Arizona's the Most Corrupt State in America, According to Survey

That's according to a survey of reporters nationwide, done by researchers at Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.



We asked the researchers, Illinois State University associate professor Oguzhan Dincer and Colgate University professor Michael Johnston, if there's any other research that points to Arizona being a hotbed of corruption. That's not to say we needed any more proof, but they have some.

Dincer pointed us to previous research he and Johnston have done on the subject, by creating an index based on corruption news stories across the United States from 1977 to 2012.

"Looking at the period average, Arizona is again one of the most corrupt states (in top 10)," Dincer says.

For those who have followed Arizona political news for any time, the state's high ranking is hardly surprising. Arizona's politicians have been embroiled in scandals such as the sting operation known as AzScam, or the "Alt-Fuels Fiasco." Lest we forget that onetime Governor Ev Mecham was impeached, despite later being acquitted of various felony charges. Even recently, Democratic lawmaker Ben Arredondo was busted in an FBI bribery sting, and convicted on corruption charges. There are also seemingly common examples of the so-called "legal corruption" at the state legislature.

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