State Action - all Arizona State issues
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ITAA State Action Team Commentary and Call To Action:
MAKING A FAVORABLE IMPACT ON ARIZONA IN 2026 The year 2026 will be critical for democracy, not only at the national level, but very much also for state governments, because flipping U.S. Congressional seats to favor Democrats in 2026 is not enough if State governments can still impose the will of the MAGA movement. In Arizona, it was only the veto power of the Democratic Governor that stopped efforts in the AZ Legislature to enact harmful initiatives in our State in 2025. In January through June, 2026, members of the AZ State Legislature will be staking out positions to help their chances for reelection in November. Governor Katie Hobbs will likewise be weighing the merits of standing strong with her veto pen against objectionable Republican legislation, versus making efforts to be seen as a leader willing to make bipartisan compromises. Then during the election primary season in the summer and final campaigns in the fall, state office candidates will be making their cases for how AZ State government should look for the next two years. Will it resemble the interests and ideals of the progressive movement, or reflect Trump policies at the State level? |
State Action Team Newsletters
2026
2025
Additional Resources
In the top menu (below STATE ACTION) is the page for RTS - Request to Speak - an important resource! Additional Resources:
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(Commentary and Call to Action continued from above left)
This situation presents a profound opportunity and challenge for ITAA. Can we impress upon our legislators what Arizona citizens really want in education, water policy, voting rights, health care, public safety, and general quality of life? That is what State Senators and Representatives need to hear while they are in session.
Republicans hold a small majority in both the State Senate (4 of 30 seats) and House (6 of 60 seats). Those majorities are large enough to control legislative action but too small to overcome the Governor’s veto. Thus the 2026 elections become crucial if voters want to change the balance of power leading to opportunities for more openness for progressive legislation.
Once the Legislature adjourns, election season begins in full blast. All legislative seats and the positions of Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Superintendent of Public Education are up for voters’ decisions, as is also the composition of the Arizona Corporation Commission, which controls State utility regulations. Consequently, ITAA has an incredibly important responsibility to help inform voters about the issues and the merits of competing candidates and choices and to encourage voters to cast their ballots.
This situation presents a profound opportunity and challenge for ITAA. Can we impress upon our legislators what Arizona citizens really want in education, water policy, voting rights, health care, public safety, and general quality of life? That is what State Senators and Representatives need to hear while they are in session.
Republicans hold a small majority in both the State Senate (4 of 30 seats) and House (6 of 60 seats). Those majorities are large enough to control legislative action but too small to overcome the Governor’s veto. Thus the 2026 elections become crucial if voters want to change the balance of power leading to opportunities for more openness for progressive legislation.
Once the Legislature adjourns, election season begins in full blast. All legislative seats and the positions of Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Superintendent of Public Education are up for voters’ decisions, as is also the composition of the Arizona Corporation Commission, which controls State utility regulations. Consequently, ITAA has an incredibly important responsibility to help inform voters about the issues and the merits of competing candidates and choices and to encourage voters to cast their ballots.
Current State Action Newsletter below (older issues top right column)
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Why is it Important to Know My State Legislators?
