Some key state legislative races:
District 17: Democratic Rep. Meg Burton-Cahill faces Republican Rose Crutcher for the Senate seat from the Tempe district where Republicans hold a small edge in voter registration. Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser — appointed to fill a vacancy — is in a four-way race for two House seats. Republican Rep. Laura Knaperek is running for re-election.
District 23: Democrats hope incumbent Sen. Rebecca Rios turns back a challenge by Rep. Cheryl Chase, a Republican and former Democrat, and to recapture Chase’s House seat. Republicans targeted the Pinal County-dominated district’s Senate seat for a possible pickup. The district has leaned Democratic but Republicans are gaining strength as new development adds to the population.
District 24: Now held by a Democrat not seeking re-election, the Senate seat from Yuma County is another which Republicans targeted. Both House seats are up for grabs because the two representatives, Democrat Amanda Aguirre and Republican Russ Jones, are running for Senate. The House delegation has been split in recent years between the two parties.
District 25: Democrats have a big registration edge and hold the Senate seat in the district that includes most of Cochise County and parts of four others, but the House delegation is split. Democrat Manny Alvarez and moderate Republican Jennifer Burns are seeking re-election. The three other candidates for the two House seats include ex-Rep. Gail Griffin, a conservative Republican.
District 26: Republicans hold a hefty edge in voter registration in this Tucson-area district, but Democrats say conservative Al Melvin’s victory over incumbent moderate Toni Hellon in the Sept. 12 Republican primary put the Senate seat in play. Charlene Pesquierra is the Democratic candidate. Term-limited Republican Rep. Steve Huffman’s departure puts a House seat up for grabs.