Arizona Democrats see Tucson's 17th Legislative District as a potential battleground in their bid to flip the Arizona Senate.

But the party has yet to find a candidate to take on controversial state Sen. Justin Wadsack, whom it considers vulnerable in the Nov. 5 general election.

The Republican senator also faces a primary challenge from Vince Leach, who was ousted from office by winning a primary two years ago.

The nomination petition is scheduled to be filed on April 8, about two months later.

Eric Robbins, chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party, said the party is actively searching for a candidate and “we're vetting candidates as we speak.”

“We need to act quickly,” Robbins said, adding that the LD17 seat is a “must-win” for Arizona Democrats as they aim to flip at least one seat and win a tie with Republicans in the Senate. It added. They currently hold a 16-14 majority.

Two candidates, Amy Fitch and Jane Fry, had announced plans to challenge Wadsack, but have decided not to move forward with their campaigns.

The 17th Legislative District is not very competitive on paper. As of Jan. 1, 38% of LD17 voters were Republicans, 29% were Democrats, and 33% were independents from both parties, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. The district includes Saddle Brook in Pinal County, Oro Valley and Marana in Pima County, and areas of Tucson's East Side and Vail.

But Democratic officials consider Wadsack vulnerable because during his first term, he proposed legislation that would ban books in schools and criminalize homelessness and drug shows. She also took issue with the Arizona School for the Blind and the Blind, suggesting that local schools expand their mission to include educating students with a variety of special needs.

“She's a terrible congresswoman and a terrible candidate,” Robbins said.

Wadsack did not respond to a request for comment by deadline. We will update this report if she provides an answer.

Adam Kinsey, a strategist at political consulting firm Uplift Campaigns, helped Democrat Rex Scott win a seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in the Republican-leaning 1st District in 2020. Three Democratic members, senators, and senators, pointed out that: Mark Kelly, Governor Katie Hobbs, and Secretary of State Andres Fontes were all elected with LD17 in 2022. Because 2024 is a presidential election year, Kinsey said Democratic turnout will likely increase in the 2022 midterm elections.

“If the Republicans are too extreme, the district is willing to elect a Democrat,” Kinsey told the Sentinel last year. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the LD17 legislative team is extreme.”

Republicans have a 9 percentage point advantage in voter registration, but Wadsack defeated Democrat Mike Nickerson in 2022 by less than 3 percentage points.

An effort to recall Wadsack last year failed, with organizers failing to submit the signatures they had collected.

Wadsack is likely to face a familiar face in the Aug. 6 Republican primary as Democrats struggle to find a candidate. Former Congressman Vince Leach is campaigning to win back his Senate seat.

In the Republican primary two years ago, Mr. Wadsack defeated Mr. Leach by a margin of 2,168 votes, receiving 41% of the vote to Mr. Leach's 35%. The third candidate, Robert Barr, received 24 percent.

Mr. Leach, who served two terms in the House and two terms in the Senate, said he believed Mr. Wadsack focused too much on social issues and not enough on the business community. He noted that the budget he supported last year would leave the state facing a deficit of $835 million this year and $879 in fiscal year 2025, according to a Jan. 25 report from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

“I agree with what is being said (in the press) that the focus is on social issues, not finances,” Leach told the Sentinel.

Leach pointed to Wadsack's decision this year to co-sponsor a bill to dissolve the Arizona Commerce Authority. He acknowledged that there are some problems with the ACA identified by Attorney General Chris Mays, but said that overall the ACA is “solid in its track record.”

“Overall, if something is working for you, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Leach says. “Fix it. And apparently the Arizona Department of Commerce fixed it.”

In the LD17 House race, local commercial real estate agent Kevin Volk is running as a Democrat against Republican Representatives Cory McGirr and Rachel Jones.

“The voters in this district, like in many other districts, just want common-sense people who care about solving problems and want to put in the work,” Volk said. “The results of the last cycle show a rejection of extremism. I'm hearing real frustration and anger from the constituents I speak to about the extreme changes in the current Congress under Republican leadership. I’m listening.”

The Democratic Party is currently trying to turn the campaign into a one-shot contest by fielding only one candidate in the two-vote general election to improve its chances of winning a House seat.