Key points:

• Arizona House of Representatives hires Grant Hanna as new chief of staff

• Hanna replaces long-time chief Michael Hunter who resigned early last year

• House Speaker Steve Montenegro aims to strengthen policy team with new hires

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Arizona House of Representatives will enter the legislative session with a new chief of staff for the majority party. 

House Republicans will enter the session with Grant Hanna as their new chief of staff after recently serving as deputy chief of staff in the Senate. Hanna, hired in July, replaced Michael Hunter, who resigned from the position last session after more than 8 years in the role. 

Doug Cole, the chief operating officer at HighGround Public Affairs Consultants and a former top staffer at the Arizona House of Representatives, said Hunter’s tenure as chief of staff was unique because he was the top staffer for five different speakers dating back to 2016. 

“It doesn’t matter what party you’re a member of or hold allegiance to, just the mere fact he had been there for so long with so many speakers, that does create a vacuum,” Cole said. 

Hunter resigned from House majority staff to accept a position as the chief operating officer of the adoptive and foster care nonprofit Christian Family Care’s in February 2025, shortly after the legislative session started. 

House Speaker Steve Montenegro told the Arizona Capitol Times in July that hiring Hanna was an opportunity for Republicans to strengthen their policy team with talent. 

House Republicans faced criticism from other state leaders during the 2025 session for holding up budget discussions, including Senate President Warren Petersen, who said at the end of last session that the House held up sine die by two months amid negotiations. 

“There are areas that we need to strengthen,” Montenegro said. “There are areas that we want to continue to be better at and not just better, but complementary. There are areas that can and should be complemented with talent.” 

Hanna, who brings more than a decade of experience from the Senate, has built a strong reputation among legislators and lobbyists. He started in the Senate as a research analyst and eventually worked his way to deputy chief of staff for four years before becoming the chief of staff at the House of Representatives.

“He’s been the number two for a long time. He’s worked his way up from the basement up to the second floor offices.” Cole said of Hanna. “The institution as a whole, in my opinion, will be well served by Grant’s knowledge and leadership skills.”

Montenegro said Hanna’s experience and his respect for the institution were some of the things he valued most about his new chief of staff.

“His style is something I appreciate. It matches my own where we want to hear what others have to say. We want people to feel respected and we want to uphold the values of that institution so that Arizona has the best government available and possible,” Montenegro said.

Matt Specht briefly filled in as the House majority chief of staff following Hunter’s resignation. With Hanna stepping in as chief of staff, Specht was promoted to chief operating officer and leads the day-to-day functions of the House. 

The speaker also had to replace former Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel Linley Wilson, who in October joined the law firm Holtzman Vogel as a partner. Replacing Wilson is Kelsey Jahntz, who has been promoted from director of policy to deputy chief of staff. 

The House also hired Robyn Poole as general counsel and former Holtzman Vogel Associate Daniel Tilleman as deputy general counsel. Poole has spent more than a decade working as an attorney in the private sector and various levels of government, including the Attorney General’s Office, the Arizona Corporation Commission and the city of Phoenix.