Arizona State legislators vote on legislation that affects:
Looking Closely at Our State Legislators The State Action Team has contacted the State Senators and Representatives in Pima County Legislative Districts (LD) 17, 18, 19 and 20 and offered them an opportunity through a written Q & A format to provide the ITAA membership with their views of the priorities in the 2025 and upcoming 2026 legislative sessions. Responses, or profiles (in the absence of a response) appear in the Fall 2025 newsletters. |
A (very brief) Guide to the AZ Legislature
Arizona’s bicameral Legislature has a 30-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. Members are chosen from 30 legislative districts (LDs), which elect one Senator and two Representatives every two years, with the next election occurring in November 2026. Republicans currently hold a small majority in both houses: 17 to 13 in the Senate and 33 to 27 in the House. While the margin may seem small, the impact on the minority party is great. The majority party controls the committee leadership that determines which bills progress. Of the total 439 bills passed in 2025, only 11 bills were introduced by Democrats. The Legislature convenes annually in the State Capital, Phoenix, from early January and usually meets until late June. Who are the State Legislators that Represent Me? You may know your U.S. Senators . . . Sen. Mark Kelly (D) and Sen. Reuben Gallego (D). You may know your U.S. Representatives . . . Rep. Adelita Grijalva (CD7-D) or Rep. Juan Ciscomani (CD6-R). But, do you know your Arizona State Senator and two Representatives? If not, it is easy to find out with this link: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/ Keep their names and contact information in a handy place. Remember, these legislators represent you and you will be voting for these offices in 2026! |
ITAA State Action Team Newsletter No. 6:
November 6, 2025
An Introduction to State Legislators in LD 17 and LD 18:
A Snapshot of Their Priorities
A Snapshot of Their Priorities
Last month we introduced you to the Democratic leadership in the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Priya Sandareshan (LD 18) and Representative Nancy Gutierrez (LD 18). They offered their insights into the consequential legislation of the 2025 legislative session and the challenges confronting the upcoming 2026 session through Q & As with ITAA.
While we offered the same opportunity to respond to Q & As to legislators in other Pima County legislative districts, they chose not to respond. So, we are providing you with profiles compiled by the ITAA State Action Team. In this issue we focus on the three members of LD 17, and the remaining member of LD 18. While it can be useful to acquaint yourself with legislators who represent the greater Tucson area, you can identify your legislative district, and its legislators, by using the following link: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/.
Unlike LD 18, which is comprised of all Democratic legislators, LD 17 has two Republicans and one Democrat. One of the Republicans, Sen. Vince Leach, has stated he will not be running for re-election in 2026. All State Legislators will be up for election in November, 2026.
Legislators from other Pima County LDs will be highlighted in future Newsletters.
While we offered the same opportunity to respond to Q & As to legislators in other Pima County legislative districts, they chose not to respond. So, we are providing you with profiles compiled by the ITAA State Action Team. In this issue we focus on the three members of LD 17, and the remaining member of LD 18. While it can be useful to acquaint yourself with legislators who represent the greater Tucson area, you can identify your legislative district, and its legislators, by using the following link: https://www.azleg.gov/findmylegislator/.
Unlike LD 18, which is comprised of all Democratic legislators, LD 17 has two Republicans and one Democrat. One of the Republicans, Sen. Vince Leach, has stated he will not be running for re-election in 2026. All State Legislators will be up for election in November, 2026.
Legislators from other Pima County LDs will be highlighted in future Newsletters.
Senator Vince Leach (R) – LD 17
Venden "Vince" Leach (R) was elected as the LD17 member of the State Senate in November 2024. He served previously in the Senate from 2019 to 2023, and in the House from 2015 to 2019. Leach won in 2024 with 51.0%of the vote, defeating Democrat John McLean.
Leach was a mineral-products salesman in Wisconsin until 2009, when he retired to Arizona.
Leach cites his top legislative priorities to be
Leach criticized Arizona public schoolteachers over the 2018 Arizona teachers' strike, and in 2019, he supported a Republican bill to impose fines of up to $5,000 on educators deemed to have attempted to "indoctrinate" students by influencing their political or religious views. In 2020, Leach sponsored legislation to weaken the 1998 Arizona Voter Protection Act.
In 2020, Leach promoted the conspiracy theory QAnon. In 2021, he supported legislation that made it easier to purge Arizona voters from the early voting list. In 2021, Leach sponsored legislation that would block any Arizona county or municipal government from banning so-called gay "conversion therapy." In 2022, Leach sponsored legislation to give the Arizona legislature the power to overturn election results.
During the 2025 legislative session, Leach served on the Senate Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary and Elections, Public Safety, and Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency Committees. He was a primary sponsor of 17 bills. Three were passed and signed, including bills on third-party litigation financing, valuation of conservation easements, and workers’ disability compensation.
