Ahead of the upcoming session, Arizona legislative Republicans are working on commonsense solutions to problems that their constituents are facing.
Late last year, Clay Robinson shared a story on X about the context to a bill introduced by State Representative Pamela Carter for the next legislative session – HB 2009. Robinson wrote, “A couple weeks ago, during deployment pre-mobilization, our JAG officer was signing ADOT vehicle license tax waivers for service members.”
He added, “Of course, I wanted to take advantage of this exemption. When I called ADOT, they had informed me that if I had already paid the tax for the year, I could not use it for a refund and instead could use it when I get back, per existing statute. Understandable, but annoying.”
When Robinson realized that there could be a statutory fix to this issue, he touched base with state legislators in an attempt to make his proposal a reality. According to Robinson, “The fix would be simple: allow for refunds, and create a 30-day window prior to mobilization with valid orders to use the exemption.”
In addition to Carter, who introduced the legislation, Robinson thanked her colleagues, Representatives Matthew Gress, John Gillette, and Rachel Jones, “for being responsive and open to constituent ideas.”
Gress responded to Robinson, saying, “Thanks for bringing this idea to us, Clay Robinson. This is what representative government looks like! A great bill sponsored by a great seat mate, Pamela Carter.”
Robinson ended his post with an encouragement to other Arizonans who might have other proposals to bring before their legislators. He said, “All this to say: you DO have a voice in your government. You CAN change the law. Mine is a small change, but I believe it will help more service members in the Arizona National Guard who are mobilized to support contingency operations across the globe and remove unnecessary barriers to financial assistance. HB 2009 still has a long way to go, but I’m excited to be a part of the process, even from a distance!”
The 57th Legislature – First Regular Session is quickly approaching, with Arizona Republicans controlling more seats in both the state House and Senate than the previous two years. Republicans will be again forced to contend with a divided state government with Democrat Katie Hobbs occupying the Governor’s Office.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) indicated that top Democratic leaders were to blame for their party’s massive election losses at the state and federal levels.
In a statement from Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC) reposted by ADP, executive director Elsa O’Callaghan said that “down-the-ballot Democrats” in Arizona and across the nation were unable to overcome “top-of-the-ticket” troubles. O’Callaghan didn’t specify what those troubles were or who was behind them.
“We are deeply grateful for the candidates who put their lives on hold and stepped up to run, the staff who gave it their all, and the supporters who donated their time and money to protect Arizona’s future. Final results are now tallied and Arizona’s legislative chambers will remain in Republican control. Across the country, down-ballot Democrats worked tirelessly to combat top-of-the-ticket trends. It is now clear that those trends proved to be insurmountable. Too much is at stake to abandon our mission — especially with an extreme presidential administration coming into power. The work continues.”
🚨 The AZ Dem finger pointing is officially getting started! In a pathetic statement that was reposted by @AZDemParty, @A_DLCC blames the “top of the ticket” for their failures in AZ… but which “top of the ticket” are they referring to? @KamalaForAZ or @KatieHobbs? Or BOTH? pic.twitter.com/YKXsO1Jbsb
Donald Trump won Arizona by over 52 percent of the vote (1.7 million votes), where Kamala Harris gained over 46 percent of the vote (1.5 million votes) — a difference of nearly 187,000 votes among 3.2 million voters. Comparatively, Joe Biden won by .3 percent of the vote back in 2020, a difference of just over 10,400 votes among 3.3 million voters.
Arizona Republicans flipped a net total of three seats in the state legislature: one in the senate and three in the house (and the loss of one other seat). That grew the Republican majority to 17 in the Senate and 33 in the House.
In the Senate, Republicans flipped one seat: LD4, with Republican challenger Carine Werner ousting incumbent Democrat Christine Marsh by 52 percent of the vote (over 5,400 votes).
In the House, Republicans flipped three seats: LD4, with Republicans Pamela Carter and Matt Gress securing both seats; LD13, with Republicans Jeff Weninger and Julie Willoughby securing both seats; LD16, with Republicans Teresa Martinez and Chris Lopez securing both seats.
Democrats flipped one seat in the House: LD17, ousting Republican Cory McGarr for Democrat Kevin Volk while Rachel Jones retained her seat.
Arizona Democrats failed to flip any congressional seats. They also failed to win the hotly-contested District 6 seat held by incumbent Juan Ciscomani.
Democrats did successfully win the open Senate seat left by independent Kyrsten Sinema. Democrat Ruben Gallego emerged victorious over Republican Kari Lake, winning 50 percent of the vote over Lake’s 47 percent.
Although Democrats fell short of securing the Arizona legislature, they did see a certain win with a significant ballot reform.
