Christine Marsh

Christine Marsh

Democratic Party

Candidate, Arizona State Senate District 5

Prior offices

Arizona State Senate District 28

Successor: Frank Carroll

Predecessor: Kate Brophy McGee

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Arizona State Senate District 4

Successor: Carine Werner

Predecessor: Lisa Otondo

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Elections and appointments

Next election

August 4, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Los Angeles, 2016

Graduate

Grand Canyon University, 1989

Personal

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Christine Marsh (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 5. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 4, 2026.^[source]

Marsh (Democratic Party) was a member of the Arizona State Senate, representing District 4. She assumed office on January 9, 2023. She left office on January 13, 2025.

Biography

Christine Marsh earned a bachelor's of English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1989 and an M.A. in educational leadership and administration, general, from Grand Canyon University in 2016. Her career experience includes working as an educator. She has been affiliated with the Arizona Education Association.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Marsh was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Education and Transportation Committee
• Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee
• Transportation and Technology Committee (Decommissioned)

2021-2022

Marsh was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Education and Transportation Committee
• Transportation and Technology Committee (Decommissioned)

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2026

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 5

Christine Marsh is running in the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 5 on August 4, 2026.

		Candidate
		Christine Marsh

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 4

Carine Werner defeated incumbent Christine Marsh in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carine Werner (R)	51.9	76,079
		Christine Marsh (D)	48.1	70,614

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 146,693
= 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 State Senate District 4

Incumbent Christine Marsh advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 4 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh	100.0	23,558

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,558
= 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 State Senate District 4

Carine Werner defeated Kenneth Bowers in the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 4 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carine Werner	61.1	18,651
		Kenneth Bowers	38.9	11,874

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,525
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Marsh in this election.

2022

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 4

Incumbent Christine Marsh defeated incumbent Nancy K. Barto in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh (D)	50.5	62,205
		Nancy K. Barto (R)	49.5	61,016

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,221
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 4

Incumbent Christine Marsh advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 4 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh	100.0	25,824

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,824
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 4

Incumbent Nancy K. Barto advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 4 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy K. Barto	100.0	34,753

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,753
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 28

Christine Marsh defeated incumbent Kate Brophy McGee in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 28 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh (D)	50.2	60,339
		Kate Brophy McGee (R)	49.8	59,842

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 120,181
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 28

Christine Marsh advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 28 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh	100.0	27,496

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,496
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 28

Incumbent Kate Brophy McGee advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 28 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Brophy McGee	100.0	23,015

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,015
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 28

Incumbent Kate Brophy McGee defeated Christine Marsh in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 28 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Brophy McGee (R)	50.1	47,278
		Christine Marsh (D)	49.9	47,011

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,289 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 28

Christine Marsh advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 28 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Marsh	100.0	19,671

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,671 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 28

Incumbent Kate Brophy McGee defeated Kenneth Bowers in the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 28 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kate Brophy McGee	70.1	17,325
		Kenneth Bowers	29.9	7,383

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,708 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Christine Marsh has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Christine Marsh asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Christine Marsh, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 22,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Christine Marsh to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing chris4arizona@gmail.com.

2024

Christine Marsh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Christine Marsh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Marsh's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a proud Phoenician, a graduate of Arizona public schools, and a current State Senator. After attending UCLA on a track scholarship, I made the decision to come back home to Phoenix, where I raised my two sons and foster children and where I am in my fourth decade of teaching.

After 23 years in the classroom, I was honored to be named Arizona’s 2016 Teacher of the Year. Through that experience, I had the opportunity to travel the state to see first-hand the issues that public schools face.

