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Arizona State Senate elections, 2022
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| 2022 Arizona Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | August 2, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
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| 2022 Elections | |
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Elections for the Arizona State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 2, 2022. The filing deadline was April 4, 2022.
The Arizona State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified seven battleground races in the 2022 elections for Arizona State Senate, three of which were in Democratic-held districts and four of which were in Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
All 30 seats were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Republican majority remained 16-14.
This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.
Party control
| Arizona State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 14 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 16 | 16 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | |
Candidates
General
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary
Arizona State Senate Primary 2022 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 2 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 5 |
Did not make the ballot: |
Francisco Hernandez Jr. (Write-in) |
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| District 6 |
The Republican primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
Libertarian Party  Jeff Daniels (Write-in) |
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| District 7 |
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| District 8 |
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Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 9 |
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| District 10 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 11 |
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| District 12 |
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| District 13 |
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| District 14 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 15 |
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| District 16 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 17 |
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| District 18 |
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| District 19 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| District 20 |
Did not make the ballot: |
The Republican primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 21 |
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Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 22 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 23 |
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| District 24 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 25 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 26 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| District 27 |
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| District 28 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 30 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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2022 battleground chamber
The Arizona State Senate was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.
What was at stake?
- The Democratic Party needed to gain two seats to take control of the chamber in 2022. The Republican Party needed to lose no seats to maintain control.
- The Democratic Party flipping the state senate would break the Republican Party's trifecta. The Republican Party needed to keep the state Senate as well as the state House and the governorship to maintain their trifecta.
Why was it a battleground?
- Seats needed to flip: The Democratic Party needed to flip two seats (7% of seats up) in order to win control of the chamber.
- Seats decided by less than 10% in the last election: Nine of the seats up for election (30% of seats up) in 2022 were decided by margins of 10 percentage points or smaller the last time they were up.
- 2020 battleground chamber: The Arizona State Senate was a battleground chamber in 2020. That year, the Democratic Party gained one seat from the Republican Party. Read more about the 2020 elections here.
- Other 2022 battleground election: The 2022 elections for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state were also battleground races.
Battleground races
District 2
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open seat in a district where neither major party has a partisan lean above 55% as defined by Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic candidate Rosanna Gabaldon was elected with 61% of the vote against Republican challenger Mark Workma’s 39% of the vote. |
District 4
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
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What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where two incumbents are running against each other and the partisan lean is split almost evenly between the two parties according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Lisa Otondo was re-elected with 56.2% of the vote against Republican challenger Travis Angry who received 43.8% of the vote. |
District 9
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open seat in a district where neither major party has a partisan lean above 55% as defined by Dave's Redistricting and CNalysis rates as a Toss-up[1]. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Victoria Steele was unchallenged and re-elected. |
District 13
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
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What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the partisan lean is almost evenly split with a slight Republican tilt according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Republican incumbent Sine Kerr was re-elected with 99.8% of the vote. |
District 16
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
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What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district where the partisan lean is split almost even between the two parties with a slight Republican tilt according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Republican candidate Kelly Townsend was elected with 96.8% of the vote. |
District 17
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district where neither party has a significant advantage according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Republican incumbent J.D. Mesnard was re-elected with 52.5% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Ajlan Kurdoglu’s 47.5% of the vote. |
District 23
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district which CNalysis rates as Lean D[2]. In 2020, Republican incumbent Michelle Ugenti-Rita was re-elected with 59.1% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Seth Blattman’s 40.9% of the vote. |
District 27
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district with a Democratic incumbent where the Republican Party maintains a partisan lean of 53% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Rebecca Rios was re-elected with 76.9% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Garland Shreves’ 23.1% of the vote. |
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- District 6
- District 7
- District 8
- District 9
- District 10
- District 11
- District 12
- District 13
- District 14
- District 15
- District 16
- District 17
- District 18
- District 19
- District 20
- District 21
- District 22
- District 23
- District 24
- District 25
- District 26
- District 27
- District 28
- District 29
- District 30
Campaign finance
The campaign finance data analyzed and displayed below is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Campaign finance by district
The section below contains data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. Districts and elections are grouped in sections of 10. To view data for a district, click on the appropriate bar below to expand it. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy K. Barto |  Republican |
Senate District 4 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
Three incumbents lost in the Aug. 2 primaries.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly Townsend | Republican |
Senate District 7 |
| Tyler Pace | Republican |
Senate District 9 |
| Vince Leach | Republican |
Senate District 17 |
Retiring incumbents
Twelve incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[3] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Fann | Republican |
Senate District 1 | Retired |
| Lisa Otondo |  Democratic |
Senate District 4 | Retired |
| Victoria Steele | Democratic |
Senate District 9 | Other office |
| Stephanie Stahl Hamilton | Democratic |
Senate District 10 | Other office |
| Sean Bowie | Democratic |
Senate District 18 | Retired |
| Lupe Contreras | Democratic |
Senate District 19 | Term limited/ other office |
| Paul Boyer | Republican |
Senate District 20 | Retired |
| Rick Gray | Republican |
Senate District 21 | Retired |
| David Livingston | Republican |
Senate District 22 | Other office |
| Michelle Ugenti-Rita | Republican |
Senate District 23 | Other office |
| Rebecca Rios | Democratic |
Senate District 27 | Other office |
| Martin Quezada | Democratic |
Senate District 29 | Term limited/ other office |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in . These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in in 2022. Information below was calculated on , and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Twenty-eight of the 51 Arizona state legislators running for re-election in 2022—nine Democrats and 17 Republicans—faced contested primaries. That equals 55% of incumbents who filed for re-election, the highest rate since 2014. The remaining 45% of incumbents did not face primary challengers.
