HighGround Inc.
@azhighground.bsky.social
Arizona's oldest public affairs firm, delivering 27+ years of excellence in lobbying, campaigns, PR, polling, grassroots, & communications strategy. Experts in solving complex issues.
“I think it breaks up the field into much smaller portions, and Andy’s got the most passionately dedicated portion of that electorate," Charles Coughlin added that Schweikert may be overestimating his familiarity with the Arizona Republican electorate writ large. @nytimes.com
Rep. David Schweikert Will Run for Governor in Arizona
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:04 PM
“I think it breaks up the field into much smaller portions, and Andy’s got the most passionately dedicated portion of that electorate," Charles Coughlin added that Schweikert may be overestimating his familiarity with the Arizona Republican electorate writ large. @nytimes.com
TPUSA is “generating a lot of content which lionizes Kirk. They’re doing that to raise money and organize kids on college campuses. They’re trying to figure out how to continue the mission of Kirk," Coughlin told @theguardian.com.
Donations for Turning Point USA pour in after founder Charlie Kirk’s death
Fundraising efforts ramp up to open new chapters of influential far-right group as Kirk’s widow takes over as CEO
www.theguardian.com
September 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
TPUSA is “generating a lot of content which lionizes Kirk. They’re doing that to raise money and organize kids on college campuses. They’re trying to figure out how to continue the mission of Kirk," Coughlin told @theguardian.com.
"Our culture is sick." Chuck Coughlin got emotional on Chris and Joe show while reacting to the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
"The way we deal with one another is politically sick."
"The way we deal with one another is politically sick."
September 12, 2025 at 9:44 PM
"Our culture is sick." Chuck Coughlin got emotional on Chris and Joe show while reacting to the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
"The way we deal with one another is politically sick."
"The way we deal with one another is politically sick."
"We’re always trying to vilify somebody else and use it for political advantage. And that’s the narrative we have today. It’s not that we are both Americans and live in a great country; we're both trying to make it better. It’s a crisis." azpbs.org/horizon/2025...
HighGround CEO discusses passing of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Wednesday. Kirk was co-founder of Turning Point USA
azpbs.org
September 12, 2025 at 9:40 PM
"We’re always trying to vilify somebody else and use it for political advantage. And that’s the narrative we have today. It’s not that we are both Americans and live in a great country; we're both trying to make it better. It’s a crisis." azpbs.org/horizon/2025...
Excited to join @kjzz.org for a special LIVE edition of The Show at Crescent Ballroom. Join Chuck Coughlin alongside other familiar voices like Mark Brodie, Stacy Pearson, and more.
🗓️ Sunday, September 14 @ 4:30PM 🎟️ 👇
www.ticketweb.com/event/radio-...
🗓️ Sunday, September 14 @ 4:30PM 🎟️ 👇
www.ticketweb.com/event/radio-...
September 2, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Excited to join @kjzz.org for a special LIVE edition of The Show at Crescent Ballroom. Join Chuck Coughlin alongside other familiar voices like Mark Brodie, Stacy Pearson, and more.
🗓️ Sunday, September 14 @ 4:30PM 🎟️ 👇
www.ticketweb.com/event/radio-...
🗓️ Sunday, September 14 @ 4:30PM 🎟️ 👇
www.ticketweb.com/event/radio-...
📬 On @kjzz.org, Doug Cole reminds listeners that AZ Republicans pioneered mail-in voting: “We’re the ones that ran the legislation to allow for no-excuse absentee balloting… and then in 2007, we added the PEVL. 🗳️With 80% of Arizonans voting by 📬, ballot access debates are far from over.
KJZZ Friday NewsCap: Trump's attack on mail-in voting risks big Republican losses in Arizona
To talk about calls from some high-ranking Republicans for the state party chair to step down, the possibility of a new entrant in the governor’s race and more are Doug Cole of HighGround and former s...
www.kjzz.org
August 25, 2025 at 8:59 PM
📬 On @kjzz.org, Doug Cole reminds listeners that AZ Republicans pioneered mail-in voting: “We’re the ones that ran the legislation to allow for no-excuse absentee balloting… and then in 2007, we added the PEVL. 🗳️With 80% of Arizonans voting by 📬, ballot access debates are far from over.
