Colonel Holly Lyon Takes Another Shot at Winning a Seat in the Arizona State Legislature

Retired Air Force Colonel and Educator Holly Lyon is taking another shot at winning a legislative seat in the Arizona State House. 

This is not her first rodeo in Arizona State elective politics. 

In 2018, Lyon ran for the State Legislature in a similarly configured Legislative District and although she raised more money than had any other candidate (Republican or Democrat) and cut the Republican registration advantage in half, she was unsuccessful in her bid.

Now, eight years later, with stronger backing from the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC), Colonel Lyon sees a path to victory for a State House seat in battleground LD 17. 

Running on a platform of working to build a “government that works for you” and “An Arizona where everyone can thrive,” Colonel Lyon wants to pursue an affordability agenda by reducing costs for Arizonans, providing water security, fully funding public education, and requiring more transparency and accountability in the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) voucher program. 

Colonel Lyon graciously interviewed with Blog for Arizona to discuss her candidacy for one of the LD 17 State House seats.

The questions and her responses are below. 

Please tell the readers two reasons you would like to run for an Arizona House seat in LD17. 

“I think government officials are elected to work for us: prevent problems they can foresee and respond effectively to the ones they can’t. That’s what accountability in government means. It’s how government should serve the governed. That principle is at the heart of our Constitution. And right now, there are far too many examples of government falling short of that responsibility. Two examples that come to mind right away are water and education.”

When I ran in 2018, I was telling people about how the Saudis were pumping water out of the ground in Arizona, literally right out from underneath the farmers, to grow and ship alfalfa and back to Saudi Arabia to feed their livestock. People didn’t know that that was going on and were shocked because even then, they knew a water shortage was looming.

Our Legislature has known for decades that Arizona is on borrowed time with our water supply. In 1980, they passed the Groundwater Management Act, which required new subdivisions in designated Active Management Areas in urban areas to prove there’s a 100-year water supply before they can develop. Well, that “someday” is here. But, rather than enforcing the water rules, the Legislature is allowing a shell game to be played where developers move their sources around to justify the development, and nobody’s really paying very close attention. And if they are, they have nobody to complain to, because nobody’s enforcing the law.

Anyway, I think the legislature just turned a blind eye to the problem. They didn’t lift a finger to help us, our farmers, or our ranchers early on. I think this is an issue that could have been mitigated or delayed to a certain extent if the legislature had been paying closer attention and cared to take care of it.

The other big failure in accountability is with education. Public education is, after all, the cornerstone of democracy. You have to ask yourself, then, why has the GOP-led legislature, at least back to 2011, refused to fully fund our public schools as required by our state constitution and in many cases, also by subsequent citizens’ initiatives. Funding for our public schools was supposed to be increased every year according to a formula. Not only did they not increase it, they actually took money away. The Legislature has not even complied with at least two Arizona court cases mandating the restoration of funding to the schools.

And yet, there have been no consequences for non-compliance…no accountability. Approximately 90% of our Arizona students go to public schools, but the GOP-led Legislature overrode a 2 to 1 vote by the voters to pass universal vouchers for a majority of families who already had their children in private schools. Now they are getting subsidized by Arizona taxpayers. What a deal!

Then, State Superintendent Tom Horne announced that he wouldn’t audit any receipts under $2,000. Can it really be a surprise that, according to investigative reporting, millions of dollars of purchases were just under that amount? And yet, the Legislature refused to take any action to rein in the fraud, waste, and abuse. That isn’t leadership, that is sticking your head in the sand.”

Why should the voters in LD 17 pick you over any primary or general election opponent? 

“Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, I have no doubt that there are good Republicans in the Legislature who want to make life better for Arizonans. My running mate, Kevin Volk, has worked productively with several of them. The problem is that when it comes time to vote, they consistently fall in line with their extreme leadership. 

I won’t have that pressure. I’m not building a political career, and I’m not beholden to wealthy special interests. In fact, I was happily retired when I was asked to run again. I gave it a great deal of thought before saying yes. I’m doing this for one reason only: to serve the people of Arizona, and no one else.

