Arizona Legislature elections, 2006

Elections to the 48th Arizona Legislature were held on November 7, 2006. Primary elections to determine political party nominees were held on September 12, 2006. The two candidates with the highest vote count in each primary advanced to the November election.

The Legislature is composed of 30 legislative districts, each electing two Representatives (to the Arizona House of Representatives) and one Senator (to the Arizona Senate). No person may serve more than four consecutive terms in either body. Members of the Republican Party currently hold a majority of seats in both the House and Senate.

State House of Representatives

District Incumbents Party Status Candidates
1 Lucy Mason
Tom O'Halleran		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running for State Senate		 Andy Tobin (R)
Wesley Edmonds (D)
George Seaman (I)
2 Ann Kirkpatrick
Albert Tom		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Running		 Preston J. Korn (R)
3 Trish Groe
Nancy McLain		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Luis Lopez (D)
4 Tom Boone
Judy Burges		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Debra Boehlke (D)
Sue Dolphin (D)
5 Jack Brown
Bill Konopnicki		 Democratic
Republican		 Running
Running
6 Ted Carpenter
Pamela Gorman		 Republican
Republican		 Running for State Senate
Running for State Senate		 Doug Clark (R)
Sam Crump (R)
7 Ray Barnes
Nancy K. Barto		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Marilyn Fox (D)
Jeanne Lunn (D)
Jim Iannuzo (L)
8 Michele Reagan
Colette Rosati		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Retiring		 John Kavanagh (R)
Stephanie Rimmer (D)
H. William Sandburg (D)
9 Rick Murphy
Bob Stump		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Sheri van Horsen (D)
10 Doug Quelland
James P. Weiers		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Lamont Lovejoy (D)
Jackie Thrasher (D)
11 John Allen
Stephen Tully		 Republican
Republican		 Retiring
Retiring		 Adam Driggs (R)
Don Hesselbrock (R)
Mark Anthony DeSimone (D)
12 John Nelson
Jerry Weiers		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 None
13 Steve Gallardo
Martha Garcia		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Running		 None
14 Debbie McCune-Davis
Robert Meza		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running for State Senate
Running		 Chad Campbell (D)
John Stevens (R)
Mike Renzulli (L)
15 David Lujan
Kyrsten Sinema		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Running		 Robert Gear (R)
William Wheat (R) (write-in)
Richard Buck (L)
16 Leah Landrum Taylor
Ben Miranda		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running for State Senate
Running		 Cloves Campbell, Jr. (D)
Daniel Coleman (R)
17 Meg Burton Cahill
Laura Knaperek		 Democratic
Republican		 Running for State Senate
Running		 Ed Ableser (D)
David Schapira (D)
Dale Despain (R)
18 Mark Anderson
Russell Pearce		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Tammie Pursley (D)
19 Kirk Adams
Gary Pierce		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running for Arizona Corporation Commission		 Rich Crandall (R)
Lara Wibeto (D)
20 John McComish
Bob Robson		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Jack Heald (L)
21 Warde Nichols
Steve Yarbrough		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Phil Hettmansperger (D)
22 Andy Biggs
Eddie Farnsworth		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Edward Schwebel (L)
23 Cheryl Chase
Pete Rios		 Republican
Democratic		 Running for State Senate
Running		 John Fillmore (R)
Frank Pratt (R)
Barbara McGuire (D)
24 Amanda Aguirre
Russell Jones		 Democratic
Republican		 Running for State Senate
Running for State Senate		 Joseph "Mel" Melchione (R)
Ken Rosevar (R)
Lynne Pancrazi (D)
Theresa Ulmer (D)
Martin Rodney (I)
25 Manuel Alvarez
Jennifer Burns		 Democratic
Republican		 Running
Running		 Patricia Fleming (D)
Gail Griffin (R)
26 Pete Hershberger
Steve Huffman		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Retiring		 David Jorgenson (R)
Lena Saradnik (D)
27 Olivia Cajero Bedford
Phil Lopes		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Running		 Gene Chewning (R)
28 David Bradley
Ted Downing		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Retiring		 Steve Farley (D)
Bill Phillips (R)
29 Linda Lopez
Tom Prezelski		 Democratic
Democratic		 Running
Running		 Bruce Murchison (R)
30 Marian McClure
Jonathan Paton		 Republican
Republican		 Running
Running		 Clarence Boykins (D)

