JONATHAN J. COOPER

National politics reporter

Cooper writes about national politics from Arizona and beyond for The Associated Press. Now based in Phoenix, he previously covered politics in Oregon and California.
Arizona Democratic party supporters walk to the exit after attending a watch party on election night Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Arizona Democrats oust embattled chair amid party turmoil
Arizona Democrats have removed their chair just six months into a tumultuous tenure. Two-thirds of the state Democratic committee voted Wednesday to oust Robert Branscomb following public disputes with top Democratic leaders and concerns about fundraising.
 
President Donald Trump listens during a briefing with the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In their own words: Trump, Patel, Bongino and Bondi on the Epstein scandal
When Jeffrey Epstein died in prison, then-President Donald Trump speculated that authorities might be wrong in ruling it a suicide.
 
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks about President Donald Trump's policies and the GOP's tax and spending cut bill that passed this month, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democrats are trolling Trump and the GOP over the Jeffrey Epstein case
Democrats are latching on to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. On Tuesday, they trolled Republicans in online posts and demanded records be released, reveling in a rare backlash roiling President Donald Trump’s fiercely loyal base.
 
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., right, leaves his office with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, and Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., center, shortly after speaking in the House chamber during the final vote for President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
‘Beautiful’ or ‘Ugly,’ Trump’s big bill shapes the battle for House control in 2026 midterms
Debate over President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package is over on Capitol Hill. Now the argument goes national.
 
Ross Perot gestures during a media conference, Nov. 5, 1997, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
How the Know-Nothings, Free Soilers and other third parties shaped US politics
Elon Musk’s plan to create a new political party puts him in the company of a long line of business and political titans looking to upend the two-party system that has dominated U.S. politics since almost the beginning.
 
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the state Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Arizona Democrats will bypass struggling state party in midterms, with key races on ballot
Arizona’s top Democrats will bypass the state Democratic Party for next year’s midterms. They announced plans Tuesday to run their grassroots organizing through the Navajo County Democratic Party instead.
 
David Hogg talks to people after speaking at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
David Hogg won’t try to keep his DNC role amid dispute over Democratic primaries
David Hogg says he will not fight to hold onto his leadership role in the Democratic National Committee.
 
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The implosion of a powerful political alliance: Trump and Musk in their own words
Last Friday, President Donald Trump heaped praise on Elon Musk as the tech billionaire prepared to leave his unorthodox White House job.
 
Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Musk calls Trump’s big tax break bill a ‘disgusting abomination,’ testing his influence over the GOP
Elon Musk has blasted President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts as a “disgusting abomination.”
 
A waiter carries drinks, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)
Things to know about ‘no tax on tips,’ Trump’s tax pledge that’s in the GOP budget bill
President Donald Trump’s “no tax on tips” pledge became a catchphrase for his 2024 campaign. Now it’s inching closer to reality.
 
President Joe Biden waits to speak about foreign policy at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Biden’s office says his ‘last known’ prostate cancer screening was in 2014
Former President Joe Biden’s office says his “last known” prostate cancer screening was in 2014, and he had never been diagnosed with the disease before last week.
 
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., accompanied by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., left, takes the stage at campaign stop at the Whittemore Center Arena at the University of New Hampshire, Feb. 10, 2020, in Durham, N.H. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Bernie Sanders and AOC are popular with Democrats. Here’s a timeline of their alliance
A decade ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a volunteer organizer for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
 
President Joe Biden, left, joined by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during an event on the Ukraine Compact on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Biden audio release pressures Democrats who would rather talk about Trump
Joe Biden’s time in public office is now behind him, but his age and mental acuity have become a litmus test for the next leaders in his party.
 
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a town-hall style meeting, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Acworth, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Marjorie Taylor Greene declines to challenge Jon Ossoff in Georgia Senate race
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene won’t challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia in next year’s midterms.
 
