Lorena Austin
2023 - Present
2027
2
Lorena Austin (Democratic Party) is a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, representing District 9. Austin assumed office on January 9, 2023. Austin's current term ends on January 11, 2027.
Austin (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 9. Austin declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Lorena Austin was born in Mesa, Arizona. Austin earned an associate degree from Mesa Community College in 2018, and a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2020. Austin's career experience includes working as a legislator.[1]
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.
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
Austin was assigned to the following committees:
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Commerce Committee
- Joint Committee on Capital Review (Decommissioned)
Elections
2026
See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Incumbent Lorena Austin and incumbent Seth Blattman are running in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Lorena Austin (D) | |
 | Seth Blattman (D) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2024
See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Incumbent Lorena Austin and incumbent Seth Blattman defeated Kylie Barber and Mary Ann Mendoza in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorena Austin (D) | 26.5 | 39,041 |
| ✔ | | Seth Blattman (D) | 25.0 | 36,823 |
 | Kylie Barber (R) | 24.4 | 35,895 | |
 | Mary Ann Mendoza (R) | 24.1 | 35,553 | |
| Total votes: 147,312 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Incumbent Lorena Austin and incumbent Seth Blattman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorena Austin | 54.2 | 10,353 |
| ✔ | | Seth Blattman | 45.8 | 8,741 |
| Total votes: 19,094 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Mary Ann Mendoza and Kylie Barber advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Ann Mendoza | 50.7 | 10,429 |
| ✔ | | Kylie Barber | 49.3 | 10,136 |
| Total votes: 20,565 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Libertarian primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Eaton (L)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Austin's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Austin in this election.
2022
See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Lorena Austin and Seth Blattman defeated Kathy Pearce and Mary Ann Mendoza in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorena Austin (D) | 26.5 | 30,980 |
| ✔ | | Seth Blattman (D) | 25.2 | 29,403 |
| Kathy Pearce (R) | 24.5 | 28,643 | ||
| Mary Ann Mendoza (R) | 23.8 | 27,791 | |
| Total votes: 116,817 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Lorena Austin and Seth Blattman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lorena Austin | 57.5 | 12,018 |
| ✔ | | Seth Blattman | 42.5 | 8,880 |
| Total votes: 20,898 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 9 (2 seats)
Kathy Pearce and Mary Ann Mendoza advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 9 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Kathy Pearce | 52.5 | 12,798 | |
| ✔ | | Mary Ann Mendoza | 47.5 | 11,561 |
| Total votes: 24,359 | |||
| = 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 finance
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lorena Austin has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Lorena Austin asking them to fill out the survey. If you are Lorena Austin, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
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You can ask Lorena Austin to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing austinforaz@gmail.com.
2024
Lorena Austin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Austin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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They graduated from Mesa Community College and transferred to Arizona State University where they received a degree in U.S. & Mexican Regional Immigration Policy, and a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership. Rep. Austin has worked in the public, private, and non-profit sectors such as Verizon’s Innovative Learning Program, they designed the Maricopa Student Senate, which placed a student on the Governing Board for the first time in the Maricopa County Community College District. Before becoming an elected official, they served as the student government advisor at Mesa Community College.
Community is the foundation of Rep. Austin’s work. They helped rally COVID-19 relief for Indigenous communities and serves residents through the work of United Food Bank. Rep. Austin is the first Chicane, non-binary person elected to any state legislature in the U.S. and currently serves the residents of LD9 in West Mesa and Tempe. They currently sit on the House Commerce and Appropriations committees, and serves as Secretary of the Latino Caucus. In their first term, Rep. Austin succeeded in passing a $40 million dollar investment in the Arizona Promise Program which helps college students pay tuition. Additionally, Rep. Austin was a resounding voice in combating multiple anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were ultimately vetoed.- Representing my community has been at the heart of everything I do. It’s where my family has lived for 100 years and where I chose to build my life and its legacy of community service. I have been intentional and consistent about representing my community and continue to stay engaged in local issues. I sit on multiple community boards and volunteer with our local non-profits. I know our local business owners and have built relationships with city leaders. You’ll run into me around our district because it’s where I choose to spend my time. If it’s not a local point, it’s not a focal point.
- Growing up in an underrepresented community has impacted my policy-making decisions which are centered around legislation that will positively impact everyday Arizonans who are working hard to make ends meet. For example, I submitted legislation last session that would create a State IRA Program, which would allow Arizonans to invest in a personal pension plan. It would be a low cost to the State, free to employers and it would give autonomy to employees with their savings.
- The fact of the matter is that we will not be able to live in our home state if we do not address our water crisis. The majority party has been nothing but irresponsible with our State’s most precious resource. We must be proactive in groundwater replenishment, implement policies that measure how much water is available, and enact legislation that conserves water not uses it irresponsibly.
Education: We can no longer afford to be ranked #49 in education funding per pupil and ranked #50 in teacher pay. Arizona's children deserve quality education regardless of the district or community they are a part of.
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.
2022
Lorena Austin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Austin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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She has worked with Verizon’s Innovative Learning Program, which brought advanced technology and curriculum to Title 1 schools across the country. As a project manager at the Maricopa County Community College District (“MCCCD”), she designed the Maricopa Student Senate developed to enhance the voice of students from each of the ten individual colleges and placed a student on the MCCCD Governing Board for the first time in the District’s history.
She went on to graduate from the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University with a degree in Chicano/a Latino/a Studies, where she focused on U.S. & Mexican Regional Immigration Policy and Economy and obtained a certificate in Cross-Sector Leadership. Austin graduated Summa Cum Laude and was awarded the prestigious Dean's Medal for her academic and co-curricular achievements at Arizona State University ("ASU").She currently serves as a Student Government Advisor at MCC.- Education must be a priority for Arizona. We can no longer afford to be ranked #49 in education funding per pupil. Currently, Arizona ranks #50 in teacher pay. Our P-20 education deserves quality educators who are supported by their state. Arizona's children deserve quality education regardless of the district or community they are a part of.
- The current rising housing costs have left many residents of Mesa in limbo. Residents who once saw a future of owning a house now face the real possibility of relocation. We must work with the state to reinstate community housing, allowing cities to work with local stakeholders to create equitable living opportunities for all residents.
- Millions of Americans are without medical insurance. We must support the passage nationally by Congress of Medicare for All. At the state level, offering a public option through Medicaid to all Arizonans makes sense. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is one of the best-run Medicaid programs in the nation. It is imperative that we build on that success by allowing every Arizonan to affordably buy into the program. In addition, the United States continues to be the only developed country that does not guarantee paid family leave to workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us this policy is one of the most impactful ways to support our working families.
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.
Campaign finance summary
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.
Scorecards
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
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 15.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 9 to July 31.
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See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Arizona House of Representatives District 9 |
Officeholder Arizona House of Representatives District 9 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 1, 2024
