Maricopa County officials hope the House and Senate will be full when lawmakers return to the Arizona legislature on June 12, but the legislature has not seen anything like this since mid-April. not
Vacancies in the House and Senate prevent the Republican and Democratic caucuses from reaching their full potential in this Congress. House Republicans failed to pass many bills partisanly due to the expulsion of former Rep. Liz Harris, and Senate Democrats lost former minority leader Raquel. Terran when she left her seat to focus on her congressional campaign.
He was replaced by Senator Flavio Bravo (D-Phoenix) from a seat in the House of Representatives. Terran His former seat has been vacant since then, but Maricopa County spokesman Fields Moseley said the oversight board will appoint Bravo’s replacement before Congress convenes on June 12. said.
County superintendent Steve Gallardo will interview three candidates nominated by the LD26 Democratic precinct next week, Moseley said. He will consider the views of the LD26 Democrats. Quanta Cruiseas well as Christian Solorio and Veronica Monge.
Mr. Cruz was nominated for Mr. Terran’s seat at the beginning of the session, but was not appointed by the Supervisory Board. She is a mother of three and said her housing is one of the major issues she intends to address as an MP.
“It was heartbreaking for my neighbors to live out of their cars and have them stay with me so our children could go to the same school,” the candidate said on May 12. Mr. Cruz said at the LD26 Democratic Conference, where he was elected.
Cruz works as a real estate appraiser by day and is associate pastor of the Tanner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She has lived in the 26th Legislative District for the past six years, where she was elected as a PC and serves as the District’s 2nd Vice-President.
She said she’s not a politician, but ran for the Phoenix Elementary School District Board of Trustees in 2020, but didn’t win. Education is another priority for Cruz, she said, and she wants to increase resources and funding for public schools as a legislator.
Solorio will be appointed to the House of Representatives in 2021 and is seeking a second term as a state representative. In 2022, he lost by more than 300 votes in the Democratic primary for a 26-party House seat for the Liberal Democratic Party. Solorio brings to the table his experience having previously served in Congress and lived in LD26 for over 25 years.
Like Crew, housing and education are among Solorio’s top priorities. Solorio is a board member of the Alhambra Primary School District and was elected to the board in 2019. He also works as an architect and pursued that career because he wanted to help vulnerable community members obtain affordable housing, he told LD26 PCs.
“Everyone has the right to have a place to live, regardless of their background,” Soorrio said. “Housing is a basic human right.”
One of the housing bills Mr. Solorio proposed as a legislator would allow cities to set rental price caps. He also supported a bill that would automatically register voters when they apply for or renew their driver’s license.
Ms. Monju is the Treasurer of the LD26 Democratic Party and has been a member of the constituency since 2016. Since then, she has devoted her time to volunteering for community groups, serving as Co-Chair of the Arizona Poor Campaign and Director of the Center for Civil Rights.
She told LD26 Democrats the story of her husband’s death in a work-related accident the night the nomination was announced. When she lost a wrongful death lawsuit against the company he worked for, she lost her faith in the U.S. court system and wanted to help other members of her community.
Monju said she was mentored by former Phoenix mayor and attorney general Terry Goddard. After her husband’s death, she worked as a secretary at Goddard’s law firm for five years, learning about political activism under Goddard. She also founded a campaign group at Arizona State University for Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2015.
“I have fought corruption more than anything[since working with Goddard],” Monju said on May 12, adding, “Whenever someone in our community is in trouble, I am willing to help them. I will stand up for you,” he added.
In two congressional appointments so far this year, the county supervisor representing the vacant congressional constituency recommended which candidate to appoint to the board of supervisors, a decision that effectively made Gallardo entrusted to Mr.
Mr. Gallardo is the only Democrat on the board, and was picked by a PC of LD13 for the appointment when Rep. Julie Willoughby (R-Chandler) was appointed to replace expelled Rep. Liz Harris. He said he would not vote to appoint any of the three candidates. Some of them expressed confidence that the Arizona election was “safe and secure.”
He wouldn’t have the same problem with the three Democratic candidates sent by LD26. When he and other supervisors appointed Mr. Bravo to the Senate, he said he wanted Mr. Cruz to be Mr. Bravo’s congressional seat candidate.
Mr. Gallardo also has each candidate fill out a survey asking them about their views on the legitimacy of county elections, Fields acknowledged. Gallardo sent the same questionnaire to Senate candidates.
Other key issues Mr. Gallardo discussed with senatorial candidates included the extension of the Prop 400 traffic tax and the water situation at the foot of the Rio Verde mountains.
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