Legislative District 3 in Pima County is a heavily Democratic voter registration minority-majority district. As a result, Tea-Publicans did not even qualify a candidate for the ballot in this district. A lone Green Party candidate, Edward J. “Trey” Cizek III, did manage to qualify for the ballot in the House.
A Southern Arizona institution, Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford was effectively reelected to the Senate with her primary election win. From her voter guide statement in the primary:
As ranking Democratic member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, I’ve challenged budget cuts made to education, cities and counties for needs such as transportation funding and I fought against the financial harm done by the Republican majority. I serve on the Commerce and Workforce Development; Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Joint Committee on Capitol Review and Rules. My qualifications as a hard-working advocate for issues of importance to my constituents are demonstrated by the many endorsements, awards and high-ratings I have earned from groups over the years: Sierra Club, Arizona Education Association, Arizona List, Fraternal Order of Police, Combined Law Enforcement Association of Arizona,Unions and others. Experience is vital to navigating the legislative process. It is a privilege to serve and I’m glad to be a part of the fight for what is right!
State representatives Sally Ann Gonzales and Macario Saldate are both running for reelection.
From the voter guide statement in the primary for Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales:
I have had the honor and pleasure to serve you as your State Representative in Legislative District 3 since 2010. My principles continue to best reflect the district’s core values of exceptional schools, high paying jobs, safe neighborhoods and quality health care. As a former classroom teacher, I believe that public education is the greatest equalizer therefore, should be protected and strengthen from pre-k through our universities along with career training programs like JTED for our young adults. This will ensure a competitive workforce and will promote a competitive economy. Accessible and quality health care should be safeguarded so it continues to be available to all regardless of their zip code and ability to pay. Hence in 2014 I voted for Medicaid expansion and in 2016 I voted to lift the freeze on Kids Care. I will fight for working families as a consumer advocate by voting against predatory business like auto-title lenders and rent to own furniture stores. In my committees I will continue to work diligently to advocate and protect our most vulnerable our seniors and our children.
From the voter guide statement in the primary for Rep. Macario Saldate:
Macario was born in Nogales, Arizona, in 1941. Members of his family have lived in Arizona for several generations. He completed all his undergraduate and graduate (Bachelors, Master’s and PhD) work in Education at the University of Arizona and was a professor and administrator from 1972 to 2009. He was the fourth and longest serving (20 years) director of the UA Guadalajara Summer School and founding director of the UA Bilingual Education Programs, and initiated the UA Mexican American Studies and Research Center in 1981. He served on the Pima Community College District Governing Board from 1973 to 1979 and was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives from Legislative District 27 in 2010. He is a member of Higher Education and Government and the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committees. Macario was reelected to his third term in 2014 to represent Legislative District 3. He is a member of numerous groups/associations[.] He is committed to the search for common ground and respectful dialogue within the political process with a willingness to consider all sides of an issue.
Edward J. “Trey” Cizek III is a recent convert to the Green Party. He appears to be a disappointed Bernie Sanders Revolution supporter. According to an introduction he has posted at Reddit.com:
I am a graduate student at the University of Arizona who is running for office this November in large part due to the brazen voter suppression tactics that were seen here in Arizona, as well as in other places such as New York, California, Massachusetts, Chicago, and Baltimore. Several of my friends and colleagues who were registered as Democrats to vote for Bernie Sanders were unable to vote for the Senator due to long lines and voter rolls which had them listed as Independents. While the Democratic Party is not wholly responsible for this activity, the Democratic Party has shown itself to be equally unconcerned about widespread voter registration purges, particularly in Brooklyn, New York, where over 120,000 active voters were purged prior to their April Primary. It was at that time that I decided that I had no choice to run for office myself, to present a platform centered on building a strong multi-party democracy with the strongest protections given to voters and people who wish to register to vote.
My biggest pushes as State Legislator are to bring a system of Approval Voting to Arizona, to eliminate the spoiler effect present in first-past-the-post elections, and to institute a proportional representation system, such that candidates do not have to feel beholden to a political party and their infrastructure in order to run for office. Our system of primary elections preceding a general election rewards candidates who have appeal to the base of their party and their donors, and with over 80% of our districts being districted to strongly favor one major party or the other, we have a system that rewards intransigence and punishes multi-partisanship and good-faith negotiation. I believe that the incentives inherent in that system are flawed, and need to be adjusted.
Donna Gratehouse at Blog for Arizona addressed Mr. Cizek’s conspiracy theory about the Arizona Presidential Preference Election back in March. Did voter suppression happen yesterday? Yes. Was it a conspiracy? Probably not.
While Cizek has some legitimate ideas about improving voting in Arizona, this really doesn’t make a case for why voters in District 3 should vote for him over the current incumbent House members who are serving their district well. He appears to be a single-issue candidate who does not address the critical needs of this legislative district: economic development, jobs, education, health care, etc. Strong personal connections to this community are critical to voter trust in this district.
The Citizens Clean Elections Debate for the House candidates is scheduled for Monday, October 3, at 6:00 p.m. at Pima Community College Center for the Arts, West Campus, 2202 West Anklam Road, Tucson.
I’m not sure who I’m going to vote for yet… just trying to learn as much as possible about each candidate, thank you for sharing this!
I am, quite frankly, disappointed at the lack of research done in this piece and the dismissive attitude given toward my campaign and platform. I would invite your readership to read up on the entirety of my platform to address concerns such as jobs, healthcare, criminal justice reform, education funding, and more at my website: http://trcizek.wixsite.com/cizekforazhouse
Also, here’s a picture that you may use: http://i.imgur.com/ycn5PgC.jpg
See that web address of yours? It doesn’t show up in a Google search. Campaigns 101: get a web site people can find. I would have had more to work with. I added your photo to the post.