It’s hard out in Arizona for a liberal. From recently announced deep cuts to health care and education, to the now infamously tough immigration law currently tied up in court battles, Arizona remains one of the country’s more reliably conservative states. However, a group of Arizonans from the Tucson area are looking to distance themselves from the more conservative policies of their state, literally, by seceding. Headed up by Tucson attorney and former state Democratic Party Chairman Paul Eckerstrom, SOS or ‘Start Our State,’ is calling for the progressive alcove of Pima County, located near the Mexican border, to break off from the rest of Arizona and form the 51st state, tentatively called ‘Baja Arizona.’

It’s a daunting task and one with little hope for success, but with a petition drive in full gear, SOS’s political action committee has grown from a group of democrats with an idea, to a fledgling movement. ‘Start Our State,’ in their own words, aims ‘to establish a new state in Southern Arizona free of the un-American, unconstitutional machinations of the Arizona legislature and to restore our region’s credibility as a place welcoming to others, open to commerce, and friendly to its neighbors.’

Baja Arizona wouldn’t be […]