Peter O'Dowd

Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, 36, is a former social worker who spent part of her childhood living in an abandoned gas station. To win her district, made up of almost equal parts Republicans, Democrats and independents, she had to focus on voters in the middle.

Phoenix suburbs are becoming a magnet for small universities. Five schools — Benedictine, Albright, Wilkes, Upper Iowa and Westminster — have announced plans for satellite campuses in downtown Mesa. And at least three more are coming to Peoria.

The Arizona city already logs more days over 100 degrees than any U.S. city, and climate researchers predict Phoenix will grow hotter still in the coming decades. Planners are taking the projections seriously, and are looking for ways to adapt the city and its residents to a hotter, drier reality.

Mexicans go to the polls July 1 to elect their next president, but it isn't just Mexicans who are interested in the outcome. For Americans living along the border, the future of Mexico affects their bottom line.

Supporters of the state's divisive immigration law say it has achieved one of its stated goals: Thousands of illegal immigrants have left. However, the real cause — and consequence — of such a demographic shift may be more complex.

There's a noticeable streak of Mormon libertarianism in the West, and the Ron Paul campaign has actively courted that vote. While Republican Mitt Romney retains strong support among many of his faith, others see their religion more in line with a much smaller-government approach to politics.