Leach has announced that he does not intend to run for reelection in November 2026, however he is likely to seek to make his mark on legislation introduced during the 2026 session. His departure will make the LD17 Senate seat a wide-open race.
Leach was a mineral-products salesman in Wisconsin until 2009, when he retired to Arizona.
Leach cites his top legislative priorities to be
- control of our border,
- lower taxes (all of them), and
- securing more water resources for Arizona.
Leach criticized Arizona public schoolteachers over the 2018 Arizona teachers' strike, and in 2019, he supported a Republican bill to impose fines of up to $5,000 on educators deemed to have attempted to "indoctrinate" students by influencing their political or religious views. In 2020, Leach sponsored legislation to weaken the 1998 Arizona Voter Protection Act.
In 2020, Leach promoted the conspiracy theory QAnon. In 2021, he supported legislation that made it easier to purge Arizona voters from the early voting list. In 2021, Leach sponsored legislation that would block any Arizona county or municipal government from banning so-called gay "conversion therapy." In 2022, Leach sponsored legislation to give the Arizona legislature the power to overturn election results.
During the 2025 legislative session, Leach served on the Senate Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary and Elections, Public Safety, and Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency Committees. He was a primary sponsor of 17 bills. Three were passed and signed, including bills on third-party litigation financing, valuation of conservation easements, and workers’ disability compensation.
Leach has announced that he does not intend to run for reelection in November 2026, however he is likely to seek to make his mark on legislation introduced during the 2026 session. His departure will make the LD17 Senate seat a wide-open race.
Representative Kevin Volk (D) – LD 17
Kevin Volk is a first-term Democratic Representative from LD17 who was elected in November 2024. He won a 3-person race for the district’s two House seats by receiving 34.5% of the votes. Second place went to Rachel Keshel (R) with 33.4%.
His career experience includes working as a fifth-grade teacher, interning for Representative Gabby Giffords (D), serving as an English language instructor in Mexico through a Fulbright scholarship, assisting former Governor Tim Kaine’s Senate campaign in Virginia, managing a local retail business, working as a real estate agent, and founding a small business focused on creating affordable, sustainable prefabricated housing units.
Volk has identified his legislative priorities as (1) bringing living costs down, (2) investing in education, and (3) securing our water future. He has spoken out against the $1 billion price tag for unregulated, unaudited school vouchers (ESAs) that fund improper expenses and "gift" wealthy families who already were sending their children to expensive private schools.
Volk was a primary sponsor of eight bills in the 2025 session. Only one bill (to allow a person who owns a motor vehicle that uses alternative fuel to apply for a license plate or special plate) passed and was signed. Some other proposed (but unsuccessful) bills dealt with (a) repeal of expenditure limitations for school districts and (b) making it easier for cities and counties to accept federal assistance and funding. The proposed legislation that probably received the most public attention—not all favorable—was his bill to make “Howdy” the official state greeting.
For more on Volk’s record, see https://www.ld17azdemocrats.org/blog/kevin-volks-message-to-ld17. Volk followed that message with an insightful and searing assessment of the utter failure of the Republican-controlled Legislature to take any action to address the real priority concerns of AZ citizens, for example on water security or education funding. That second article— “Part II: The Bad, and The Ugly” —is available at https://www.ld17azdemocrats.org/blog/kevin-volks-message-to-ld17-1.
During the 2025 session, Volk served on the House Committee on Appropriations and Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement.
His career experience includes working as a fifth-grade teacher, interning for Representative Gabby Giffords (D), serving as an English language instructor in Mexico through a Fulbright scholarship, assisting former Governor Tim Kaine’s Senate campaign in Virginia, managing a local retail business, working as a real estate agent, and founding a small business focused on creating affordable, sustainable prefabricated housing units.
Volk has identified his legislative priorities as (1) bringing living costs down, (2) investing in education, and (3) securing our water future. He has spoken out against the $1 billion price tag for unregulated, unaudited school vouchers (ESAs) that fund improper expenses and "gift" wealthy families who already were sending their children to expensive private schools.
