A longtime Republican legislator is defending his seat against his Democrat challenger in the Legislative District 13 Senate race, that could determine which party controls the chamber. 

Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, is an experienced lawmaker who started his legislative career after being elected to the House in 2010. In his last term in the House, he served as the speaker, before being elected to the Senate in 2018. 

His challenger is Democrat Sharon Winters, a political newcomer and retired special education teacher. A published author of four books and a former small business owner, she said her background has given her “a unique preparation for solving problems in our society.” 

The district is among the most competitive in the state, and the race could decide whether Republicans maintain their slim majority in the chamber. The district favors GOP candidates by 4.4%, according to the Independent Redistricting Commission. Records from the Secretary of State’s Office indicate that Republicans hold a notable advantage with 12,042 more registered voters in the district. 

Mesnard authored the state’s flat personal income tax rate that passed out of the Legislature in 2021, which he pointed to as a notable example of his legislative effectiveness. He said his work cutting taxes has largely benefitted Arizonans, both within his district and across the state. 

He sponsored HB2663 in 2018, which he said “increased teacher pay by 20% and fully restored spending for school supplies.” The legislation was slowly implemented after its passage, and he said it has benefitted educators within his district. 

“If you look at the bills that I have sponsored, they really represent the largest investment in K-12 education, so I’m very proud of that,” Mesnard said. “We’ve seen in Chandler – among other places – average teacher pay go up considerably.” 

If re-elected, Mesnard said he will continue to focus on making sure the environment in Arizona “is conducive to job growth and expansion.” He served as the chairman of the Finance and Commerce Committee in his current term, and plans to focus on the regulatory and tax environment, which he said is “near and dear to (his) heart.” 

Mesnard’s opponent has an opposite stance on education, shaped by Winter’s experience as a public school teacher. She did not respond to a request for an interview by the deadline. However, she wants the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Fund reformed, according to her campaign website, where she said “public funds should be used to invest in our public schools, not private ones.” 

“We must ensure that there is accountability when divesting from public schools in favor of charter or private schools,” Winters said on her campaign website. “In Arizona, our teachers are overworked and underpaid, leading to many leaving the profession.”

On the other hand, Mesnard backs the state’s school voucher program and supports school choice. 

The top-line issue in Winter’s campaign is reproductive rights, and she is pro-choice. She supports enshrining “abortion protection into our state’s Constitution to ensure that these rights can never be attacked again.” Her opponent, Mesnard, is pro-life. 

Like other legislative races in competitive districts, Democrats see this district as a pick-up opportunity in their path to a majority in either chamber. However, recent campaign finance reports show that Mesnard outspent Winters by a decent margin during the latest reporting period. This is a departure from a trend this election cycle, where Democratic candidates have typically been the bigger spenders. 

Pre-primary campaign finance reports showed Mesnard raised $116,435 and spent $187,560, while Winters raised $146,665 and spent $109,427. However, Winters has the larger war chest ahead of the general election. She finished the period with $85,451 on-hand while Mesnard had $63,507. 

GOP consultant Barrett Marson said it will be difficult for Winters to unseat Mesnard. 

“It’s almost as if the Democrats have given up in that district,” Marson said. “Senator Mesnard just seems to be of the district. A young family that understands the area. It was always going to be hard to unseat him.” 

However, Democrat consultant Stacey Pearson said the race is “absolutely still in play.” She said the district, which encompasses the Chandler and Gilbert area, is made up of voters who “do their homework.” Specifically, she noted the few ballot referrals that Mesnard supported during the past legislative session and the impact that could have on voters in his race. 

“This is a group of voters that doesn’t like being hoodwinked, and certainly is supportive of abortion,” Pearson said. “Those issues, I think, come back to haunt Republicans. It’s not just what he’s done, it’s also what he’s failed to do, that I think voters are going to hold him accountable.” 

With less than two weeks left before the general election, Mesnard said he is feeling “cautiously optimistic.” 

“I went into the race fully cognizant that it’s one of the most competitive in the state,” Mesnard said. “I’ve been grateful that I have not faced the same level of negative ads that I did in the last presidential cycle. In 2020, they (Democrats) spent more against me in attack than any other legislative candidate in the history of the state, $1.3 million, so I was bracing myself for something similar. But so far, I haven’t experienced that.”