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Arizona House of Representatives District 26

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Arizona House of Representatives District 26
Incumbents
Assumed office: January 9, 2023
Assumed office: June 7, 2023

Arizona House of Representatives District 26 is represented by Cesar Aguilar (D) and Quantá Crews (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Arizona state representatives represented an average of 119,315 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 106,878 residents.

About the office

Members of the Arizona House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits, limiting representatives to four terms (a total of eight years).[1] Arizona legislators assume office on the first day of the session after they are elected. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January.[2]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 4, Part 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution states: "No person shall be a member of the Legislature unless he shall be a citizen of the United States at the time of his election, nor unless he shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been a resident of Arizona at least three years and of the county from which he is elected at least one year before his election."[3]

Arizona Statutes 16-311 and 16-312 state that all candidates seeking nomination via primary or write-in or must be qualified electors.[4][5]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[6]
SalaryPer diem
$24,000/yearFor legislators residing within Maricopa County: $35/day. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County: $251.66.

Term limits

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Arizona legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Arizona Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Arizona senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was 2000.[7]


Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Arizona State Legislature, the board of county supervisors must select a replacement. The secretary of state is required to contact the state party chairperson to give notice of the vacancy. The state chairperson must give notice of a meeting to fill the seat within three business days of receiving notice.[8] The political party committee is involved in the appointment process only if the legislative district has thirty or more elected precinct committeemen.[8]

If the legislative district has 30 or more elected precinct committeemen:

  • The precinct committeemen must nominate three qualified electors as replacements. If the Legislature is in session, this must occur within five days. If the Legislature is out of session, the committeemen have 21 days to nominate potential replacements. Each elector must receive a majority of the committeemen's vote to earn a nomination. The chair then forwards the three nominees to the board of supervisors. The board of supervisors appoints a nominee from the three names. If the committeemen do not submit a list of names within the allotted timeframe, the board of supervisors proceeds with the vacancy as if the district had fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen.[8]

If the legislative district has fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen:

  • The board of supervisors appoints a panel of citizen supervisors within seven business days of a vacancy occurring. The citizen panel must submit the name of three qualified electors of the same political party as the previous incumbent to the board of supervisors. If the Legislature is in session, this must occur within five days. If the Legislature is out of session, the committeemen have 21 days to nominate potential replacements. The board of supervisors must select a replacement by a majority vote.[9]
  • The person selected to fill the seat serves the remainder of the unfilled term.[9]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Arizona Rev. Stat. Ann. §41-1202


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Arizona after the 2020 census

On January 24, 2022, Arizona enacted new legislative maps after the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission transmitted its finalized plans to the secretary of state.[10] The commission initially voted to finalize and certify the legislative map plan on Jan. 21.[11] The commission's nonpartisan chairwoman, Erika Neuberg, joined the two Republican members—David Mehl and Douglas York—voting in favor of the map. The commission's two Democratic members—Shereen Lerner and Derrick Watchman—were opposed.[12] This map took effect for Arizona's 2022 legislative elections.

The commission previously voted in favor of the legislative map by a 3-2 vote on December 22, 2021, which was followed by a period for counties to request administrative changes before the final vote on Jan. 21.[13]

How does redistricting in Arizona work? The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. The commission is composed of five members. Of these, four are selected by the majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the state legislature from a list of 25 candidates nominated by the state commission on appellate court appointments. These 25 nominees comprise 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans, and 5 unaffiliated citizens. The four commission members appointed by legislative leaders then select the fifth member to round out the commission. The fifth member of the commission must belong to a different political party than the other commissioners. The governor, with a two-thirds vote in the Arizona State Senate, may remove a commissioner "for substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct in office, or inability to discharge the duties of office." The Arizona State Legislature may make recommendations to the commission, but ultimate authority is vested with the commission.[14][15][16]

The Arizona Constitution requires that both congressional and state legislative districts be "contiguous, geographically compact, and respect communities of interest–all to the extent practicable." The state constitution further mandates that district lines "should [follow] visible geographic features, city, town, and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts." In addition, the constitution requires that "competitive districts be favored where doing so would not significantly detract from the goals above."[16]

Arizona House of Representatives District 26
until January 8, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Arizona House of Representatives District 26
starting January 9, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Incumbent Cesar Aguilar and incumbent Quantá Crews defeated Frank Roberts and Skyla Edwards in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cesar Aguilar
Cesar Aguilar (D)
 
35.8
 
30,035
Image of Quantá Crews
Quantá Crews (D)
 
31.0
 
25,976
Image of Frank Roberts
Frank Roberts (R)
 
