NW Tucson may send 3 Dems to Legislature

Northwest Tucson could soon send three Democrats to the Arizona Legislature, an outcome that would give the region a new political alignment and help put Democrats in control of both chambers at the State Capitol. Unofficial results from the Nov. 3 election showed Democrat Edgar Soto leading the open Senate District 17 contest, while Democratic Reps. Kevin Volk and Hollace “Holly” Lyon appeared to have won the two House seats. The results were still preliminary in the days immediately after voting, although The Associated Press called the Senate race for Soto on Nov. 7.

Legislative District 17 covers a broad area around the Tucson metro region, including parts of Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Casas Adobes, Picture Rocks and the Catalina Foothills. It reaches north toward Catalina and SaddleBrooke and into Pinal County, and extends east toward the Rincon Valley. That mix of urban neighborhoods, growing suburbs and retirement communities made the district an important battleground as Democrats sought to flip the Senate seat and defend the House seats.

Soto led Republican Christopher King by 10,109 votes in the preliminary count. Soto had 60,142 votes, or 55%, compared with King’s 50,033 votes, or 45%. The race was for a seat most recently held by Republican Sen. Vince Leach, who did not run for reelection. Soto initially declined to declare victory, saying on Nov. 5 that additional ballots remained and that his experience as a baseball coach had taught him not to count on a result too early. The AP later declared him the winner at 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 7.

In the House contest, Volk led all four candidates with 56,228 votes, or 27.3% of the vote. Lyon was close behind with 55,992 votes, or 27.1%. They finished ahead of Republican John Winchester, who received 48,001 votes, or 23.3%, and Republican incumbent Rachel Jones Keshel, who had 45,879 votes, or 22.3%. The result would return Volk to the House and bring Lyon to the Legislature after two previous unsuccessful campaigns.

Soto has spent 30 years at Pima Community College and serves as a vice president overseeing the Desert Vista campus and the Santa Cruz County Provisional Community College campus in Nogales. Before joining Pima, he taught middle school social studies in the Tucson Unified School District. If the election result holds, he plans to retire from the college in January and devote himself fully to representing the district and Arizona. He said he may eventually teach as an adjunct instructor when the Legislature is not in session.

During the campaign, Soto said he spoke with voters across party lines and heard a desire for lawmakers who would choose what they believe is the strongest idea rather than automatically following partisan positions. He described himself as focused on solving practical problems and said he did not want to be part of a hyperpartisan group. Soto and Lyon are both military veterans. Soto served in the Marine Corps, while Lyon served in the Air Force. Soto and Volk also participated together in the Flinn Brown Fellowship program in 2022.

For Lyon, the apparent win followed campaigns in 2014 and 2018, when she ran as a Democrat in the more Republican Legislative District 11. She said that district had been difficult for a Democrat and that she did not expect such a strong Democratic result this time. During her campaign, she knocked on about 6,000 doors. She said conversations with residents often conveyed a sense that something needed to change, even when voters could not easily identify a single issue responsible for that feeling.

Lyon said her priorities include making the economy more affordable for families and small businesses, protecting Arizona’s water future, restoring funding for public schools and maintaining public safety. She also wants to learn the Legislature’s procedures quickly and begin working immediately. Although Democrats may hold the majority, she said that should not mean ignoring people who voted for Republicans. She supports bipartisan working groups and argued that neither party has all the right answers. Her goal, she said, is to show that government can function when elected officials work together on solutions.

The apparent District 17 results are part of a statewide Democratic breakthrough. Preliminary counts showed Democrats ahead in 19 of 30 Senate races and 37 of 60 House races, giving the party potential majorities in both chambers for the first time in roughly six decades. Democrats also won Arizona’s statewide elected offices, including attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction and mine inspector. Democrat Katie Hobbs won a second term as governor over Republican Andy Biggs, with former Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles as her running mate, while Democrats also won control of both chambers of Congress nationally. Soto said the combination of a Democratic governor and Democratic legislative leadership could create an opportunity to address long standing problems, but Lyon emphasized that the work ahead would require cooperation rather than simply relying on the power of a majority.