Norton, Mansour trade attacks over risk and partisanship in treasurer debate
Republican Elijah Norton and Democrat Nick Mansour debated Wednesday for Arizona Treasurer, each insisting he'd keep 'partisan politics' out of an office that oversees the state's investments. The clash centered on Mansour's plan to shift the $10 billion Permanent Land Endowment Trust Fund from 60/40 stocks-to-bonds to 80/20, which Norton called reckless and 'just crazy,' timing his rebuttal with a letter from county treasurers backing him.
Mansour countered that Arizona already invests among the least aggressively of any state and needs long-term returns to keep taxes low. Both candidates also traded accusations about each other's business records and past legal troubles, while Norton acknowledged he'd bar the state from investing in companies with 'racial hiring quotas,' calling out Starbucks by name as an example of the culture-war lens he'd apply.
On the $1 billion Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program, which has faced scrutiny for allowing purchases like lingerie and trips, Mansour pledged audits while Norton focused on making the software vendor selection process public and bipartisan.
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