17.1
 
14,359
Image of Skyla Edwards
Skyla Edwards (R) Candidate Connection
 
16.0
 
13,446

Total votes: 83,816
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Incumbent Cesar Aguilar and incumbent Quantá Crews advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on July 30, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cesar Aguilar
Cesar Aguilar
 
57.1
 
7,848
Image of Quantá Crews
Quantá Crews
 
42.9
 
5,885

Total votes: 13,733
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Frank Roberts and Skyla Edwards advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on July 30, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Frank Roberts
Frank Roberts
 
54.1
 
3,721
Image of Skyla Edwards
Skyla Edwards Candidate Connection
 
45.9
 
3,161

Total votes: 6,882
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2022

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Cesar Aguilar and Flavio Bravo won election in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cesar Aguilar
Cesar Aguilar (D) Candidate Connection
 
54.0
 
21,795
Image of Flavio Bravo
Flavio Bravo (D) Candidate Connection
 
46.0
 
18,554

Total votes: 40,349
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Cesar Aguilar and Flavio Bravo defeated incumbent Christian Solorio and Gil Hacohen in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cesar Aguilar
Cesar Aguilar Candidate Connection
 
31.4
 
5,156
Image of Flavio Bravo
Flavio Bravo Candidate Connection
 
28.9
 
4,743
Image of Christian Solorio
Christian Solorio Candidate Connection
 
26.7
 
4,381
Image of Gil Hacohen
Gil Hacohen
 
12.9
 
2,119

Total votes: 16,399
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Frank Roberts advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Frank Roberts
Frank Roberts (Write-in)
 
100.0
 
335

Total votes: 335
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Melody Hernandez and incumbent Athena Salman defeated Seth Sifuentes and Bill Loughrige in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Melody Hernandez
Melody Hernandez (D)
 
34.2
 
46,266
Image of Athena Salman
Athena Salman (D)
 
33.2
 
44,981
Image of Seth Sifuentes
Seth Sifuentes (R) Candidate Connection
 
16.5
 
22,316
Image of Bill Loughrige
Bill Loughrige (R)
 
16.1
 
21,760

Total votes: 135,323
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Incumbent Athena Salman and Melody Hernandez defeated Debbie Nez Manuel and Patrick Morales in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Athena Salman
Athena Salman
 
34.2
 
10,973
Image of Melody Hernandez
Melody Hernandez
 
26.2
 
8,399
Image of Debbie Nez Manuel
Debbie Nez Manuel Candidate Connection
 
24.5
 
7,866
Image of Patrick Morales
Patrick Morales Candidate Connection
 
15.1
 
4,839

Total votes: 32,077
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Bill Loughrige and Seth Sifuentes advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Bill Loughrige
Bill Loughrige
 
55.3
 
6,063
Image of Seth Sifuentes
Seth Sifuentes Candidate Connection
 
44.7
 
4,896

Total votes: 10,959
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Incumbent Athena Salman and incumbent Isela Blanc defeated Raymond Speakman in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Athena Salman
Athena Salman (D)
 
39.8
 
29,540
Image of Isela Blanc
Isela Blanc (D)
 
37.8
 
28,039
Image of Raymond Speakman
Raymond Speakman (R) Candidate Connection
 
22.5
 
16,676

Total votes: 74,255
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Incumbent Athena Salman and incumbent Isela Blanc advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Athena Salman
Athena Salman
 
50.3
 
9,672
Image of Isela Blanc
Isela Blanc
 
49.7
 
9,545

Total votes: 19,217
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 (2 seats)

Raymond Speakman advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Raymond Speakman
Raymond Speakman Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
6,834

Total votes: 6,834
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.[17] Incumbent Juan Mendez (D) did not seek re-election.

Athena Salman and Isela Blanc defeated Steven Adkins and Cara Trujillo in the Arizona House of Representatives District 26 general election.[18][19]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 26 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Athena Salman 33.21% 28,038
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Isela Blanc 31.96% 26,981
     Republican Steven Adkins 23.06% 19,469
     Green Cara Trujillo 11.77% 9,941
Total Votes 84,429
Source: Arizona Secretary of State


Isela Blanc and Athena Salman defeated incumbent Celeste Plumlee and Michael Martinez in the Arizona House of Representatives District 26 Democratic Primary.[20]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Isela Blanc 29.80% 4,648
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Athena Salman 32.10% 5,007
     Democratic Celeste Plumlee Incumbent 21.00% 3,276
     Democratic Michael Martinez 17.09% 2,666
Total Votes 15,597


Steven Adkins ran unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 26 Republican Primary.[21]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 26 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Steven Adkins  (unopposed)

2014

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Incumbents Juan Mendez and Andrew Sherwood were unopposed in the Democratic primary. James Roy was unopposed in the Republican primary. Mendez and Sherwood defeated Roy and Chris Will (L) in the general election.[22][23][24][25]

