By Steve Sanford, 1st Vice President
I receive several queries about the makeup of the political landscape in Arizona. Since the majority of Quail Creek residents have migrated from other states, I decided to provide a primer for our residents……..Steve Sanford, 1st VP, QCRC.
Primer: Part One
Arizona has a state government that’s structured similarly to the federal government of the United States, with three main branches: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial branches.
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is headed by the Governor, who is elected every four years. The Governor’s responsibilities include implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. Other key elected officials in the Executive Branch include the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Legislative Branch
The Arizona State Legislature is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 30 members, each representing a legislative district, elected to two-year terms. The House of Representatives has 60 members, with two representatives per district, also serving two-year terms. This branch is responsible for enacting laws and appropriating funds.
Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch interprets and applies laws. The Arizona court system includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Superior Court, and lower courts (municipal and justice courts). The Supreme Court is the highest court in the state and primarily reviews decisions made by lower courts.
Arizona also has various local governments, including counties, cities, and towns, each with its own structure and elected officials to handle local governance.
Arizona is represented in the United States Congress by two senators and nine representatives.
Senators
- Mark Kelly (Democrat) – Serving since December 2, 2020. His next election is in 2028.
- Ruben Gallego (Democrat) – Serving since January 3, 2025. His next election is in 2030.
Representatives
- David Schweikert (Republican) – District 1.
This district includes areas like northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, and Fountain Hills. It’s known for being the wealthiest congressional district in Arizona.
- Eli Crane (Republican) – District 2.
This district includes areas like Apache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties, as well as portions of Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, and Pinal counties. The largest city in the district is Flagstaff.
- Yassamin Ansari (Democrat) – District 3.
This district includes most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix, along with a southern portion of Glendale.
- Greg Stanton (Democrat) – District 4.
This district includes most of Tempe and portions of Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler.
- Andy Biggs (Republican) – District 5.
The district contains Gilbert, Queen Creek, southern and eastern Chandler, and eastern Mesa. It is within eastern Maricopa County and northern Pinal County, and includes most of the East Valley.
- Juan Ciscomani (Republican) – District 6.
This district encompasses all of Greenlee County, most of Cochise County, and parts of Pima County, Pinal County and Graham County. Most of its population resides in suburbs of Tucson, including Catalina Foothills, Oro Valley, Marana, Green Valley, and Vail.
- Raúl Grijalva (Democrat) – District 7.
The district stretches along the Mexico–United States border and includes the western third of Tucson, parts of Yuma and Nogales, as well as Avondale and Tolleson in Metro Phoenix.
- Abraham Hamadeh (Republican) – District 8.
The district includes many of the suburbs north and west of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona.
- Paul Gosar (Republican) – District 9.
The district’s current boundaries include all of La Paz County, most of Mohave County, most of Yuma County, and the western part of Maricopa County. It covers the majority of Arizona’s western border.
Primer: Part Two
SENATORIAL ORGANIZATION
The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms with term limits that limit Senators to a maximum four consecutive terms (eight years) before requiring a one-term respite prior to running again. Members of the Republican Party are currently the majority in the Senate.
As with the Arizona House of Representatives, members to the Senate are elected from the same legislative districts as House members; however, one senator represents the constituency, while for the House there are two Representatives per district. This districting system is similar to those of the New Jersey, Idaho, and Washington State Senate. In political science, this type of legislative district is called a multi-member district.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal United States Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
The Senate convenes in the adjacent legislative chambers at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.
LEADERSHIP
Unlike in other states, where an elected lieutenant governor presides over the senate, in Arizona, the Senate elects its own presiding officer, the president of the Senate, who presides over the body, appoints members to all of the Senate’s committees and to joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees if desired. The Senate president also appoints a president pro tempore, who serves for the duration of a session of the legislature, to preside in their absence, and may appoint a temporary president pro tempore in the absence of the president and president pro tempore.[1]
LEADERSHIP INFORMATION as of 2025
| Position | Name | Party | Residence | District |
| President of the Senate | Warren Petersen | Republican | Gilbert | District 14 |
| President pro tempore | T. J. Shope | Republican | Coolidge | District 16 |
| Majority leader | Janae Shamp | Republican | Surprise | District 29 |
| Majority whip | Frank Carroll | Republican | Surprise | District 28 |
| Minority caucus chair | Lela Alston | Democratic | Phoenix | District 5 |
| Minority leader | Priya Sundareshan | Democratic | Tucson | District 18 |
| Assistant minority leader | Flavio Bravo | Democratic | Phoenix | District 26 |
| Minority whip | Rosanna Gabaldón | Democratic | Sahuarita | District 21 |
COMPOSITION
There are 30 Legislative Districts (LD) in Arizona. Each LD has representation in the legislature of 1 State Senator and 2 State Representatives. Our Sahuarita LD is 19. Arizona’s 19th legislative district is one of 30 in the state, consisting of all of Greenlee County and sections of Cochise County, Graham County, Pima County, and Santa Cruz County. As of 2023, there are 96 precincts in the district,[1] with a total registered voter population of 146,048.[2] The district has an overall population of 230,476.[3]
Arizona’s 19th legislative district is one of 30 in the state, consisting of all of Greenlee County and sections of Cochise County, Graham County, Pima County, and Santa Cruz County. As of 2023, there are 96 precincts in the district,[1] with a total registered voter population of 146,048.[2] The district has an overall population of 230,476.[3]Bottom of Form