Twenty-eight incumbents was, by itself, the largest number of incumbents in contested primaries since 2014. But it was also similar to previous cycles. The rate of incumbents in contested primaries increased in 2022 compared to 2018 and 2020 because fewer incumbents filed for re-election.
Thirty-nine incumbents did not file for re-election, nine because of term limits, and the remaining 30 for some other reason. This was the largest number of retiring incumbents in Arizona since 2014.
In addition to the 39 retirements, four other seats were left open this year due to redistricting with incumbents running in districts different from those they represented before redistricting. When district lines are redrawn incumbents might find themselves living in new districts. This can result in incumbents challenging other incumbents in primary or general elections.
In 2022, there were three primaries featuring multiple incumbents. In each of these races, at least one incumbent was guaranteed to lose:
- Sens. Wendy Rogers (R) and Kelly Townsend (R) in Senate District 7.
- Reps. Brenda Barton (R), David Cook (R), and John Fillmore (R) in House District 7.
- Reps. Sarah Liguori (D), Jennifer Longdon (D), and Amish Shah (D) in House District 5.
Additionally, Sens. Christine Marsh (D) and Nancy K. Barto (R) were drawn into a contested general election in Senate District 4.
Overall, 203 major party candidates filed to run this year: 91 Democrats and 112 Republicans. That equals 2.3 candidates per seat, up from 2.0 in 2020.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Arizona State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[4] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Arizona State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 30 | 14 (47%) | 16 (53%) |
| 2020 | 30 | 5 (17%) | 25 (83%) |
| 2018 | 30 | 14 (47%) | 16 (53%) |
| 2016 | 30 | 8 (27%) | 22 (73%) |
| 2014 | 30 | 8 (27%) | 22 (73%) |
| 2012 | 30 | 8 (27%) | 22 (73%) |
| 2010 | 30 | 5 (17%) | 25 (83%) |
Incumbents running in new districts
When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.
