The Election Is Over. Now the Work Begins.

Northwest Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce

Elections have winners and losers. Business doesn’t have the luxury of thinking that way.

The morning after an election, businesses still open their doors. Employees still go to work. Employers still make payroll. Entrepreneurs still take risks and invest in their communities.

And elected officials still make decisions that can make it easier or harder to do business.

That is why the role of the Northwest Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce does not change depending on which political party wins an election.

We work with the people voters elect.

Our responsibility is not to Republicans or Democrats. It is to the businesses and communities we serve.

Elections Matter

The 2026 election is changing Arizona’s political landscape at both the state and local levels.

New and returning elected officials will make decisions involving taxes, regulation, workforce development, water, infrastructure, economic development and many other issues affecting businesses.

Local elections matter just as much.

Mayors and city councils make decisions involving development, permitting, infrastructure, regulations, taxes and fees that businesses can feel directly.

That is why the Chamber must be engaged at both the State Capitol and city hall.

Elections determine who makes the decisions. Our job is to make sure the business community has a voice when those decisions are made.

Pro-Business Is Not a Political Party

Our own legislative record provides an important lesson as we move forward.

The 2026 Legislative Score Card developed by the West Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance tracked lawmakers’ positions on 13 bills important to the business community.

Based on the individual scores published in that report, Republican lawmakers averaged approximately 88% agreement with Alliance positions, while Democratic lawmakers averaged approximately 87%.

Several lawmakers from both parties received perfect scores.

And Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs signed all 13 bills included on the scorecard.

Those numbers should make us stop and think.

If we assume one political party is automatically pro-business and the other is automatically anti-business, we may be allowing politics to get in the way of good public policy.

The scorecard suggests something different.

Pro-business is not a political party. It is a policy position.

We Won’t Agree on Everything

Being bipartisan does not mean being silent.

The Chamber will not agree with every Republican elected official, and we will not agree with every Democratic elected official.

When a Republican proposes legislation that we believe helps businesses, we will support it.

When a Democrat proposes legislation that we believe helps businesses, we will support it.

And when either party proposes legislation that we believe will hurt businesses, jobs or economic growth, we will speak up.

That is advocacy.

Earlier this year, the Northwest Valley Chamber was recognized among Arizona’s Top 20 business advocacy organizations. That recognition was important, but advocacy is not about rankings.

It is about making sure businesses have a voice when decisions are being made.

Most small businesses do not have lobbyists or government-affairs departments watching legislation every day.

That is one of the roles a Chamber of Commerce should play.

Bigger Than Politics

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently expressed a similar philosophy, emphasizing that America’s underlying economic strength is bigger than the outcome of any single election.

Campaigns end, but entrepreneurs, businesses and workers continue creating jobs, serving customers, investing and strengthening their communities.

That is particularly relevant following this election.

Campaigns naturally focus on our differences.

Governing requires finding places where we can work together.

That does not mean abandoning our principles. It means judging ideas based on their impact instead of the political party that proposed them.

What Comes Next

Moving forward, the Northwest Valley Regional Chamber will evaluate public policy by asking straightforward questions:

• Will it help businesses grow?
• Will it help create and protect jobs?
• Will it encourage investment?
• Will it strengthen Arizona’s competitiveness?
• Will it help entrepreneurs and small businesses?
• Will it address workforce needs?
• Will it reduce unnecessary barriers to doing business?
• Will it strengthen our communities and economy?

Those are not Republican questions.

They are not Democratic questions.

They are business questions.

The voters have spoken. Now it is time to govern.

The Northwest Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce will work with the people voters elected, support good ideas regardless of where they come from, oppose policies we believe will hurt businesses, and continue making sure the business community has a voice.

The political landscape may change. Our pro-business mission does not.