Principles First Dinner in Phoenix, AZ - 10/20/26

Join Principles First for a dinner at the Phoenix Country Club for Liberty Demands Leadership: Principle Over Polarization — bringing together national, state, and community leaders for an evening of candid conversation about the state of our democracy and what it will take to move beyond division toward principled leadership. This event featured: Mike Madrid, nationally recognized political strategist, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and is a Senior Fellow at the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology. He is the author of The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy. Mike will be doing a book signing at the event. Justice Clint Bolick, Arizona Supreme Court Justice since 2016. He co-founded the libertarian Institute for Justice and served as Vice President for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, litigating constitutional cases up to the U.S. Supreme Court on school choice, property rights and free speech. Gregg Nunziata, Executive Director, Society for the Rule of Law. Gregg is an attorney, public policy professional, and veteran of the conservative legal movement. He served as Chief Nominations Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, playing a key strategic role in the confirmation proceedings for scores of federal judges and executive branch appointees. He also served as policy counsel to the Senate Republican Policy Committee, and later as general counsel and domestic policy adviser to Sen. Marco Rubio. Earlier in his career, Gregg served in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and worked as a litigator in an international law firm. Gregg writes and speaks widely on the rule of law, constitutional government, and democracy. His analysis has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Dispatch, and other national media outlets. Gregg is also the host of the Checks and Balances podcast, a weekly conversation about law, liberty, and the threats to both in America today. Bill Gates, Executive Director of the ASU Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory and Professor of Practice at the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and former Maricopa County Supervisor. Molly Nixon, senior fellow in Executive Power at the Cato Institute, focusing on separation of powers, presidential authority, and executive branch accountability. Previously, she litigated constitutional cases at Pacific Legal Foundation and served as an Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Interior and Legislative Counsel to Rep. Justin Amash. Dr. Amish Shah, emergency physician, former Arizona state legislator and candidate for Congress in Arizona’s First Congressional District. He brings experience in public service, bipartisan policymaking and engaging directly with communities across Arizona. Dana Lewis is the Pinal County Recorder in Arizona. Her career in local government began in 2019 when she joined the county as an Election Specialist. After a brief tenure as Assistant to the Recorder, she was unanimously appointed as the County Recorder by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors in August 2022. She went on to secure a full four-year term during the November 2024 election. In her role, Lewis focuses on transparency and modern infrastructure. She was a primary catalyst behind designing the county's state-of-the-art Pinal Voter Operations Technology and Election Services (VOTES) facility. She is a Certified Election Official who holds a specialized Certificate in Elections and Registration Administration from Auburn University. Before transitioning to civil service, Lewis served in the U.S. Air Force, earning the rank of Staff Sergeant. She currently resides in Casa Grande.