Democratic candidates running for state House seats in a vast, mostly rural legislative district hyped their professional experience to set themselves apart in a debate on Wednesday.
Voters in Legislative District 23 will choose two nominees from Emilia Cortez, Juan Guerrero, Naomi Miguel and Rep. Mariana Sandoval in the July 21 primary election to face two Republicans in the general election. Early voting is already underway.
The Democratic primary winners will carry the hopes of the party in trying to shift the power at the Legislature. Since 2022, GOP Rep. Michele Peña has held one of the district’s two House seats, and winning that seat from her is central to Democrats’ strategy to overtake the Capitol.
Legislative District 23 is majority Latino and leans Democratic, but its largest voting bloc is actually independents, who make up about 40% of the district’s voters. It’s one of the few districts in Arizona represented by both Democrats and Republicans at the Capitol.
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The debate — sponsored by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission — revealed no large differences in Democratic principles and policy approaches, and it didn’t pit progressives against moderates. Instead, each candidate highlighted their resumes to prove they’re right for the job.
Cortez said she would be the best choice because her experience on several boards, in public service and in economic development has made her a good listener and learner, giving her the ability to unify people.
“That's what I'm hoping to do at the House is to bring that listening ear and be a problem solver,” Cortez said.
Some of her examples included helping to get Proposition 203, the state’s early childhood development program, passed in 2006, and then using that program as a grantee to get dental care for 22,000 uninsured children when she worked for the University of Arizona.
Guerrero, a Gulf War veteran and former Yuma justice of the peace, said he is “battle tested” and he’s willing to face the exposure that comes with running for office. Guerrero faced that exposure in 2023 when he resigned from the bench after a drunken-driving conviction and revelations he violated the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct by performing weddings during court hours.
“Nobody goes through life unscathed,” he said. “Life is the only one that has a perfect record.”
Guerrero, a Somerton resident, said he would “bring a voice” to the Yuma area and southern Yuma County, where he said there is no representation. Peña, the Republican representative, lives in Yuma, while Sandoval lives in Goodyear.
The district, which is larger in area than Massachusetts and six other states, spans from Goodyear to the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma and includes Maricopa, Yuma, Pima and Pinal counties and several tribes.
“Our community is not just a line on the map. We contribute just as well to the economy of the state, so we deserve a voice at the state Capitol,” Guerrero said.
Miguel, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation who has worked in Congress and the White House, said she’s learned through campaigning that many voters don’t know how the state Legislature works, and she has had to explain “why we need representation, and why we need leaders who understand our communities.”
She said she often hears voters gripe about seeing their representatives only during election years, and she vowed to return if she’s elected to listen and apprise them of what’s going on at the Legislature. Voters want an informed representative, she said.
“I think I'm the best person to do this, because I have worked on this in the Congress, I know how to pass bills, but also conversely, tribal issues are bipartisan issues, so I'm very much used to working with coalitions, but also with folks on the other side of the aisle to get things done,” Miguel said.
She said she’s worked on passing 26 bills into law for tribal communities, her most notable being a $20 billion appropriation to help tribal communities during the pandemic.
Sandoval is the only incumbent in the group, and she made it clear throughout the debate.
“I've said it many times when I'm at the state Legislature, the policy that comes in front of me is personal to me,” Sandoval said, adding that she and her husband are working people and her kids went to public school.
Sandoval said she has tried to address inflation by introducing bills to raise the minimum wage and increase taxes on millionaires and luxury items, but Republicans have the majority at the Capitol, and they killed her bills.
Sandoval said she recommended to the governor that Arizona allow state workers to telecommute so they can save on gas and to encourage private businesses to do the same.
“And whether it's $20 or $30 a week, every little bit helps right now when families are struggling for the everyday bread and butter commodities,” Sandoval said.
