Republican Jake Flake wants Democratic Sen. Jack Brown to replace him in the House.

“Yes, he’s a Democrat,” Mr. Flake said, “but a lot of people in my district [5] are Democrats. He’s a conservative. We have similar backgrounds.”

There is no primary contest in District 5, where voter registration at last count was 45.9 per cent Democrat, 37.1 per cent Republican and 17 per cent unaffiliated or minor-party registrants. The general election has Mr. Brown in a three-way race with two Republicans, Rep. Bill Konopnicki and Sylvia Tenney Allen, chairman of the Navajo County Republican Party.

Both Mr. Brown and Mr. Flake are termed out and running for the other chamber.

“I found it distasteful that Jack was coming back to the House,” Ms. Allen said. “It’s against the spirit of term limits. He should resign.”

Mr. Flake said he also supports Mr. Konopnicki and had hoped he, Mr. Konopnicki and Mr. Brown could have run as an unopposed team. He said he tried to discourage Ms. Allen from running.

“I love Sylvia,” he said. “She’s a great person,” but he said he told her “the positions were filled.”

“They’re my seat mates,” Mr. Flake said of Mr. Brown and Mr. Konopnicki. “I work very well with them in representing our district.”

Mr. Brown said he had hoped to gain Mr. Flake’s support, and Mr. Konopnicki praised the endorsement.

“That’s good,” Mr. Konopnicki said. “They have a long history of working well together. They’re good friends and they made a commitment to run together.”

Ms. Allen says she does support Mr. Konopnicki.

“I don’t think she has any other choice,” Mr. Konopnicki said. “Nothing against Ms. Allen, but I work very well with Senator Brown, not that I couldn’t learn to work with her.”

Ms. Allen said Mr. Brown’s 27 years in the House and Senate are enough and that two Republicans should represent the district in the House.

She said she has received encouragement from former House Speaker Jeff Groscost.

“He was upset that Jake said I shouldn’t run,” Ms. Allen said. —