While my experiences as a mother, teacher, and foster mother helped me make the decision to file for the State Senate, what truly motivates me is the need for more balance at the Capitol. One-party rule has stifled Arizona for too long, and our most vulnerable populations have been placed at risk. I have seen great bills fail to get a hearing and dangerous legislation sail through the legislature. We need a new legislative majority so that better ideas can get a fair hearing in our government.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fully funding our state’s public education system: I was the 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year and am in my fourth decade in the classroom and know just what statistics around our state’s education funding crisis look like for our kids. We need to bring both parents and teachers to the table to find stable and robust solutions and funding for our kids' local public schools.
• Building a strong economy: I am the daughter of two small business owners and know just how vital our state’s small businesses are to our economy. My voting record reflects my commitment to small businesses. I have also fought back against attacks on Arizona working families and backed vital legislation expanding the tax credits which actually help Arizona families succeed.
• Reinstating reproductive freedom: A territory-era law bans abortion in our state with no exceptions for rape or incest. We urgently need to repeal this radical and dangerous law. Arizona should be protecting access to necessary healthcare, not getting in the way of trained medical professionals.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our legislature addresses a broad array of issues, but in addition to the above, two which warrant mention are protecting access to the ballot box and solving our state’s water crisis. On voting rights, we need to implement automatic voter registration and expand options for mail-in voting, as well as give Independents more options for voting in primaries. Regarding our state’s water crisis, we need a broad array of solutions, including conservation measures, rainwater collection, and supporting local communities as they take the steps they need to secure their water supply.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should have the open-mindedness to give good ideas a fair and lively discussion, regardless of who proposes them. Elected officials should also understand the origins of the problems they work to solve and solve them with an eye towards justice and how they can help the most people.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working in my dad’s restaurants. I grew up working in my father’s restaurants and catering company from the time that I could walk. I’d go on deliveries with him when I was five or six, started cleaning pots and pans shortly thereafter, drove a delivery route of my own when I was 17, and ran catering ventures that took me away from home for a week at a time.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; the injustice it recounts is maddening and told so poignantly. When I was at the Capitol with my fellow teachers during Red for Ed, my sign read “What would Atticus do?”

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Christine Marsh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Christine Marsh campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Arizona State Senate District 4	Lost general	$498,855	$502,472
2022	Arizona State Senate District 4	Won general	$416,656	$434,425
2020	Arizona State Senate District 28	Won general	$635,237	N/A**
2018	Arizona State Senate District 28	Lost general	$256,770	N/A**
Grand total			$1,807,518	$936,898
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Arizona

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arizona scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

In 2024, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 15.

• Americans for Prosperity - Arizona

Legislators are scored on their stances on economic issues.

• Children's Action Alliance

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues.

• Club for Growth Foundation

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.

• Humane Voters of Arizona

Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues.

• National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• Secular Coalition for Arizona

Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy.

• Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.

• The Arizona Center for Economic Progress

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic policy.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 9 to July 31. Arizona Free Enterprise Club: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Center for Arizona Policy Action Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Children's Action Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Progress Arizona Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Secular Coalition for Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Arizona Center for Economic Progress Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic policy.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 10 to June 25. Arizona Free Enterprise Club: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Center for Arizona Policy Action: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Children's Action Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Progress Arizona Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform. Secular Coalition for Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Arizona Center for Economic Progress Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic policy.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 11 to June 30. Children's Action Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Secular Coalition for Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

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Candidate

Arizona State Senate District 5

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Lisa Otondo (D)	Arizona State Senate District 4 2023-2025	Succeeded by Carine Werner (R)
Preceded by Kate Brophy McGee (R)	Arizona State Senate District 28 2021-2023	Succeeded by Frank Carroll (R)

[show]

Current members of the Arizona State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Warren Petersen

Majority Leader:Janae Shamp

Minority Leader:Priya Sundareshan

Senators

District 1

Mark Finchem (R)

District 2

Shawnna Bolick (R)

District 3

John Kavanagh (R)

District 4

Carine Werner (R)

District 5

Lela Alston (D)

District 6

Theresa Hatathlie (D)

District 7

Wendy Rogers (R)

District 8

Lauren Kuby (D)

District 9

Kiana Sears (D)

District 10

David Farnsworth (R)

District 11

Catherine Miranda (D)

District 12

Denise Epstein (D)

District 13

Javan Mesnard (R)

District 14

Warren Petersen (R)

District 15

Jake Hoffman (R)

District 16

Thomas Shope (R)

District 17

Vince Leach (R)

District 18

Priya Sundareshan (D)

District 19

David Gowan (R)

District 20

Sally Gonzales (D)

District 21

Rosanna Gabaldón (D)

District 22

Eva Diaz (D)

District 23

Brian Fernandez (D)

District 24

Analise Ortiz (D)

District 25

Tim Dunn (R)

District 26

Flavio Bravo (D)

District 27

Kevin Payne (R)

District 28

Frank Carroll (R)

District 29

Janae Shamp (R)

District 30

Hildy Angius (R)

Republican Party (17)

Democratic Party (13)