Come November, a third of the seats in the U.S. Senate and all 30 seats in the Arizona Senate will be up for grabs — along with control of those legislative bodies for whichever party can …
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Come November, a third of the seats in the U.S. Senate and all 30 seats in the Arizona Senate will be up for grabs — along with control of those legislative bodies for whichever party can capitalize on this year’s general election.
For voters in the Valley, first comes the August primary, with five competitive state senate races under way; along with another primary vote to determine which Republican candidate will compete for the seat currently held by governor-appointee Martha McSally in the U.S. Senate.
Legislative District 15
Republican Incumbent Heather Carter looks to defend her seat against fellow Republican Nancy Barto — both have served in the state senate and house for LD15 over the past decade.
Ms. Carter served LD15 in the Arizona House from 2011 to 2019; during that same time, Ms. Barto served in the Arizona Senate. Both were forced to flip-flop between houses, due to term limits in 2018.
In 2018, Ms. Carter defeated her Democratic general election challenger, Kristin Dybvig-Pawelko, with 60.1% of the vote; Ms. Carter faced no Republican primary opponent in 2018.
During the 2018 primary, Ms. Barto and Republican John Allen faced no opponent; the pair combined to defeat Democratic challengers Jennifer Samuels and Julie Gunnigle after corralling a combined 57% of votes in the general.
Legislative District 22
Incumbent David Livingston faces two Republican challengers for his Arizona Senate seat, which he has held since 2019 after defeating Democratic challenger Wendy Garcia in the 2018 general election with 58.1% of the vote. He previously defeated Republican Clair Van Steenwyk in the 2018 primary with 70.3% of the vote.
Apart from a failed bid for the Glendale City Council in 2014, primary, this year’s Republican primary challenger Van DiCarlo has no stated legislative experience.
At his campaign website, Mr. DiCarlo describes himself as a lifelong public servant, who retired after 30 years in law enforcement and a decade as a private investigator.
Fellow primary challenger Hop Nguyen is a naturalized citizen, who moved to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1975, according to his campaign website. With no prior stated legislative experience, he describes himself as a former computer programmer and missionary.
Legislative District 23
Incumbent Michelle Ugenti-Rita faces just one challenger in the primary, since the withdrawal of Adam Kwasman from the Republican primary race.
Ms. Ugenti-Rita defeated Democratic challenger Daria Lohman and Independent Christopher Leone after taking 57.1% of the vote in November 2018. She previously defeated two Republican challengers, taking 41.4% of the vote in the 2018 primary.
Having formerly served in the Arizona House for LD23 from 2011-2019, she was not able to run for reelection to that body in 2018 due to term limits.
Her opponent in the upcoming primary is Alex Kolodin, a prominent attorney and former school teacher, who has no stated legislative experience, according to his campaign website.
Legislative District 24
Another among those who served in the Arizona House from 2011-2019 and were subsequently prevented from running again due to term limits, Lela Alston won her Arizona Senate seat in 2018 after garnering 72% of the vote against Republican challenger Vicki Alger. She faced no Democratic challengers in the 2018 senate primary.
Ms. Alston also serves as an at-large member of the Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board and previously served in the Arizona Senate from 1976-1995.
Her Democratic primary opponent in the upcoming election is Ryan Starzyk — according to his campaign website, he is a decorated U.S. Air Force combat veteran, who serves as vice president on the Phoenix Pride Board of Directors. Mr. Starzyk lists no prior legislative experience.
Legislative District 26
Democratic incumbent Juan Mendez seeks reelection after serving two terms in the Arizona Senate. He defeated Republican Rebecca Speakman in 2018 after taking 65.8% of the vote; he defeated Democrat Debbie Nez Manueal after getting 53.2% of the vote in the 2018 primary.
He previously ran unopposed for the Arizona Senate seat in the 2016 general election.
Challenging Mr. Mendez in this year’s primary is Democrat Jana Lynn Granillo, a U.S. Air Force veteran whose previous legislative experience includes a failed bid for the Maricopa Integrated Health System, District 1 representative seat in 2016.
According to her campaign website, Ms. Granillo serves on two commissions for the city of Tempe and is active in local Democratic politics and veterans advocacy.
U.S. Senate race
A former member of the U.S. House from 2015-2019 representing Arizona’s Congressional District 2, Martha McSally served in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years and was the first woman to serve as a combat pilot.
Ms. McSally was appointed to her current seat in 2018 by Gov. Doug Ducey following the death of John McCain and a brief fill-in from Sen. Jon Kyl. She was defeated in her 2018 bid for the seat, losing to Kyrsten Sinema in a 50% to 47.6% contest in the general.
Ms. McSally had defeated Republican challengers Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio in the 2018 primary after taking 54.6% of the vote.
Her primary challenger this year is Daniel McCarthy, a self-described entrepreneur with no prior legislative experience, according to his campaign website.
Registration deadline
To participate in the primary election in Arizona, voters must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to cast a vote in their party’s races; those registered as an Independent can vote in any primary they choose.
Voters who register on the Permanent Early Voting List will automatically receive their mail-in ballots by mail about 27 days before any election for which they are eligible to vote.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Adam Kwasman, a Republican candidate for the LD23 senate seat, withdrew from the primary race after not gathering enough nomination signatures. Mr. Kwasman did, however, gather more signatures than required; but withdrew due to personal reasons. We apologize for the error and for any inconvenience to Mr. Kwasman or our readers.
Matt Roy Opinions Editor | Daily Independent @AzNewsmedia
Matt Roy is an ASU West graduate, who studied English literature and journalism before embarking on a career as a news reporter, editor, photojournalist, advocate and marketing communications professional, including more than six years with Independent Newsmedia. As a 30-year Valley resident, he remains passionate about journalism in service to local communities. Matt is the recipient of various awards, including First Place for Investigative Journalism from the Arizona Newspaper Association in 2019.
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