Key Points:

• Arizona’s 2026 primary election is less than a year away

• Four Republican lawmakers are seeking state offices

• Several lawmakers are approaching term limits and seeking to switch chambers

Arizona’s 2026 primary election is less than a year away, but lawmakers are already gearing up for their plans after the next legislative session. 

Four Republican lawmakers are seeking state offices, including Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, who is running for attorney general. 

Petersen’s bid against Attorney General Kris Mayes won’t go unchallenged, as Republican Rodney Glassman, is also running for attorney general.

The only Republican who has filed a statement of interest in running for secretary of state is Rep. Alex Kolodin, R-Scottsdale. 

Kolodin is one of the more prominent Arizona Freedom Caucus members at the Legislature and has led Republican attempts at election reform during his two years in the House. 

Two other Freedom Caucus Republicans are making a push to sit on the Arizona Corporation Commission. 

Reps. David Marshall, R-Snowflake; and Ralph Heap, R-Mesa; are running as a ticket for the commission and say they want to bring down energy costs for Arizonans and eliminate “Environmental, Social and Governance mandates,” which they argue are prioritizing climate goals to push “woke agendas.”

Legislative switches

Several lawmakers are approaching their term limits and are seeking to switch chambers to continue their legislative careers. 

In Legislative District 19, Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista; and Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, are attempting to flip chambers. Both veteran lawmakers are approaching term limits in 2026.

Griffin has been criticized by many rural groundwater stakeholders in recent years for blocking attempts at bipartisan groundwater legislation. Chuck Coughlin, president and CEO of HighGround Public Affairs Consultants, said he expects this to continue if Republicans hold majorities at the Legislature in 2026 — even if Griffin switches chambers. 

“The only policy option that will be on the table is what Gail wants,” Coughlin said. 

Two Republicans in Legislative District 30 have the same plan as Gowan and Griffin since Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu City, is approaching his term limit in 2026. 

Biasiucci is running for state Senate in the district, seeking to switch seats with Sen. Hildy Angius, R-Bullhead City. Anguis is serving her first term as a senator after being elected in 2024. 

Another senator who will reach his term limit in 2026 is Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler. His seatmate, Rep. Julie Willoughby, R-Chandler, is running for his seat in the Senate, but the House seats in the district are up for grabs given Rep. Jeff Weninger’s, R-Chandler, bid for Chandler mayor instead of re-election for the state House. 

As one of the few competitive districts in the state, LD13 is pivotal for both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans took all three legislative seats in the district during the 2024 election, but the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission gives Republicans a 1.5% advantage and considers the district highly competitive.

Political consultant Barrett Marson said Willoughby is a strong candidate after leading efforts to provide critical emergency funding to the Division of Developmental Disabilities during the 2024 legislative session. 

The only Republican who has filed a statement of interest for the state House in LD13 so far is Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke. 

Hartke has a tenured history of leadership in Chandler. He first took office on the City Council in 2010 and was elected as mayor in 2018, where he has served since then. He’s also held leadership positions with the League of Arizona Cities and Towns and the Maricopa Association of Governments. 

Marson said more conservative GOP voters might not view Hartke as a favorable candidate in a primary race, although no other Republicans have filed statements of interest to run for the district’s two House seats yet. 

“Kevin would be a formidable general election candidate. The only question is can he get out of a primary,” Marson said. 

Two Democrats, Brandy Reese and Racquel Armstrong, have filed statements of interest for the House in LD13. Democrat Kristie O’Brien has filed a statement of interest for the Senate in the district. 

One of the longest-serving House Democrats is also termed out in 2026. Rep. Alma Hernandez, D-Tucson, is looking to switch chambers for Legislative District 20, a safe Democratic district. 

Comeback attempts

A few former state lawmakers are also seeking a return to the Legislature. 

With Marshall running for the Corporation Commission, he’ll leave an open House seat in the Republican Legislative District 7. Former state Rep. David Cook has filed a statement of interest to return to the House after being termed out in 2024 and lost to Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, in the Republican primary election for state Senate.

Christine Marsh, a former Democratic state senator who Sen. Carine Werner, R-Scottsdale, defeated in the 2024 general election, is running to replace Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix, in Legislative District 5. 

Marsh is also running in a Democratic stronghold of LD5 rather than trying again in LD4. Like LD13, Republicans took all three legislative seats in a competitive district in 2024. 

Other known Democrats are interested in running in LD4 include Madison Elementary School District Governing Board member Karen Gresham and Andrew Horne, who unsuccessfully ran in 2024’s Democratic primary election for Congressional District 1. 

Aaron Lieberman, a former Democratic state representative, has filed a statement of interest for the Senate in LD4. 

In Legislative District 6, former Democratic senator Jamescita Peshlakai and Rep. Mae Peshlakai, D-Cameron, have both filed statements of interest for House seats in the district.

Both Sen. Lauren Kuby, D-Tempe, and Democrat Deborah Nardozzi are interested in running for the Senate in Legislative District 8. Nardozzi briefly served in the House in 2024 as an appointee when Jevin Hodge resigned when past allegations of sexual misconduct had become known. 

Following a successful congressional campaign, former Republican Sen. Anthony Kern is now seeking a return to his district, Legislative District 27. Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, hasn’t filed a statement of interest to run for re-election.