Arizona rearranged its Senate districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. As a result, every incumbent seeking re-election at the time of the primary filed to run in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 30 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 16, Chapter 3 of the Arizona Revised Statutes
Candidates in Arizona can access the ballot as political party candidates, independent candidates, or write-in candidates. Candidates must file a statement of interest, nomination paper, financial disclosure statement, and nomination petitions.[5] Candidates file in-person or online, though the Candidate Portal, depending on the document in question.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
Political party candidates
Political party candidates are nominated in primary elections. If no candidate is nominated at the primary election for a specific office, no candidate for that office can appear on the general election ballot for that political party.[6][7]
A political party candidate must file his or her nomination documents during the candidate filing period, which begins 120 days before the primary and ends 90 days before the primary. At the time of filing, a candidate must be a qualified voter residing in the geographic area represented by the office being sought. The following documents must be filed in order to gain ballot access:Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
- a financial disclosure statement
- an affidavit affirming that the candidate will be eligible to hold office if elected
- a nomination paper including the following information:
- candidate’s residence address
- name of the party with which the candidate is affiliated
- office the candidate seeks, with district or precinct, if applicable
- the candidate’s name as the candidate wishes it to appear on the ballot
- date of the primary and corresponding general election
- a nomination petition
Nomination petitions must be signed by qualified electors who are eligible to vote for the office the candidate is seeking. A qualified signer may be a "registered member of the party from which the candidate is seeking nomination," a "registered member of a political party that is not entitled to continued representation on the ballot," or an independent. To calculate the number of petition signatures needed, the voter registration totals as of the year of the election must be used. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. See the table below for further details.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
| Formulas for determining signature requirements for political party candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Minimum signatures required | Maximum signatures allowed |
| United States Senator or state executive office | At least one-fourth of 1 percent of the total number of qualified signers** | No more than 10 percent of the total number of qualified signers |
| United States Representative | At least one-half of 1 percent of the total number of qualified signers in the district the candidate seeks to represent | No more than 10 percent of the total number of qualified signers in the district the candidate seeks to represent |
| State legislative office | At least one-half of 1 percent of the total number of qualified signers in the district the candidate seeks to represent | No more than 3 percent of the total number of qualified signers in the district the candidate seeks to represent |
Newly qualified political party candidates
A candidate of a newly qualified political party must file the same documents at the same time as other political party candidates. Petition signature requirements are different for newly qualified political party candidates. A candidate of a new political party must file signatures equal to at least one-tenth of 1 percent of the total votes cast for the winning presidential or gubernatorial candidate at the last general election in the district the candidate seeks to represent.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
Independent candidates
A candidate may not run as an independent if he or she is representing a party that failed to qualify for the primary election. Additionally, a candidate cannot run as an independent if he or she tried and failed to qualify as a political party candidate in the primary.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
An independent candidate must be nominated by petition to run in the general election. The nomination petition must be filed with the financial disclosure statement during the candidate filing period, which begins 120 days before the primary election and ends 90 days before the primary election.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
An independent candidate's nomination petition must be signed by registered voters eligible to vote for the office the candidate is seeking. The number of signatures required on the petition is equal to at least 3 percent of all registered voters who are not affiliated with a recognized political party in the district the candidate seeks to represent. Signature requirement figures should be calculated using voter registration data from the year of the election. Though the number of signatures required to gain ballot access as an independent is related to the number of registered voters who are not affiliated with recognized political parties, the affiliation of those signing the petitions does not matter as long as they have not already signed a political party candidate's petition.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
Write-in candidates
A candidate may not file as a write-in if any of the following are true:Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
- The candidate ran in the primary election and failed to get elected.
- The candidate did not file enough signatures to be allowed ballot access when previously filing for primary ballot access.
- The candidate filed nomination petitions to run in the general election but did not submit enough valid signatures to gain ballot access.
Write-in votes will not be counted unless the write-in candidate files a nomination paper and financial disclosure form no later than 5 p.m. on the 40th day before the election in which the candidate intends to run. The nomination paper must include the following information:Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title
- the candidate's name and signature
- the candidate's residence address or description of place of residence and post office address
- the candidate's age
- the length of time the candidate has been a resident of the state
- the candidate's date of birth
Qualifications
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."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[8] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $24,000/year | For legislators residing within Maricopa County: $35/day. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County: $251.66. |
When sworn in
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.[9]
Arizona political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Arizona Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in Arizona
2020 Presidential election results
Presidential election in Arizona, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
49.4
|
1,672,143 | 11 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
49.1
|
1,661,686 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.5
|
51,465 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1,557 | 0 | |
 
| Jade Simmons/Claudeliah Roze (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
236 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
190 | 0 | |
| Daniel Clyde Cummings/Ryan Huber (American Constitution Party) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
36 | 0 | |
| President Boddie/Eric Stoneham (Unaffiliated) |
0.0
|
13 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 3,387,326 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arizona
Redistricting following 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.
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Arizona State Senate Districts
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Arizona State Senate Districts
starting January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Arizona | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ CNalysis, "AZ State Leg. Forecast," accessed September 29, 2022
- ↑ CNalysis, "AZ State Leg. Forecast," accessed September 29, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Running for Statewide Office," accessed July 23, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Title 16, Chapter 3, Section 301," accessed July 23, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Title 16, Chapter 3, Section 302," accessed July 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "41-1101, Section B," accessed November 22, 2016
- ↑ Phone conversation with Valerie Neumann, AIRC executive assistant, Jan. 25, 2022]
- ↑ Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, "Official Maps," accessed Jan. 21, 2022
- ↑ Tucson Sentinel, "Arizona Redistricting Commission gives final certification to new election maps," Jan. 21, 2022
