Democrats in Legislative District 8 picked three candidates for consideration to fill a vacant seat in the state House of Representatives. 

On Tuesday night. Democratic precinct committeemen nominated Jevin Hodge, Jacob Raiford and Deborah Nardozzi as contenders to fill the seat formerly occupied by former Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe. Salman resigned on Dec. 31 to become the director of Arizona Campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All. 

Hodge is a former U.S. House candidate who narrowly lost to U.S. Rep. David Schweikert in the 2022 election. He is the president of the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center, the longest running Head Start program in the state. 

“I’m a proud public-school kid from Head Start to high school and I say that because we need leaders in the Arizona state legislature that understand everyday issues that everyday Arizonans are facing,” Hodge said. “We need leaders that are going to fight on the front lines to put more dollars into peoples’ pockets, to ensure that we can get roofs over peoples’ heads, and to invest in our education system from early childhood to post-graduate.” 

Nardozzi is the former Legislative District 24 Democrats chair, which encompassed much of LD8 before the state’s legislative and congressional districts were redrawn. She recently managed campaigns for Reps. Seth Blattman, D-Mesa; and Lorena Austin, D-Mesa; and is currently advising the congressional campaign for Rep. Amish Shah, D-Phoenix, after managing the campaign for most of 2023. 

“I know our community having lived in what is the central part of LD8 for about 16 years now and I’m going to continue to be here,” Nardozzi said. “I’m going to continue to listen and I want to be the best advocate for you, for us, and I’m ready.” 

Raiford is the precinct committee’s vice chair and sits as the vice president for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. He also helped start the The W.E. Rising Project, a movement in Phoenix that emerged in 2021 to stand against police brutality and racial inequality. 

“This isn’t an opportunity to hold a seat. This is a pathway towards real legislative work, Raiford said. “Reproductive rights are on the line; we need to fight for that. Our public schools are being pulled apart brick by brick. We need to rebuild that. The roofs we’re putting over peoples’ heads through affordable housing is being ripped from us. The future of water in our desert is evaporating because of bad legislation.” 

The Democratic precinct committee in the district met on Jan. 4 to hear from the three nominees and six others during a candidate forum prior to Tuesday’s election. Now, the Republican-controlled Maricopa County Board of Supervisors must choose one of the three candidates as an appointment to the district’s House seat. 

“It’s been work just trying to put all this together and make sure that we can have someone in the legislature, LD8 Democratic Chair Steven Jackson said on Jan. 4. “I do appreciate every candidate for stepping up, for putting your name in the hat. It’s not an easy thing to do.” 

The other candidates during Tuesday’s election were: 

• Jana Lynn Granillo, LD8 PC and retiree 
• Brian Garcia, former Tempe Union High School District board member 
• Kelsey Files, president of Tempe Leadership Council 
• Janeen Connoly, running for the House in LD8 in 2024 
• Kendra Flory, LD8 second vice chair 
• Nick Mink, coalition leader at Progressive Victory 

 Hodge and Raiford said they would seek re-election if they are appointed to the vacant seat. Nardozzi said she won’t. 

LD 8 covers Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.