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.