Lawmakers should be free to listen to their constituents, study the issues carefully, and work together to develop the best possible solutions to the challenges we face. I firmly believe no single person or party has all the answers. Our democracy works best when we have at least two strong, functional political parties operating in balance. That balance ensures different perspectives are heard and encourages lawmakers to work together instead of retreating into partisan corners. The people of Arizona deserve thoughtful solutions, not political gridlock. I look forward to working with anyone — regardless of party — who is committed to serving Arizonans and solving problems.”

What are two issues you’ll be running on 2026 cycle in addition to water security and ESA reform?

“I want to bring down costs for housing, healthcare, utilities and more. Access to health care and housing are also big issues for me and there are ways we can make an impact at the state level in all these areas. Utilities for example, are controlled by the ACC – Arizona Corporation Commission. But the Legislature could enact some guardrails. And of course, fully funding our public schools (regardless of the ESA program) is a primary responsibility for the Legislature.”

What are at least two ways you will, you could conduct voter and social media outreach to Democrats, Independents, and like-minded Republicans, especially considering the LD 17? I mean, Mr. Volk did win a couple years ago, but the district is still considered light red, at the very least.

“There are basically three areas that you just touched on.

One of them is the Democrats and Blog for Arizona has a lot of reach with them. Of course, to get elected, candidates have to break through people’s life bubbles, and that takes reaching them in a variety of ways.

LD17 has hundreds of fabulous who have all volunteered for a variety of different activities. Some of them like to canvass, some of them want to write postcards, and others will do social media. All of these efforts are important.

My campaign posts on Facebook and Instagram pretty regularly as Lyon for Arizona. I’m proud to already be endorsed by several organizations that are echoing my social media posts to their followers, which is an important way for people to get to know me.

My goal with outreach is to make, what I guess I would call ‘traditional conservative’ voters, aware that if they are tired of the extremism, they have an excellent alternative. I’ve already met several of those people as I go door-to-door. They’ve told me, ’Hey, I’ve always voted Republican, but, you know, I’m just so dismayed with what’s going on.’ I even had one man the other day quote the Declaration of Independence to me. He was a retired Air Force, and said, ‘I’m just so glad you came by because I didn’t know who else was out there. And I was pretty sure I didn’t want to vote for the Republicans.’

We really are all in this together and it is important to remember that.”

How would you compare this current race to your campaign from eight years ago? 

“Well, of course, anytime you’re campaigning, you’re kind of doing the same stuff, but this race for different in a couple of ways. Eight years ago, the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, ADLCC, was not as mature as it is right now. They have the connections inside and outside of Arizona to bring a lot of resources to the fight. They weighed in on this campaign and are pointing other grassroots organizations our way. Why? Because this year, they are convinced we can flip the district. That wasn’t the case in my previous district.

Second, the LD17 Democratic team is just phenomenal. And quite frankly, LD18 is also helping us a lot as are volunteers from LD 19 and LD 20. The demographics of LD 17 are also different from my old LD 11. Back then, the district was much more rural. I have a feeling this district will have higher voter turnout, and the angst surrounding what is happening at the federal level keep people interested and engaged. I’m having some real thoughtful conversations at doors and that’s been different.

Honestly, my party registration doesn’t seem to be such a big issue when I go to people’s doors. They want to know more about me and my priorities.”

Is there anything not covered in the first four questions that you would like the readers to know about you and your candidacy for one of the House seats in LD 17?

“I really think the people in Arizona deserve lawmakers who will represent them and their interests. When I was in the Air Force, we really didn’t care about party registration. We cared about getting the mission done. I’m happy to work with anyone to do the things that will make Arizona a better place for everybody. That’s my main focus. Having worked with Edgar, who’s a Marine vet, I know he feels exactly the same way. And Kevin has already shown he is willing to work with Republicans to deliver for Arizonans. I will be the same way.”

Please see below for more information about Colonel Holy Lyon and her candidacy for one of the State House seats in LD 17.