State Senate

District Incumbent Party Status Candidates Winner
1 Ken Bennett Republican Retiring Tom O'Halleran (R)
Josephine Kelleher (D)
Terry Dunn (L)		 Tom O'Halleran (R)
2 Albert Hale Democratic Running Royce Jenkins (R)
Mark Haughwout (I)		 Albert Hale (D)
3 Ron Gould Republican Running Noah Harris (D) Ron Gould (R)
4 Jack Harper Republican Running Ed Gogek (D) Jack Harper (R)
5 Jake Flake Republican Running Phil Cobb (D) Jake Flake (R)
6 Dean Martin Republican Running for State Treasurer Pamela Gorman (R)
Jim Larson (D)
7 Jim Waring Republican Running Lisa Black (D)
8 Carolyn Allen Republican Running Dan Oseran (D)
9 Bob Burns Republican Running Steve Poe (D)
10 Linda Gray Republican Running Martin Monroe (D)
Dan Poland (L)
11 Barbara Leff Republican Running Ann Wallack (D)
12 Robert Blendu Republican Running None
13 Richard Miranda Democratic Running None
14 Bill Brotherton Democratic Retiring Debbie McCune-Davis (D)
15 Ken Cheuvront Democratic Running Andrew Smigielski (R)
16 Linda Aguirre Democratic Retiring Leah Landrum (D)
Daniel Veres (R)
17 Ed Ableser Democratic Running for State House Meg Burton Cahill (D)
Rose Crutcher (R)
18 Karen Johnson Republican Running Rachel Kielsky (L)
19 Chuck Gray Republican Running Steven Zachary (D)
20 John Huppenthal Republican Running Donna Gratehouse (D)
21 Jay Tibshraeny Republican Running None
22 Thayer Verschoor Republican Running Glenn A. Ray (D)
23 Rebecca Rios Democratic Running Cheryl Chase (R)
24 Robert Cannell Democratic Retiring Amanda Aguirre (D)
Russell Jones (R)
Stanley Lenihan (I)
25 Marsha Arzberger Democratic Running Mary Ann Black (R)
26 Toni Hellon Republican Defeated in Primary Al Melvin (R)
Charlene Pesquiera (D)
27 Jorge Luis Garcia Democratic Running None
28 Paula Aboud Democratic Running Michael J. Steimer (I, Write-In)
29 Victor Soltero Democratic Running None
30 Tim Bee Republican Running Jeffrey Chimene (D)

R=Republican, D=Democratic, L=Libertarian, I=Independent/No Affiliation

Analysis

Five incumbents—three Democrats and two Republicans— retired and didn't seek another elective office. Eleven State House members are ran for the State Senate, and one State Senator is ran for a seat in the State House; switching between chambers, especially when a term limit has been reached in one chamber, is a common occurrence in the Arizona Legislature.[1] Two members of the State Legislature sought statewide offices, and one sought election to the United States House of Representatives.

There were 14 races in which an incumbent Senator or both the incumbent Representatives are sought reelection and faced a primary challenge for the nomination(s) of their respective parties. Out of the 90 state legislative races, there are only six in which there are candidates ran without opposition.

The Republican Party needed to pick up one seat in the State House and two in the State Senate and lose none of their own in either chamber to gain a legislature that could override a Governor's veto. The Democratic Party needed to pick up nine seats in the State House without losing any of their own to form a House majority, and pick up three in the State Senate without losing any of their own to form a Senate majority.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Although in this case the State Senator doing so did not term out, see Ed Ableser's biography

http://www.azsos.gov/election/2006/general/2006_general_results_query.htm