Top Three Issues for AZ Dems: Affordability, Education and Healthcare

Arizona Democratic Party Chair Charlene Fernandez said 2026 is the year when Democrats will capture the Legislature with a three-point strategy emphasizing affordability, public schools and healthcare.

Powered by a major increase in precinct committee members, party leaders will campaign on:

• Lowering costs and stopping corporate abuse that jacks up rents and drains scarce water.
• Protecting and rebuilding public education and reining in the disastrous school vouchers.
• Defending access to affordable healthcare and saving rural hospitals.

For more, see “An Arizona We Can Afford”: Democrats to Focus on Affordability, Public Schools and Healthcare in 2026.

Fernandez drew sharp contrasts with MAGA spending priorities, noting ICE agents receive $50,000 signing bonuses while teachers face stagnant wages. “That money that they’re using for ICE agents should be going to our teachers,” Fernandez said.

Speaking at the January 10, 2026, Tanque Verde Democrats meeting, Fernandez also outlined an ambitious rural outreach strategy to reclaim what she called “forgotten Democrats” in Arizona’s 13 rural counties, where infrastructure failures and economic hardship have eroded party support.

Kelly, Gallego Inject Cash

The party also received a financial boost as both Arizona senators demonstrated a commitment to rebuilding the state party. Senator Ruben Gallego donated $20,000 toward voter registration in the first week after Fernandez’s election on September 13, 2025. Senator Mark Kelly contributed $50,000 on Christmas Eve.

Both senators are being discussed nationally as potential 2028 presidential candidates, Fernandez revealed after she attended the December Democratic National Committee meeting.

“We’ve got his back,” Fernandez said of Kelly, who faces ongoing political attacks. One attendee noted an MSNBC program featuring Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, suggesting they could become “the next president and first lady”.

Registration Gap Fuels Democratic Urgency

Last fall, Fernandez took over a disorganized state party office. Morale was low. Work was sporadic. Phones went unanswered. But that changed fast when Fernandez took office.

“We’re there every day,” she said. “We greet people. We answer calls. We support volunteers.”

But her biggest push is voter registration — closing the massive gap with Republicans. “We can’t depend on independents,” she warned. “We need to register Democrats and tell them why voting matters.”

Fernandez acknowledged a “huge gap” between Democratic and Republican voter registration: Among 4,498,995 registered voters in Arizona, 1,603,141 are Republicans (35.63%), and 1,269,886 are Democrats (28.23%).

Her strategy is personal contact — neighbors talking to neighbors. “You’ll be their contact,” she told activists. “When that ballot arrives, you make sure they send it back.”

The party presented its first-ever “Saddle Up Saturday” program on January 10, with more than 400 precinct committee people registered for a webinar on voter outreach strategies.

Ballot Security Concerns 

Fernandez is preparing for Republican election day chaos. “They’re going to challenge every Democratic vote,” she warned. “We have to think worst‑case.”

The chair warned Democrats to vote early by mail rather than risk Election Day confrontations, citing her experience in Yuma County, where “two people went to jail because they said that they touched a ballot, another democratic ballot and turned it in” four years ago.

“Republicans are going to fight for every single vote for the other side. They’re going to question every single vote that comes for the Democratic side,” Fernandez said, urging supporters to think about “worst case scenarios”. She is working to maintain voter integrity staff funding through DNC support and special fundraising.

Pima County Reports Dramatic Precinct Committee Growth

Also speaking at the meeting, Pima County Democratic Chair Eric Robbins and Executive Director Alex Kack announced the county recruited more than 200 new precinct committee people in the past year, growing from roughly 400 to more than 610 active volunteers.

The surge followed coordinated recruitment efforts between Kack and Corresponding Secretary Andy Flach, with 165 new members joining Legislative District 17 alone.

The county party is launching a grant-funded program to convert appointed precinct committee members to elected positions during the August primary, with plans to collect paperwork in person. “Precinct Committee people in Arizona are the foundation of our party,” Fernandez emphasized.

The party has scheduled major fundraising events, including a Gabby Giffords gala tentatively planned for April and the annual Pima County Udall dinner, set for May 30 at the Desert Diamond Casino.

Looking Ahead

From packed Zoom trainings to hundreds of new precinct committee members, from rural outreach to door-to-door voter registration, Democrats are rebuilding this party from the ground up.

As Charlene Fernandez told the crowd, a victory in 2026 isn’t a dream — it’s a plan. A plan powered by everyday Arizonans who refuse to be forgotten, who refuse to be silenced, and who are ready to reclaim their future.

Arizona Democrats aren’t waiting for change —they’re organizing it.