Arizona House of Representatives District 26, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Sherwood Incumbent 31.2% 13,584
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJuan Jose Mendez Incumbent 30.8% 13,413
     Republican James Roy 25.5% 11,098
     Libertarian Chris Will 12.4% 5,395
Total Votes 43,490

2012

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 30, 2012. Democrats Juan Mendez and Andrew Sherwood defeated Raymond Speakman and Mary Lou Taylor, Green Party candidate Haryaksha Gregor Knauer and Libertarian candidate Chris A.H. Will in the general election. Speakman and Taylor defeated Buckley Merrill and Jason Youn in the August 28 Republican primary.[26][27][28][29]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 26, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJuan Mendez 28.2% 24,213
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Sherwood 27.3% 23,481
     Republican Mary Lou Taylor 19.5% 16,766
     Republican Raymond D. Speakman 18.8% 16,153
     Libertarian Chris Will 4% 3,480
     Green Haryaksha Haryaksha Gregor Knauer 2.2% 1,872
Total Votes 85,965
Arizona House of Representatives, District 26 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Speakman 30.7% 3,725
Green check mark transparent.pngMary Lou Taylor 29.8% 3,611
Jason Youn 26.4% 3,206
Buckley Merrill 13.1% 1,587
Total Votes 12,129

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Arizona House of Representatives District 26 raised a total of $2,769,639. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $44,672 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Arizona House of Representatives District 26
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $164,563 4 $41,141
2022 $187,938 4 $46,985
2020 $239,584 6 $39,931
2018 $123,161 3 $41,054
2016 $140,437 6 $23,406
2014 $121,394 4 $30,349
2012 $210,681 8 $26,335
2010 $232,377 4 $58,094
2008 $287,904 5 $57,581
2006 $287,657 5 $57,531
2004 $182,782 4 $45,696
2002 $188,171 5 $37,634
2000 $402,990 4 $100,748
Total $2,769,639 62 $44,672


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Arizona State Legislature, "Term limits," accessed December 16, 2013
  2. Arizona Revised Statutes, "41-1101, Section B," accessed November 22, 2016
  3. Arizona State Legislature, "2. Qualifications of members of legislature," accessed May 21, 2025
  4. Arizona Legislature, "16-311," accessed May 29, 2025
  5. Arizona Legislature, "16-312," accessed May 29, 2025
  6. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  7. Arizona Attorney General, "Legislative Term Limits," accessed February 8, 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Arizona Legislature, "Arizona Revised Statutes," accessed February 8, 2021 (Statute 41.1202 (A), Arizona Revised Statutes)
  9. 9.0 9.1 Arizona Legislature, "Arizona Revised Statutes," accessed February 8, 2021 (Statute 41.1202 (B), Arizona Revised Statutes)
  10. Phone conversation with Valerie Neumann, AIRC executive assistant, Jan. 25, 2022]
  11. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, "Official Maps," accessed Jan. 21, 2022
  12. Tucson Sentinel, "Arizona Redistricting Commission gives final certification to new election maps," Jan. 21, 2022
  13. Arizona Mirror, "Republicans hold the edge as Arizona redistricting nears completion," Dec. 17, 2021
  14. Supreme Court of the United States, "Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, et al. - Appellant's Jurisdictional Statement," accessed March 6, 2015
  15. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, "Home page," accessed March 6, 2015
  16. 16.0 16.1 All About Redistricting, "Arizona," accessed April 17, 2015
  17. Arizona Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar & Upcoming Events," accessed January 11, 2016
  18. Arizona Secretary of State, "General election ," accessed September 9, 2016
  19. Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed November 11, 2016
  20. Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Election Information - Primary Candidate List," accessed June 3, 2016
  21. Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Election Information - Primary Candidate List," accessed June 3, 2016
  22. Arizona Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed August 27, 2014
  23. Arizona Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Election," May 27, 2014
  24. Arizona Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed September 11, 2014
  25. Arizona Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed August 3, 2015
  26. Arizona Secretary of State, “Official 2012 General Election Results,” December 18, 2013
  27. “Arizona Secretary of State”, “Official 2012 General Election Candidates”, December 18, 2013
  28. Arizona Secretary of State, “Official 2012 Primary Results,” December 18, 2013
  29. Arizona Secretary of State, “Official 2012 Primary Candidates,” December 18, 2013


Current members of the Arizona House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Steve Montenegro
Majority Leader:Michael Carbone
Minority Leader:Oscar De Los Santos
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
Lupe Diaz (R)
District 20
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
Lisa Fink (R)
District 28
District 29
District 30
Republican Party (33)
Democratic Party (27)