Arizona 2022 Primary Election

Ready or Not, Here it Comes… 

The August 2^nd Arizona primary election is just a few weeks away. This election comes with brand new congressional and legislative districts redrawn using the 2020 Census data. The primary election showcases new political maps, crowded races, tough rivalries among incumbents, come back attempts and first-time candidates. GOP candidates will test the power of the Trump contingent against the more traditional conservatives. Democrats will pit progressive candidates against moderate business-friendly Democrats.

Politicos predict the new district lines will favor Republican candidates and expect the current narrow Legislative majority margins to expand in favor of the GOP. The new lines create 17 districts that favor the GOP, 10 that lean to the Democrats, and 3 that are truly competitive. The issues candidates are stressing include the economy/inflation, education funding, border security, election integrity, and now reproductive rights.

 Below you can find additional information for the full list of:

• Federal Primary Candidates
• Statewide Primary Candidates
• Legislative Primary Candidates

Key Arizona 2022 Primary Election Dates:

• Wednesday, July 6 - First day for counties to mail ballots and in-person early voting begins
• Friday, July 22 at 5:00 p.m. - Deadline for registered voters to request ballot-by-mail
• Tuesday, July 26 - Recommended deadline to return ballots by mail
• Tuesday, August 2^nd - Arizona primary election day – all ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. 

Make a Voting Plan — ­­The deadline to register to vote in the Arizona primary election was July 5. To check your voter registration status, find polling locations, request a Ballot-by-Mail and track the status of your ballot please visit My.Arizona.Vote.

Please check with your County Recorder for more information - they are your go-to sources for correct and up-to-date information related to elections. Independent voters or voters not affiliated with a political party can participate in the August 2^nd primary election by selecting which political party ballot they want to complete. 

Legislative Primary Races Turn-Over:

The Legislature consists of a total of 90 seats - 30 in the Senate and 60 in the House. This cycle, every candidate is running in a new district. In some races incumbents from different districts are now competing for the same seat in the primary. With 25 legislators deciding not to seek reelection, we know with certainty that turn-over at the Capitol will be at a record high. The 2023 legislative session will welcome many new faces, resulting in a deficit of institutional knowledge.

Some Candidates Have Already Won

Some legislative candidates face very limited competition or no race at all. Nearly one-third of the 30 Senate seats have no primary or general election opponents, except for a couple of write-in candidates.

Senate incumbents with a clear path to victory:

1. Warren Petersen, R–LD 14 (Gilbert)
2. David Gowan, R–LD 19 (Safford, Sierra Vista, Douglas)
3. Sine Kerr, R–LD 25 (Buckeye, Wellton, Southeast Yuma)
4. Sonny Borrelli, R–LD 30 (Lake Havasu City, Kingman)
5. Theresa Hatathlie, D–LD 6 (North and East Arizona)
6. Sally Ann Gonzales, D–LD 20 (West and Central Tucson)
7. Raquel Terán, D-LD 26 (West Phoenix, Glendale)
8. Rosanna Gabaldón, D–LD 21 (Bisbee, Nogales, Arivaca) – Faces write-in candidate in primary
9. Jake Hoffman, R–LD 15 (East Mesa, Queen Creak, San Tan Valley) – Faces write-in candidate in general 

House incumbents with a clear path to victory:

1. Jaqueline Parker, R–LD 15 (East Mesa, Queen Creak, San Tan Valley)
2. Neal Carter, R–LD 15 (East Mesa, Queen Creak, San Tan Valley)
3. Andrés Cano, D–LD 20 (West and Central Tucson)
4. Alma Hernandez, D–LD 20 (West and Central Tucson) 

Legislative races likely to be decided in the August 2 primary:

1. LD 3 – House GOP candidates do not face Dem challengers in November
2. LD 5 – Senate and House Dem candidates who win in August must face GOP write-in candidates in November
3. LD 6 – Senate and House Dem candidates do not face GOP challengers in November 
4. LD 7 – House GOP candidates do not face Dem challengers in November
5. LD 10 – Senate GOP candidate does not face Dem challenger in November 
6. LD 14 – Senate GOP candidate does not face Dem challenger in November 
7. LD 15 – Senate GOP candidate faces a Dem write-in challenger in November, House GOP candidates have no challengers
8. LD 19 – Senate GOP candidate does not face Dem challenger in November 
9. LD 20 – Senate and House Dem candidates do not face GOP challengers in November 
10. LD 21 – Senate and House Dem candidates face GOP write-in challengers in November 
11. LD 22 – Senate Dem candidate does not face GOP challenger in November
12. LD 24 – Senate and House Dem candidates do not face GOP challengers in November
13. LD 25 – Senate and House GOP candidates do not face DEM challengers in November
14. LD 26 – Senate Dem candidates does not face GOP challengers in November, House Dems candidates face a GOP write-in candidate in November
15. LD 27 – Senate and House GOP candidates face Dem write-in candidates in November
16. LD 30 – Senate and House GOP candidates do not face DEM challengers in November

Key Legislative Races to Watch

A few legislative races are getting a disproportionate amount of attention due to their competitive nature and how their outcome will shape the political tenor at the Capitol for the next two years.

