruptions facing Arizona. He argues that leaders must help rebuild trust in core institutions, from elections to public health, and focus on shared priorities like literacy, economic participation, and community well-being.

Fees also calls on the business community to support local journalism, strengthen common knowledge, and engage directly in improving Arizona’s literacy and workforce outcomes. Looking ahead, he points to rapidly evolving risks — from AI to volatile federal policy — and emphasizes the need for credentials and educational pathways that prepare Arizonans for high-demand careers.

Through GradGuard’s expanding platform, Fees aims to reduce the risks of college life, lower the cost of higher education, and help more students complete their degrees. With hundreds of additional institutions expected to join its network, the company’s impact on Arizona’s education and workforce pipeline is set to grow.

His leadership reflects a clear message: Arizona’s economic future depends on truth-telling, civic responsibility, and helping more people access the skills and education needed to thrive.

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In December’s In Business Magazine, Leadership Now Arizona Co-Founder Adam Goodman argues that Arizona’s economic success now depends as much on civic stability as on business climate. Leadership Now’s Harris Poll shows 84% of executives nationwide — and 88% of Arizona leaders — view rising political instability as a threat to competitiveness. Additional analyses warn that shifts in federal funding, including potential Medicaid cuts, could cost the state thousands of jobs and halt critical local projects.

Goodman reflects on why he co-founded Leadership Now Arizona: business leaders need a stronger civic foundation to plan, invest, and compete with confidence. This issue also spotlights 16 Arizona leaders, including fellow Leadership Now Arizona Co-Founder John Fees, navigating complexity, alongside insights on benefits strategy, AI adoption, minority-business financing, IP protection, and the state’s growing semiconductor and clean-air innovation sectors.

His message is clear: Arizona’s long-term competitiveness will be defined by the civic and economic systems leaders choose to strengthen today.

Read the full letter

We’d like to share a note to Arizonans after the tragedy we witnessed this week. First, to Charlie Kirk’s wife and children, whose loss is irreparable and unjust, we extend our hearts. To the young people of Utah Valley University practicing their First Amendment rights through campus organizing, forced to see an act of callous violence, we offer our support. No one in a free society, and the United States of all places, should have to endure political violence of any kind. Here in Arizona, this loss also lands close to home: Turning Point USA, the organization Mr. Kirk founded, is, of course, based here in Phoenix.

But it is not enough merely to offer sympathies. The tragedy of this assassination isn’t only the fact of a life lost too soon, but the likelihood that we may become further divided. To resist that impulse, we need moral clarity and a renewed commitment to one another. When disagreement curdles into violence, the work of building—here in our state and across the country—stops.

In Arizona, we’ve seen how escalating threats and violent rhetoric can spill over into real harm. Just last year, we saw intimidation aimed at election workers and local officials here in our state, including targeted threats against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. Leadership Now Arizona spoke out then, and it’s why we must speak out now. Arizonans across the political spectrum have rightly condemned this terrible act of violence.  And it’s important that business leaders are loud and clear, too. Persuasion and civic mobilization are the tools of political opponents in a democratic society, not violence. We must safeguard the principles that let us live and argue together. Freedom, civic debate, and the rule of law do not endure on their own, we must renew them together.

An op-ed by Leadership Now Arizona Co-Founder John Fees and former Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism at DHS Elizabeth Neumann on why business and civic leaders must confront growing political extremism and help rebuild trust in our institutions. The piece echoes their fireside chat at February’s Arizona Town Hall, reflecting on the 2024 election and what comes next.

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Leadership Now Arizona Co-Founding Member John Fees joined a town hall on improving Arizona elections, emphasizing trust, civic engagement, and collaboration. “We can do better, and we can strengthen our own dialogues just by having conversations and assuming the best between neighbors,” he said.

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Leadership Now Arizona founding member Adam Goodman spoke with the Washington Post following our statement condemning Shelby Busch of the Maricopa County Republican Committee for making lynching threats against fellow Republican Stephen Richer.

“Adam Goodman, a prominent businessman who leads a local organization opposing violent rhetoric and threats against election workers, condemned Busch’s comments. He said he blamed Trump for the “rise in violence and antisemitism.” Trump, he said, “has horribly failed” on setting the appropriate tone required of a national leader.

“I don’t believe it’s an idle threat, because we’ve seen too many acts of violence against election workers,” said Goodman, who describes himself as a political independent. Goodman said Busch “is sending a message to others that that is acceptable behavior.” Arizona, he said, is home to “a sector of the electorate who is not engaged with reality” and is “whipping each other up into a frenzy.”

“Violence,” he said, “is a real threat and possibility.”

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As Arizona business and community leaders, we unequivocally condemn the threats made recently by Shelby Busch, the first vice chair of the Maricopa County Republican Committee, toward Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.

Elections are the heart of American democracy. Officials like Stephen Richer take on the essential role of executing secure and accurate elections and must be free to do so without constant concern for their safety or that of their staff.

As members of Leadership Now Arizona, we recently issued an open letter and an op-ed reaffirming our support for these officials amidst an increasingly hostile environment, while highlighting the critical role democracy plays in our state’s economic health.

Leadership Now Arizona members will persist in speaking out and remain committed to defending our democracy from further attack.

Signed,

Adam Goodman
John Fees
Leadership Now Arizona

Op-ed in Arizona Republic by two founding members of Leadership Now Arizona, John Fees and Adam Goodman. In it, they speak to the profound risks to Arizona’s elections from violent threats against election officials – and the important role of business leaders in pushing back.

“98% of Arizonans will see the 2024 election administered by someone other than the officials who administered the 2020 election” and “45% of local election officials said they fear for the safety of their colleagues.”

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We’re honored to share that Leadership Now Arizona has been recognized with a 2025 Anthem Award for our work defending democracy and strengthening the conditions that allow business and communities to thrive.

About The Award: The Anthem Awards celebrate purpose-driven work that advances positive change. This recognition highlights Leadership Now Arizona’s efforts to bring civic, business, and policy leaders together to confront rising threats, support election officials, and champion a stable, trustworthy environment for Arizona’s future.

What We Did: We convened cross-sector leaders to address the challenges facing Arizona’s elections and the broader risks of political extremism.

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