Coughlin says MAGA themes are taking root in local politics. “There are all kinds of flag-waving narratives that feed one another within that political turnout mechanism. They’re opportunists.” @azcentral.com
'Something beyond normal': Local candidates in Arizona embrace Trump playbook
While local governments had largely been spared from partisan politics, MAGA-inspired City Council members are changing the norm in the Phoenix area.
www.azcentral.com
August 5, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Coughlin says MAGA themes are taking root in local politics. “There are all kinds of flag-waving narratives that feed one another within that political turnout mechanism. They’re opportunists.” @azcentral.com
🐎“This horse isn’t going back in the barn. It’s out for a good trot, and the public is going to make some judgments about his behavior and how his name is raised in these files,” Coughlin said, referring to Trump's involvement in the Epstein controversy. @azfamily.com
How the Epstein files could impact the governor’s race in Arizona
The controversy regarding releasing the Epstein files could divide Republican candidates for Arizona governor, Rep. Andy Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson.
www.azfamily.com
July 28, 2025 at 7:43 PM
🐎“This horse isn’t going back in the barn. It’s out for a good trot, and the public is going to make some judgments about his behavior and how his name is raised in these files,” Coughlin said, referring to Trump's involvement in the Epstein controversy. @azfamily.com
🎧 @prbentz.bsky.social joined @azfamily.com's Politics Unplugged to discuss the complexities of third-party politics in the U.S., including the impact of independent voters. 🗳️ Listen 👇 t.co/g7wUPydY9X
July 14, 2025 at 6:53 PM
🎧 @prbentz.bsky.social joined @azfamily.com's Politics Unplugged to discuss the complexities of third-party politics in the U.S., including the impact of independent voters. 🗳️ Listen 👇 t.co/g7wUPydY9X
"This is not just a crisis of policy. It is a crisis of principle that has played out before our eyes this legislative session." Rural county supervisors sound the alarm: lawmakers pledged to protect rural life, but instead sold out to corporate interests.
They promised to save our way of life, then sold us down a (nearly dry) river | Opinion
Arizona keeps catering to special interests, without asking those of us who live in rural areas how we want to manage our dwindling groundwater.
www.azcentral.com
June 5, 2025 at 5:18 PM
"This is not just a crisis of policy. It is a crisis of principle that has played out before our eyes this legislative session." Rural county supervisors sound the alarm: lawmakers pledged to protect rural life, but instead sold out to corporate interests.
🦄🤡“Donald Trump is Donald Trump. Everybody else is a unicorn in a clown suit.” Coughlin tells @phoenixnewtimes.com: There were unquestionably Trump-Gallego voters. “For him to win in a nine-plus GOP cycle, I’d be listening to what the man says,” he said. 🔗
Is Ruben Gallego a legit presidential contender, or just a one-hit wonder?
Ruben Gallego beat an awful candidate — ahem, Kari Lake — to win a Senate seat. How much credit should he get for winning?
www.phoenixnewtimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 10:56 PM
🦄🤡“Donald Trump is Donald Trump. Everybody else is a unicorn in a clown suit.” Coughlin tells @phoenixnewtimes.com: There were unquestionably Trump-Gallego voters. “For him to win in a nine-plus GOP cycle, I’d be listening to what the man says,” he said. 🔗
🏆We’re honored to be nominated in this year’s Best of the Capitol! 🏛️
✅Best Lobbying Firm
✅Best PR Firm
✅Best Polling Firm
✅Best Lobbyist + Toughest Lobbyist To Go Against Nick Ponder
✅Best Pollster Paul Bentz
We would be honored to have your vote! 🗳️🔗
✅Best Lobbying Firm
✅Best PR Firm
✅Best Polling Firm
✅Best Lobbyist + Toughest Lobbyist To Go Against Nick Ponder
✅Best Pollster Paul Bentz
We would be honored to have your vote! 🗳️🔗
Best of the Capitol 2025 Voting | Arizona Capitol Times
2025 Best of the Capitol Your Name(Required) First Last Your Email Address(Required) Vote for your favorite nominees. Please select one from each categoryBest Elected Official - Republican Walt Blackm...
azcapitoltimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 8:37 PM
🏆We’re honored to be nominated in this year’s Best of the Capitol! 🏛️
✅Best Lobbying Firm
✅Best PR Firm
✅Best Polling Firm
✅Best Lobbyist + Toughest Lobbyist To Go Against Nick Ponder
✅Best Pollster Paul Bentz
We would be honored to have your vote! 🗳️🔗
✅Best Lobbying Firm
✅Best PR Firm
✅Best Polling Firm
✅Best Lobbyist + Toughest Lobbyist To Go Against Nick Ponder
✅Best Pollster Paul Bentz
We would be honored to have your vote! 🗳️🔗
Coughlin on Biggs: “His number one goal is to win a Republican primary. And then his number one goal after that will be to win a general election.” But will slashing Medicaid be a political landmine in Arizona?
