Meet our general election debate moderators: Arizona Media Association’s historic debate partnership continues this fall
The Arizona Media Association is partnering with dozens of local media brands to air political debates in Arizona during the 2024 election season.
In support of democracy, the mission of this effort is to make Arizona’s 2024 debates the most accessible in Arizona history. As candidates confirm participation, these debates are expected to include Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, U.S. Congressional Districts, Corporation Commission, several county-level races and three debates on key ballot issues.
See confirmed debate dates here and meet our moderators for this shared effort below (from left to right):
Rafael Carranza is a journalist who covers immigration issues in Arizona.It’s an expertise he’s held in Arizona for the last 15 years at newspapers in Arizona and as part of national news networks. Before coming to Arizona, he worked as a foreign correspondent covering the Pope and the Vatican in Rome.
Steve Goldstein has served as an award-winning radio host and reporter in Phoenix for 25 years. His work has featured discussions about a broad variety of topics, and his passion for politics and elections has led to regular conversations with elected officials from both major parties. Goldstein has been a regular on-camera contributor to local TV political affairs programs.
Nohelani Graf is a familiar face in Arizona local news with a 20-year-long career as an award-winning journalist. That career brought her to Arizona 10 years ago as a television news reporter and anchor in Phoenix. She’s covered some of Arizona’s biggest stories over the years from wildfires to drug trafficking to politics. She also has a passion for health stories and has served as Medical Journalism Fellow through Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic.
Danielle Lerner is an Arizona native who has spent more than 15 years as a journalist in both Phoenix and Tucson. As a TV news reporter and anchor, Danielle is especially proud to have spent most of her career covering the issues that most directly affect Arizonans. Danielle also recently launched her own media consulting and content business, Take 45 Media, Inc.
Richard Ruelas is an Arizona native and a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He’s worked for the Associated Press and for newspapers across Arizona for more than 30 years. Over the years, Richard has covered all manner of stories – politics, crime, features, sports. He has previously served as a moderator for debates put on by the Republic and by the Clean Elections Commission.
