@biomedicaltennis, @ AGmomx2 Please take a look at this thread concerning ASU and TAMU. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/arizona-state-university/1733435-how-are-asus-engineering-programs.html#latest
We have not visited Arizona yet. My second son has been admitted to both ASU/Barrett and UA/Honors for Mechanical Engineering. (He did not apply to TAMU because he wanted to go somewhere different than his brother. He is tired of being known as Beaudreau Junior’s brother!) ASU Engineering is rated slightly higher than UA, but UA overall is ranked higher. It’s really a toss-up between the two. As I discussed in the linked thread, if you work hard and get good grades, you should have no problems getting an engineering job or going to medical school with a biomedical engineering degree.
As far as politics go, you will find Marxists, Creationists, and radical libertarian/anarchists at all three schools. The difference would be in the average student. On average, UA is probably a bit more liberal and TAMU a bit more conservative. But UA is hardly Cal Berkeley and TAMU is nothing like Oral Roberts. Further, as AGmomx2 points out, politics should not drive your college choice. Go where you will be happiest.