@azcentral.com
@azcentral.com
Proposed Medicaid cut Rep. Andy Biggs supports could give him a political headache
Rep. Andy Biggs is in favor of cuts to the Medicaid expansion program. If he becomes governor, he may over see a health care budget crunch.
www.azcentral.com
May 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Coughlin on Biggs: “His number one goal is to win a Republican primary. And then his number one goal after that will be to win a general election.” But will slashing Medicaid be a political landmine in Arizona?
@azcentral.com
@azcentral.com
🎙️ Douglas Cole and Tony Cani joined @kjzz.org to discuss the Trump organization's history of double endorsements and what it means for Karrin Taylor Robson, Andy Biggs, and the 2026 gubernatorial race.
KJZZ’s Friday NewsCap: Trump strategists bailed on Karrin Taylor Robson. Can her campaign survive?
To talk about a clash between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and county recorder, members of the Trump team abandoning a gubernatorial candidate and more, The Show sat down with Doug Cole an...
www.kjzz.org
May 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
🎙️ Douglas Cole and Tony Cani joined @kjzz.org to discuss the Trump organization's history of double endorsements and what it means for Karrin Taylor Robson, Andy Biggs, and the 2026 gubernatorial race.
🆕 from former Governor Jan Brewer: If Congress forces states to find savings, Arizona won't be trimming fat from its expanded Medicaid program — it'll be cutting muscle. @azcentral.com
I fought hard to expand Arizona's Medicaid program. We all pay if it's scaled back
One of my proudest moments as governor was expanding Arizona's Medicaid program. If federal dollars disappear for it, our state only has bad choices.
www.azcentral.com
May 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
🆕 from former Governor Jan Brewer: If Congress forces states to find savings, Arizona won't be trimming fat from its expanded Medicaid program — it'll be cutting muscle. @azcentral.com
“The aggressively identified base, the 20% of Republican voters + the 15% of Democratic voters that show up in a primary, that’s who’s paying attention to all this. They’re driving the narrative. It’s not the 80% of voters who show up in the general election," Coughlin tells the AZ Capitol Times.
2026 election fatigue is already hitting the Capitol | Arizona Capitol Times
Election Day is more than 550 days away and all of the talk about its impending arrival is proving exhausting for those who work in politics.
azcapitoltimes.com
April 28, 2025 at 9:28 PM
“The aggressively identified base, the 20% of Republican voters + the 15% of Democratic voters that show up in a primary, that’s who’s paying attention to all this. They’re driving the narrative. It’s not the 80% of voters who show up in the general election," Coughlin tells the AZ Capitol Times.
“Don’t give anybody any options other than to fight back. You want to give them choices about what it is you want to do and how we can work together, instead of threats," Coughlin adding—the real mistake was treating the situation like Armageddon and forcing the chairman into a corner @azcentral.com
Arizona Democrats pick up a Republican habit that doesn't work: infighting | Opinion
Infighting tore apart the Arizona Republican Party, and it will do the same for Democrats. There are better ways to move forward.
www.azcentral.com
April 28, 2025 at 6:37 PM
“Don’t give anybody any options other than to fight back. You want to give them choices about what it is you want to do and how we can work together, instead of threats," Coughlin adding—the real mistake was treating the situation like Armageddon and forcing the chairman into a corner @azcentral.com
“Our rural communities have this feeling that whenever an urban problem needs to be addressed, it gets addressed in one or two sessions and rural communities have been coming down here for 15 years looking for a solution,” Nick Ponder said.
Gov. Hobbs, how do you really feel about Rep. Griffin’s water bills?
In a strongly-worded veto letter for several water bills, Gov. Katie Hobbs called out a lawmaker Tuesday who has been criticized by many for blocking attempts at getting rural groundwater reform passe...
link2.stateaffairs.com
April 17, 2025 at 6:33 PM
“Our rural communities have this feeling that whenever an urban problem needs to be addressed, it gets addressed in one or two sessions and rural communities have been coming down here for 15 years looking for a solution,” Nick Ponder said.