Volk was a primary sponsor of eight bills in the 2025 session. Only one bill (to allow a person who owns a motor vehicle that uses alternative fuel to apply for a license plate or special plate) passed and was signed. Some other proposed (but unsuccessful) bills dealt with (a) repeal of expenditure limitations for school districts and (b) making it easier for cities and counties to accept federal assistance and funding. The proposed legislation that probably received the most public attention—not all favorable—was his bill to make “Howdy” the official state greeting.
For more on Volk’s record, see https://www.ld17azdemocrats.org/blog/kevin-volks-message-to-ld17. Volk followed that message with an insightful and searing assessment of the utter failure of the Republican-controlled Legislature to take any action to address the real priority concerns of AZ citizens, for example on water security or education funding. That second article— “Part II: The Bad, and The Ugly” —is available at https://www.ld17azdemocrats.org/blog/kevin-volks-message-to-ld17-1.
During the 2025 session, Volk served on the House Committee on Appropriations and Committee on Public Safety and Law Enforcement.
Representative Rachel Keshel (R) – LD 17
Rachel Keshel (Jones) was re-elected from LD 17 in 2024 to her second term winning 33.4% (71,620) of the votes coming in second to Kevin Volk (D) who received 34.5% (73,985) of the votes. Her professional experience is listed as teacher and director of a pre-school and business executive for United States Postal Service. Representative Keshel did not provide voters with positions on key issues covered in the 2024 Courage Test, but she did respond to Ballotpedia survey responses in 2022. Areas of public policy she was personally passionate about included the Second Amendment, pro-life, low taxes, medical freedom, small government, school choice, and life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all AZ citizens.
Representative Keshel’s 2025 legislative record is consistent with her 2022 Ballotpedia responses. Of the 23 Bills where she was the primary sponsor, voting/elections ranked 1st with 10 bills followed by 8 bills for domestic relations. She emerged as a strong proponent of restrictions on voting, introducing a series of bills designed to limit access to early voting by mail and to create inconvenient in-person voting sites. The Governor vetoed 10 of her bills and none were passed and signed into law. The analysis does not show Representative Keshel to be effective at enacting laws or working in a bipartisan manner.
She is a member of the LD 17 “Freedom Team” and is the Vice Chairman of the Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections, a member of the Government, Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs and Regulatory Oversight Committees in the House. The Representative co-sponsored approximately 105 bills in the house and is prime sponsor of 23 of those bills. She co-sponsored 9 House Concurrent Resolutions and signed on as a co-sponsor of 19 Senate bills and 2 Senate Concurrent Resolutions.
According to Justfacts.votesmart.org a collection of key votes grouped by issue, information provided indicates a sampling of how Representative Keshel voted. Her voting record on these select Arizona Key Votes ranked in order of most Bills introduced included Legal (13), Government Operations (10), Criminal Justice (7), Health Care (8), Transportation (7) and Elections (6). In these major categories she voted yes 87% of the time and no 13% of the time. This is a sub-set of her voting record and not an inclusive list of her voting record in 2025.
Representative Keshel’s 2025 legislative record is consistent with her 2022 Ballotpedia responses. Of the 23 Bills where she was the primary sponsor, voting/elections ranked 1st with 10 bills followed by 8 bills for domestic relations. She emerged as a strong proponent of restrictions on voting, introducing a series of bills designed to limit access to early voting by mail and to create inconvenient in-person voting sites. The Governor vetoed 10 of her bills and none were passed and signed into law. The analysis does not show Representative Keshel to be effective at enacting laws or working in a bipartisan manner.
She is a member of the LD 17 “Freedom Team” and is the Vice Chairman of the Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections, a member of the Government, Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs and Regulatory Oversight Committees in the House. The Representative co-sponsored approximately 105 bills in the house and is prime sponsor of 23 of those bills. She co-sponsored 9 House Concurrent Resolutions and signed on as a co-sponsor of 19 Senate bills and 2 Senate Concurrent Resolutions.