Former Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the Emerge 20th Anniversary Gala in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Harris accuses Trump of ‘wholesale abandonment’ of American ideals in major post-election speech
Former Vice President Kamala Harris has used a high-profile speech in San Francisco to criticize President Donald Trump, accusing him of abandoning American ideals.
 
President Donald Trump greets Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he arrives on Air Force One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Harrison Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
About that hug ... Whitmer risks backlash from Democrats as she embraces Trump in Michigan
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and President Donald Trump have shared a hug as he arrived in her home state.
 
David Hogg talks to people after speaking at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
DNC chair rips vice chair David Hogg’s plan to challenge incumbent Democrats
The new leader of the Democratic National Committee says party officers should be banned from taking sides in primaries.
 
People walk during a march and prayer vigil in Harrisburg, Pa., Wednesday, April 16, 2025, that was prompted by an arson fire in the governor's official residence early Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Mark Scolforo)
Some Pennsylvania Jews reminded of Tree of Life shooting after arson attack on Josh Shapiro’s home
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion was the target of an arson attack last weekend, but the attacker’s motives are unclear.
 
President Donald Trump speaks during the Commander-in-Chief trophy presentation to the Navy Midshipman football team in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Older Arizona voters are closely watching Trump’s tariffs — and their retirement accounts
President Donald Trump was elected with a promise to improve the economy, lower taxes and control inflation, addressing voters who said the economy was the country’s top issue.
 
Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., holds hands with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a "Fighting Oligarchy" event at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)
In a bid to corral the anti-Trump resistance, Bernie Sanders, AOC visit red states
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour deep into Trump territory alongside his fellow progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
 
Vice President Mike Pence hands the electoral certificate from the state of Arizona to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as he presides over a joint session of Congress as it convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP, File)
Pence will get the Profile in Courage Award from JFK Library Foundation for his actions on Jan. 6
Former Vice President Mike Pence will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his refusal to go along with President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.
 
President Donald Trump departs after signing an executive order at an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump’s changes to the federal government aren’t yet a clear political winner or loser: AP-NORC poll
President Donald Trump’s dramatic changes to the federal government haven’t emerged as an obvious political winner or loser.
 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pictured during a television interview at the Capitol in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Democratic base’s anger puts some party leaders on shaky ground
The Democratic base is angry. Not just at Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the “Make America Great Again” movement imposing their will on Washington with remarkable speed.
 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to speak during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
AOC tries to broaden her appeal within a Democratic base ready for a fight
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is working to broaden her appeal beyond her progressive, anti-establishment roots.
 
A burnt-out Tesla car stands in the Steglitz district of Berlin, Friday, March 14, 2025, as four Teslas are suspected to have been set on fire in Berlin last night. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)
Violent attacks on Tesla dealerships spike as Musk takes prominent role in Trump White House
Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s electric-car company are cropping up from coast to coast and even overseas.
 
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the Capitol on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Find common ground or dig in for battle? Arizona’s top Democrats are taking different approaches
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes have adopted sharply different approaches to handling Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
 
President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Washington, after returning from a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump will lead task force preparing for 2026 World Cup
President Donald Trump created a task force Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will bring the globe’s premier soccer tournament to North America at a time when Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs have ratcheted up tensions across the continent.
 
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs after a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Following Trump’s lead, his allies criticize Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and suggest he may need to resign
President Donald Trump’s senior aides and allies are criticizing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
 
Protesters rally outside of a Tesla store in Boston, Saturday, March 1, 2025, against the company's CEO, Elon Musk, who is leading an effort to cut government jobs on behalf of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)
Anti-DOGE protests at Tesla stores target Elon Musk’s bottom line
Demonstrators have gathered outside Tesla stores across the U.S. to protest the automaker’s billionaire leader, Elon Musk.
 
A man walks along the lookout Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Annexing Canada? At Niagara Falls, Trump’s idea gets eye rolls but not support
At Niagara Falls, visitors from the United States and Canada are taking in President Donald Trump’s unsolicited suggestion the U.S. annex its neighbor to the north with an air of detached amusement.
 
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