📺 Coughlin joined @arizonapbs.bsky.social to break down what could be a major political shift in AZ. As Trump nears 100 days in his second term, Maricopa sees a surge in voters ditching both parties—1,900 Dems & 1,200 GOP went independent in March alone. 👀
New data shows political realignment in Maricopa County
As the country nears President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, new data from Maricopa County points to political realignment among voters.
azpbs.org
April 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
📺 Coughlin joined @arizonapbs.bsky.social to break down what could be a major political shift in AZ. As Trump nears 100 days in his second term, Maricopa sees a surge in voters ditching both parties—1,900 Dems & 1,200 GOP went independent in March alone. 👀
"They’re creating this sense of energy to mask what little legislative accomplishment they’ve gotten done. They have to be seen as being in charge and that they’re 'the man.' Coughlin tells @washingtonpost.com it makes sense from a PR standpoint, just to be seen as being engaged and energetic.
In Trump’s whirlwind first two months, speed and aggression are the point
President Donald Trump and his advisers learned from his first term to push outcomes that will keep the opposition off balance and be hard to reverse.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 27, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"They’re creating this sense of energy to mask what little legislative accomplishment they’ve gotten done. They have to be seen as being in charge and that they’re 'the man.' Coughlin tells @washingtonpost.com it makes sense from a PR standpoint, just to be seen as being engaged and energetic.
"they’re really not concerned about speeding up on election day returns. They’re just playing political ‘gotcha’ with the other side," Coughlin says there are ways for Democrats and Republicans to compromise on these issues & speed up the election process — if they make more of a bipartisan effort.
State Republicans push early ballot election reform, ID requirements for voting | Arizona Capitol Times
Republican leaders are determined to reform the state’s election system — even after Gov. Hobbs vetoed a bill last month that aimed to accomplish that goal.
azcapitoltimes.com
March 17, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"they’re really not concerned about speeding up on election day returns. They’re just playing political ‘gotcha’ with the other side," Coughlin says there are ways for Democrats and Republicans to compromise on these issues & speed up the election process — if they make more of a bipartisan effort.
“There’s just absolutely a vacuum on the left, other than their objections to Trump,” consultant Chuck Coughlin told @azcentral.com. “He owns the entire narrative right now, and it’s his to screw up,"
Trump may help the Democrats going after Rep. Schweikert again | Opinion
Rep. David Schweikert is already drawing opponents for 2026. Here's what Democrats need to do to have a shot at beating him.
www.azcentral.com
March 6, 2025 at 8:54 PM
“There’s just absolutely a vacuum on the left, other than their objections to Trump,” consultant Chuck Coughlin told @azcentral.com. “He owns the entire narrative right now, and it’s his to screw up,"
"The situation reveals the underlying divisions with the MAGA community outside of Trump. Trump’s like a black swan, he is his own creation: a reality TV star and popular political figure who has this extensive following now within the GOP," Coughlin tells @deseret.com.web.brid.gy.
This GOP congressman, a BYU grad, is exploring a run for Arizona governor
Trump already told another candidate he'd support her in the race. Will he change his mind?
www.deseret.com
January 28, 2025 at 5:41 PM
"The situation reveals the underlying divisions with the MAGA community outside of Trump. Trump’s like a black swan, he is his own creation: a reality TV star and popular political figure who has this extensive following now within the GOP," Coughlin tells @deseret.com.web.brid.gy.
🏛️💡💬Excited to be part of the Arizona Supreme Court Public Media Task Force! Together, we’re working to build trust, transparency, and access to justice for everyone. 🔗 Learn more about the task force: azcourts.gov/committeesco...
January 9, 2025 at 9:23 PM
🏛️💡💬Excited to be part of the Arizona Supreme Court Public Media Task Force! Together, we’re working to build trust, transparency, and access to justice for everyone. 🔗 Learn more about the task force: azcourts.gov/committeesco...
🎙️Chuck Coughlin joins KTAR for the first War Room of 2025 to discuss concerns of terrorism in the U.S., President-elect Donald Trump wanting to add Canada and Greenland to the U.S., the CA wildfires, and more 👇
The War Room: Are Democrats to blame for the catastrophe running through Los Angeles?
YouTube video by KTAR News
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2025 at 9:19 PM
🎙️Chuck Coughlin joins KTAR for the first War Room of 2025 to discuss concerns of terrorism in the U.S., President-elect Donald Trump wanting to add Canada and Greenland to the U.S., the CA wildfires, and more 👇