According to Justfacts.votesmart.org a collection of key votes grouped by issue, information provided indicates a sampling of how Representative Keshel voted. Her voting record on these select Arizona Key Votes ranked in order of most Bills introduced included Legal (13), Government Operations (10), Criminal Justice (7), Health Care (8), Transportation (7) and Elections (6). In these major categories she voted yes 87% of the time and no 13% of the time. This is a sub-set of her voting record and not an inclusive list of her voting record in 2025.
Representative Christopher Mathis (D) – LD 18
Representative Mathis has been a member of the Arizona House of Representatives since 2021 and will continue in that role to January, 2027. He won his seat most recently in the November, 2024 election in a three-way race, coming in second with 35.8% of the vote (Rep. Gutierrez (D) had 38.5 % of the vote, and the Republican candidate was behind with 25.7% of the vote).
Rep. Mathis is a lawyer in Tucson, and teaches at the University of Arizona Law School. He received his A.B. and J.D. from the University of Illinois, and followed that with Masters degrees in Public Administration and Public Health from Harvard University. He had extensive experience in non-elected roles in federal and state legislatures before coming to Tucson.
He is a member of the Health and Human Services, Natural Resources, Energy and Water and Rules Committees in the House.
During the 2025 Legislative session, Rep. Mathis introduced bills aimed at management and replenishment of groundwater, stricter vehicle emissions standards and the establishment of an office of resiliency to address the threat of climate changes to water and natural resources of the State. Joining his Democratic colleagues, Rep. Mathis also sponsored legislation directed at providing greater financial transparency and accountability in the skyrocketing ESA school voucher program. He also sought to limit state involvement in federal immigration enforcement. He co-sponsored efforts in health care to defeat legislation that placed restrictions on abortion access, and supported a ban on conversion therapy to minors; he sponsored a bill to add preventive dental care to AHCCS.
Rep. Mathis co-sponsored a series of bills aimed at making housing more affordable in Arizona. He sought to limit corporate acquisitions of residential housing, a practice that has caused reduced inventory of housing available for individual buyers. He co-sponsored bills advancing the rights of tenants in rental properties, mandating settlement conferences before full eviction hearings; limiting rental rates beyond a maximum threshold; and, restricting application fees and demanding more transparency in rental costs.
As with many other Democratic Representatives, Rep. Mathis’ bills identified above died in committees chaired by Republican leadership. They were never brought to the floor for vote.
Rep. Mathis is a lawyer in Tucson, and teaches at the University of Arizona Law School. He received his A.B. and J.D. from the University of Illinois, and followed that with Masters degrees in Public Administration and Public Health from Harvard University. He had extensive experience in non-elected roles in federal and state legislatures before coming to Tucson.
He is a member of the Health and Human Services, Natural Resources, Energy and Water and Rules Committees in the House.
During the 2025 Legislative session, Rep. Mathis introduced bills aimed at management and replenishment of groundwater, stricter vehicle emissions standards and the establishment of an office of resiliency to address the threat of climate changes to water and natural resources of the State. Joining his Democratic colleagues, Rep. Mathis also sponsored legislation directed at providing greater financial transparency and accountability in the skyrocketing ESA school voucher program. He also sought to limit state involvement in federal immigration enforcement. He co-sponsored efforts in health care to defeat legislation that placed restrictions on abortion access, and supported a ban on conversion therapy to minors; he sponsored a bill to add preventive dental care to AHCCS.
Rep. Mathis co-sponsored a series of bills aimed at making housing more affordable in Arizona. He sought to limit corporate acquisitions of residential housing, a practice that has caused reduced inventory of housing available for individual buyers. He co-sponsored bills advancing the rights of tenants in rental properties, mandating settlement conferences before full eviction hearings; limiting rental rates beyond a maximum threshold; and, restricting application fees and demanding more transparency in rental costs.
As with many other Democratic Representatives, Rep. Mathis’ bills identified above died in committees chaired by Republican leadership. They were never brought to the floor for vote.
Again, future newsletters will present material on other legislators from Pima County LDs.
