As Democrats seek to flip the Legislature in November, the odds of a Senate majority may depend on the outcome of Legislative District 17, which features one former lawmaker and a retired engineer. 

Despite the primary upset where former lawmaker Vince Leach, the less favorable competitor for Democrats, ousted Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson, Democrats are funneling big spending into the race. The district, which encompasses the northeast portion of Tucson, favors Republican candidates by over 8%.

Leach is a retired businessman who moved to Arizona from Wisconsin in 2007. He has served four terms in the Legislature and seeks to reclaim the LD17 seat after defeating Wadsack in their primary rematch. 

His campaign centers around introducing and passing “conservative policy.” While serving in the Legislature in prior terms, Leach took aim at budget-related committees, with a focus on lowering taxes for Arizonans. 

If voters return him to the Legislature, Leach said the first bills he would introduce would be ones aimed at “finding tax credits that have been passed by the Legislature but are not being used,” which he noted would be no different from what he did in previous sessions. 

Leach said the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which grew to allow for all Arizona students since he left the Legislature in 2022, “is exactly what Arizona needs.”  

“It’s a good program that needs to be continued,” Leach said. “If somebody wanted to take a look at what we spent and put some guidelines on that, I would be open to that.” 

Just like with any other state-funded program, he said it is important that there is a system of checks and balances. 

He said he supports the GOP-backed HCR2060, now Proposition 314, especially the higher penalties it would create for fentanyl-related deaths. The ballot measure, dubbed the “Secure the Border Act,” would allow local police to arrest those who entered the country from anywhere but a port of entry. 

“We have to continue to send a message to Washington, D.C. that Arizonans are fed up with cartels really controlling our border with fentanyl,” Leach said. “When you see Narcan being given away like candy, there’s a problem.” 

When it comes to housing affordability, Leach said the solution would be to go “back to the basics” by claiming the federal land in Arizona and making room to build more homes. 

“Cities and towns are concerned and they want to control those areas, well, areas outside of those cities would welcome expansion,” Leach said. 

He said that passing policy which falls in line with conservative values would be his top priority if he is elected. For instance, Leach said he plans to support or introduce bills that keep “girls playing girls sports and boys playing boys sports.” 

Leach and his Democrat opponent, John McLean, both boast careers as businessmen, but their policy stances are polar opposite.

McLean is an Arizona native who has lived in Pima County for the past 30 years. He said the overturning of Roe v Wade inspired him to run for public office, which he described as a “wake-up call to freedom.”

When it comes to border security, McLean said he would advocate for stronger funding for the Department of Public Safety. 

He said the ESA program needs to be limited so that more state funding can be funneled toward public schools. 

“There is absolutely a place for an ESA program for families, but if you’re a rich, Paradise Valley family that is already sending your children to private schools, I’m not sure that’s a good use of taxpayer funds,” McLean said.

He emphasized that ESA funding is appropriate for some families, such as for children with learning disabilities.

McLean said his campaign was initially focused on defeating Wadsack, because she was the incumbent. 

“When Leach won, I said, ‘OK, I need to recalibrate.’ If anything, I’m even more passionate now about winning the seat,” McLean said. 

McLean said he would aim to address issues like reproductive health, education and water in a bipartisan manner. He said that his uncle, Box Wilcox, a former state senator who served in the Senate with Sandra Day O’Connor, taught him the value of “true bipartisanship.” 

The most recent campaign finance reports put McLean at a significant funding advantage, where he had $147,115 on hand and Leach fell behind with $39,382.