Legislative District 16 Voting History

CURRENT LEGISLATORS

Senate
Leah Landrum Taylor (D)
Phoenix;
adjunct faculty at Maricopa County Community College.
Termed out in 2014.

House
Cloves Campbell, Jr. (D)
Phoenix;
publisher of The Arizona Informant (newspaper).
Termed out in 2014.

Ben Miranda (D)
Phoenix;
attorney (Miranda & Assoc.).
Termed out in 2010.

VOTING HISTORY

When the Independent Redistricting Commission drew boundaries of LD-16 in 2002, the historical partisan voting pattern in the district favored Democrats over Republicans 76 percent to 24 percent. Kerry did not perform to expectations in the 2004 presidential election, beating Bush in the district by a margin of 67 percent to 33 percent. Obama did better (70 percent to McCain’s 29 percent), but he still did not reach the historical average.

In the 2006 gubernatorial election, Napolitano did slightly better than the historical pattern, defeating Munsil by a margin of more than 57 percentage points.

Likewise, in the 2008 election for CD-4, Democrat Pastor defeated his Republican opponent by 56 points.

In 2006, the union-sponsored minimum wage amendment passed by a similar margin (78 percent to 22 percent).

In 2006, the more expansive marriage amendment was rejected by a margin greater than its defeat statewide: 57 percent in the district vs. 52 percent statewide. In 2008, the narrower marriage amendment was approved in the district by 54 percent of the voters, but this was a slightly smaller margin than the 56 percent statewide.

The 2006 constitutional amendment prohibiting illegal immigrants from suing for punitive damages in state court was approved in the district but by the fourth-smallest margin of any district in the state.

FINAL ANALYSIS

This district has elected only Democrats to the Legislature since 2002. Republicans started to contest in this district in 2006, but none have come within 18 percentage points in an election for the House and 45 points for the Senate. Contested elections, if they happen at all in this district, tend to happen in a Democratic primary.

In 2004, with both incumbents running for the two House seats, three additional candidates ran for the nomination. The incumbents won handily.

In 2004, Sen. Linda Aguirre was term limited. She ran (unsuccessfully) for justice of the peace. Leah Landrum Taylor ran unopposed for the Senate, opening up one House seat. In a four-way primary, incumbent Ben Miranda and newcomer Cloves Campbell, Jr. won.
In 2008, the incumbents were again challenged in the primary by Betty Ware (who had been unsuccessful in the previous two primaries) and long-time party operative Jimmie Muñoz, Jr. Again, the incumbents won handily.

In 2010, with Ben Miranda termed out of the House, one seat becomes vacant. Muñoz, Jr. has filed again along with Democrats Cristy Lopez, Catherine Miranda and Ruben Gallego. Republican Robert Gular has also filed for the House.

Democrat Victor Contreras has filed to challenge Landrum Taylor for the Senate.

Major issues in the district are quality jobs, education and industrial pollution.