Legislative District 5

Crowded Democratic Primary

This is a safe Democratic district featuring crowded primaries for both the House and Senate. Three incumbents (Rep. Sarah Liguori, Rep. Jennifer Longdon, and Rep. Amish Shah) and two newcomers are running for just two seats in the House. In the Senate, legislative veteran Sen. Lela Alston faces two newcomers.

Legislative District 7

Sen. Kelly Townsend v. Sen. Wendy Rogers

These two Senate incumbents sparred most of the session and are now squaring off against each other to return to the Senate.

Legislative District 9

Sen. Tyler Pace v. Robert Scantlebury

Incumbent and small business owner Sen. Pace will face Scantlebury, a retired Mesa police sergeant who describes himself as a populist and “staunchly pro-life” candidate. On occasion, Sen. Pace has crossed party lines to advance key policies or stop controversial legislation. The winner will face Eva Burch, a registered nurse seeking to flip the district. LD9 is one of the few districts that is considered competitive with very close voter registration numbers between Republicans and Democrats, so independents voters will have a big say in who wins this race.

Legislative District 10

Speaker Rusty Bowers v. David Farnsworth

Due to term limits, Speaker Bowers is running for the State Senate. Bowers is a strong conservative who refused calls to undo the 2020 election. His opponent is former Senator David Farnsworth, who is coming out of retirement. The winner will not face a challenger in November.

Legislative District 22

Crowded Democratic Primary

This is a safe Democratic area that, due to the new district lines, will pit several incumbents against each other. Rep. Diego Espinoza and Rep. Richard Andrade are seeking the Senate seat, while the House race has two incumbents (Rep. Lorenzo Sierra and Sen. Lupe Contreras) facing two newcomers for the two House seats.

Legislative District 29

Crowded GOP Primary

Rep. Joanne Osborne is pursuing a Senate seat, running against two GOP challengers (Janae Shamp, and Ryan Eldridge). The House race features four candidates, including 3 newcomers, running against former Rep. Steve Montenegro for two open House seats. 

Initiatives and Referrals – Sneak Peak

A key feature of Arizona elections includes efforts to amend the state constitution, citizen run initiatives to create new laws, referrals sent by the Legislature to voters, and referendums run by citizen groups seeking to stop laws passed by the Legislature. Each requires significant work to appear on the final general election ballot. Often, these issue-based campaigns are used by proponents to energize a targeted voter demographic to help other elections. These types of issue-driven elections can have a trickledown effect on the federal, state, and local elections, as it may bring out voters that otherwise would not have engaged in the election but for this issue. 

July 7 was the deadline for groups to officially file initiative measures and constitutional amendments and submit signatures. Below are the hefty signature requirements groups had to collect to qualify to move on to the next step:

• Constitutional Amendments – 356,467 by July 6
• Initiative Measures – 237,645 by July 6
• Referendum Petitions – 118,823 by September 24

Only three citizen initiatives turned in well over the 237,645 signatures needed to qualify for the November general election ballot. Now election officials will have to review and verify the submitted signatures to make the final determination. If the initiatives survive the signature review process and any potential legal challenges – they will appear on the November general election ballot. 

Here is the list of initiatives seeking to make it to the November general election ballot:

1. Arizonans for Free and Fair Elections
2. Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act
3. Voters’ Right to Know Act 

Below are other measurers referred to the voters by the Legislature:

1. Proposition 128 – SCR1034 Voter Protection Act, Court Determination
   
2. Proposition 129 – HCR2001 Initiatives Single Subject
   
3. Proposition 130 – SCR1011 Constitutional Property Tax Exemptions
   
4. Proposition 131 – SCR1024 Lieutenant Governor
   
5. Proposition 132 – HCR2015 Initiatives Supermajority Voter Requirement
   
6. Proposition 308 – SCR1044 Arizona In-state Tuition for Non-Citizen Residents
   
7. Proposition 309 – SCR1012 Voter Identification
   
8. Proposition 310 – SCR1049 Arizona Fire District Safety Act

Lastly, the attempt for a constitutional amendment for the Right to Reproductive Freedom failed to collect the needed 356,467 signatures to qualify for the ballot. This effort was launched by the Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom group in mid-May, just after the Roe v. Wade draft Supreme Court opinion leaked.