Arizonans approved a constitutional right to abortion up to birth: 62 percent were in favor (1.9 million voters) versus 38 percent against (1.2 million voters).
However, Arizonans also approved a ballot measure to allow police to arrest illegal immigrants entering the U.S — 63 percent (1.9 million) were in favor, while 37 percent (1.1 million) were against.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona Republicans pulled out some key victories in extremely competitive districts to expand their control of the state legislature.
Entering the 2024 General Election, Republicans had a very narrow control of the Arizona Legislature. Over the past year, local and national Democrats poured millions of dollars into specific districts, hoping to flip one or both chambers.
Instead of a party shift, however, Republicans did more than maintain their control of each legislative body; they may have slightly expanded their numbers, as the makeup looks today with most of ballots counted across the state.
In District 2, Republican Senator Shawnna Bolick staved off a ferocious challenge from Democrat Judy Schwiebert, winning by almost four percent.
Bolick said, “I cannot thank our family, friends, and supporters enough for helping to push us over the finish line. I am fortunate to have had helping hands to complete our post card writing campaigns in both the primary and the general elections. We also had to deliver campaign literature to voters in all the precincts targeting registered voters across all political parties. We had volunteers from all over the state making phone calls and sending positive text messages to our district’s voters. Thank you to everyone who reached out to help us, maximizing our efforts to reaching our goal of winning this seat.”
In District 4, Republican newcomer Carine Werner unseated incumbent Democrat Senator Christine Marsh, emerging victorious by more than 3.5%.
Werner issued a statement after her race was called, writing, “We were successful because we worked hard and listened to voters in District 4. I say ‘we’ because it isn’t about me, it’s about finding solutions for small businesses, families, our schools, and first responders. I will legislate the same way I campaigned and have served on school board – with integrity, transparency, and accountability. I want our district to feel like their hard work and entrepreneurship means something. I want people to get more for their hard-earned dollar, because we can help reduce prices and keep taxes low. And I want parents to feel empowered to make the best choices for their kids. This election is about all of us and the future of our state – I’m honored to be part of it and to know that voters have trust and faith in me. Now it’s time to deliver.”
Incumbent Republican state Representative Matt Gress easily won the top spot in this district to return to his chamber for a second term in office. His running mate, Pamela Carter, held off Democrat Kelli Butler by less than one percent to capture the second House seat.
Gress stated, “The latest batch of votes are in, and we are WAY up in #LD4! I am so grateful you have re-hired me as your state representative with wide support across our community. I’ll continue working for YOU! On this campaign, we talked about common sense — we didn’t sling mud. I can’t wait to get back to work, delivering more results for our community and state. In short: THANK YOU, #LD4!!!”
The latest batch of votes are in, and we are WAY up in #LD4!
I am so grateful you have re-hired me as your state representative with wide support across our community. I’ll continue working for YOU!
On this campaign, we talked about common sense — we didn’t sling mud.
Carter added, “WE DID IT! We have been victorious in winning the final seat in the Arizona House of Representatives in LD 4! Great news for Arizona! Thank you to my Lord Jesus Christ, my team, and all of my supporters and volunteers for making this possible. Congratulations to President Trump, our 47th President of the USA! Together, we will make Arizona and America strong, healthy and vibrant again!!”
WE DID IT!
We’ve picked up the second LD4 seat! Thank you to my Lord Jesus Christ, my team, and my supporters for making this possible.
Congratulations to President Trump, our 47th President!
Together, we'll make Arizona and America strong, healthy and vibrant again!!… pic.twitter.com/kIUH9stW5R
In District 13, Republican Senator J.D. Mesnard won reelection with a margin of over six percent.
Republicans Jeff Weninger and Julie Willoughby won both House seats for the district. For Willoughby, this upcoming term will be her first full one in office. For Weninger, this victory marks a return to the state legislature after a brief hiatus from public service.
Weninger said, “We had to counter an enormous amount of campaign spending coming from out-of-state special interest groups. In the end, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting my opponent. But we responded even stronger and again sent a message that the people of this district value real relationships and real results. Desperate money from DC liberals won’t fool them. In fact, it appears this will be my biggest win yet for the State Senate!”
In District 17, Republican candidate and former legislator Vince Leach has a razor-thin lead of approximately 1,500 votes over Democrat John McLean.
In District 23, Republican incumbent state Representative Michele Peña finished atop the field of candidates for House, ensuring another term in the Arizona Legislature.
As of Monday night, Republicans appear to have secured 17 of 30 Senate seats and 33 of 60 House seats. There are still thousands of votes outstanding throughout the state.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
