Editor: Mike Bryan here… as you read David’s excellent post, please consider a sustaining monthly gift for the ADLCC’s critical work in Arizona. Your sustaining donation for the next 3 months until the election is critical to Democratic success, not just in flipping the Arizona legislature, but in delivering Arizona for Harris/Walz and our US Congressional candidates, including Ruben Gallego, Amish Shah, and Kirsten Engel who are all facing serious general election challenges and could very well be the key to a new Democratic majority in the US House and holding the US Senate. Our efforts on the ground at the Legislative District level will make a substantial contribution to the organizing and GOTV that will lift all Democratic boats sailing Arizona’s electoral sea!
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is making a six-figure investment in Arizona, spotlighting twelve Legislative District (LD) candidates in battleground areas, to flip the State Legislature from red to blue in the November elections.
The Arizona LD candidates the DLCC is spotlighting are:
Stephanie Simacek (LD-2, House)
Karen Gresham (LD-4, House)
Rep. Seth Blattman (LD-9, House)
Nicholas Gonzales (LD-13, House)
Brandy Reese (LD-13, House)
Rep. Keith Seaman (LD-16, House)
Kevin Volk (LD-17, House)
Rep. Judy Schwiebert (LD-2, Senate)
Sen. Christine Marsh (LD-4, Senate)
Sharon Winters (LD-13, Senate)
Stacey Seaman (LD-16, Senate)
John McLean (LD-17, Senate)
These candidates also received the endorsement of Senator Mark Kelly last week:
The DLCC announced this investment ($223,000) during a press call with DLCC leader Heather Williams, Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley, ADLCC Chair and State Senator Priya Sundareshan, and three of the twelve battleground candidates: Judy Schwiebert, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Kevin Volk.
In her comments, Ms. Williams called attention to the importance of Arizona in this electoral cycle, saying:
“This summer has been an unprecedented time in American politics, and states like Arizona are at the forefront of shaping the future direction of our country. Some of the most consequential elections of 2024, including for the AZ State Legislature, are on the brink of flipping from Republican control. Delivering Democratic majorities in Arizona is paramount as Arizona Republicans are some of the most extreme in the country. The GOP has been veering far into far-right extremism, wasting precious time this year, dilly-dallying to rectify the egregious 1864 abortion ban, blocking again a guarantee to contraception access, and even threatening to legalize murder of migrants. The stakes are high and as the official arm of the Democratic Party with the sole mission of building Democratic power in state legislatures…It’s been a long effort to bring Arizona Democrats to a place where the majority is within reach now. We just need to flip two seats in each Chamber to deliver Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs the trifecta needed to make a real difference in Arizona communities. Breaking the GOP’s control of the legislature is a top priority for the DLCC, which is why on this call today we’re excited to announce new Investments and release our Spotlight units in Arizona…”
After listing the 12 Spotlight LD Candidates (please see the list above,) Williams continued, stating:
“This is a slate of DLCC Spotlight candidates needed to flip control of the legislature, but they need fully funded strong campaigns to do it. That’s why we’re building off our previous Investments and announcing an additional and immediate investment of over $200,000 to support State Legislative candidates in Arizona. Along with the many other ways the DLCC supports our candidates, these direct investments will help candidates hire staff to knock doors, support voter contact, build strong digital operations and so much more. Arizona is a battleground at all levels of the ballot and our Spotlight Candidates are running tough races that could come down to just a handful of votes. That’s why we’re wasting no time in building strong campaigns for victory in November. In the weeks and months ahead, the DLCC will work hand in hand with our partners on the ground to build the infrastructure and ensure campaigns are resourced and supported. It’s no exaggeration to say that 2024 is the most important year in State Legislative campaign history. State Legislators are on the front lines of shaping the issues that matter most from abortion to democracy to LGBTQ rights to gun safety and more. The future landscape of rights for Arizonans hangs in the balance of 2024 and the DLCC is committed to safeguarding Arizona’s future as we position state legislators at the forefront of shaping the national Democratic agenda across the country.”
Senator Sundareshan spoke next, noting that the AZDLCC, which she chairs, is “the only organization whose sole mission is to flip the Arizona State Legislature. That’s our task and since our founding in 2015, we’ve really closed the gap on the supermajority that the Republicans have held in the State Legislature. We’ve done this through organizing on the ground, using data-driven strategies, and recruiting very strong candidates. This is no easy feat but we know that tides are changing in this state. Over the last decade, Arizona Democrats have made significant legislative gains, even in districts that are pretty ruby red…”
Describing the AZDLCC efforts in this cycle, Sundareshan commented:
“We’re working in eight target districts across Arizona to permanently close that Republican majority gap. We have a committed staff of nearly 50 people: organizers, campaign managers, and finance professionals who are working around the clock to support our candidates on that path to victory. They’re making sure that our down-ballot races have all of the resources and experience that’s needed to win against some very entrenched Republican incumbents regardless of what happens at the top of the ticket. The MAGA extremists continue to move their extreme and harmful agenda through the state. That’s why this year is so critical. There’s too much at stake…Arizona is the closest we’ve ever been to achieving this Democratic trifecta. So we’re going to leave everything on the field this year. We must protect Arizonans from the MAGA extremism that has taken root and the only way to do that is to flip the state legislature and protect the rights and freedoms that voters hold most dear.”
When asked a question from a reporter from AZ Central on the Republican voter registration advantage in the state, Sundareshan replied:
“We all know that Republicans have a registration advantage in this state and yet we Democrats have been successful in a number of statewide seats (Governor Katie Hobbs, Senator Mark Kelly, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Kris Mayes in 2022) as well as now with our legislature and that is really again because voters are seeing the way that the Republican party and our Republican candidates have gone to the far extreme, the Trump MAGA extreme, of their party. In contrast, our Democratic candidates, including those you see here are offering a clear vision of common sense, let’s get to work, let’s actually work to govern the state rather than engage in the extreme culture war grievance-driven kind of bag of extremism that the Republican candidates have all moved. There are plenty of independent voters and even moderate Republicans who will see these (Democratic) candidates and think this is where I want Arizona to go.”
Educator and Representative Schwiebert spoke about her experience in the Legislature and her State Senate Candidacy in LD-2. Among her remarks were:
“I love this community and that is what inspired me to run for the Arizona House back in 2020. Since being elected that year, I’ve also been able to score some big wins. Not just for our district really, but for our whole state, I was able to secure five million dollars to support Community College adult education classes where Arizonans could earn both their GED and gain an industry credential at the same time.”
“This seat is too essential to lose. Should Republicans win, we can expect more extremist policies that attack our freedom to vote, our freedom to make our own decisions about our own bodies, and attacks on our teachers and public schools. My neighborhood, LD-2, and Arizona deserve better. That’s why I’m running to bring common sense solutions and pass policies that are necessary and will protect the freedoms of everyone. We are the closest we’ve ever been this year to gaining a Democratic majority at the state legislature.”
Urban Planner Gonzales discussed his run for one of the LD-13 State House seats, relaying:
“The biggest thing that has stuck out to me and what I have recognized the most is that the (current) representation in my community is not serving the people of my community and certainly aren’t focused on the best interests of Arizonans and of the East Valley.”
“I’ve knocked on about 4,000 doors so far. I think part of what we hear in these battleground districts from voters is that they are tired of politicians who are there to yell and to scream and to whine…people in our communities are really tired of the whining and they are really just ready for people to focus on the future and how to make their lives better.”
Educator and Business owner Volk emphasized public education and pushed back on extremist Republican MAGA policies like their intentions to stifle reproductive freedom. Among his remarks were:
“We need to protect reproductive rights. They have been under attack in a way that we haven’t seen before in Arizona and is almost unprecedented with the proposed 1864 near-total abortion ban.”
“What we’ve seen in the current state legislature is a trend towards extreme policies that are not serving the broad majority of everyday Arizonans and are not serving our kids. We see it growing. The educator and teacher shortage that has been identified for the past eight years just gets worse and worse due to chronic underfunding of our schools, where we’re 49th in the country in school funding. We’ve got to turn this around, and that’s a big part of why I’m running.”
If one wants to see an example of the MAGA-extremist candidates these LD Democrats in Arizona are facing, watch this video of LD-17 Republican State Senate nominee Vince Leach embracing Trumpian election denialism following the 2020 Presidential election.
Leach is an example of the MAGA extremism many in the Arizona Republican caucus at the State Legislature suffer from.
This is not Jan Hull’s, Barry Goldwater’s, John Kyl’s, Jeff Flake’s, John Giles’s, or John McCain’s Republican Party anymore. A case can be made that it has gone more extreme than Fife Symington’s, Jan Brewer’s, or Doug Ducey’s.
Chairperson Sundareshan is right when she says, despite the voter registration numbers, Independents and mainstream Republicans are looking for a sensible, mainstream, and sane alternative.
The Democratic LD Candidates in Arizona offer that and a forward direction that will move the Grand Canyon State forward and lift Arizonans up.
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Deborah Howard in LD27 is running a superb under-the-radar campaign; and as Fontes won this district, Kelly came close, and the previous House candidate came within 4 points while having a minimal campaign, this is one worth watching. I’d recommend an interview with the candidate.