Tim Steller’s column: Now in power, Arizona Dems must prioritize to-do list

For Tucson, Arizona Democrats’ expected takeover of the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature could put several issues central to Southern Arizona directly on the state agenda. Rural groundwater regulation, education funding, school vouchers, local control and tax policy have all been difficult to advance under years of Republican dominance. With Gov. Katie Hobbs reelected and Democrats holding hard to overcome leads in the House and Senate, Tucson lawmakers may soon help decide whether the party can turn its long promised opportunity into effective governing.

The shift would give Democrats the power Republicans have routinely exercised: setting the legislative agenda, assigning committee chairs and deciding which bills receive hearings and votes. Sen. Priya Sundareshan, a Tucson Democrat and the current Senate minority leader, could become Senate president when Democrats select their leadership. Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, also from Tucson’s Legislative District 18, could become House majority leader, one position below speaker, when House Democrats choose their leaders. Rep. Chris Mathis, another LD 18 Democrat, would also be positioned to pursue priorities that previously stalled.

Democrats will face an early test in how they treat the minority party. Former legislator Steve Farley, who spent 12 years in the House and Senate, said the new majority should not copy the behavior Democrats experienced during Republican control. Majority leaders have historically controlled the rules and committees, while Democratic bills often received little consideration. Gutierrez said fewer than 10% of Democratic bills received hearings and only 2% passed. She said Democrats hope to treat Republicans better, while emphasizing that their main responsibility is passing policies that help Arizonans.

That balance could shape the party’s efforts to change the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. ESA spending has grown beyond $1 billion annually, making it Democrats’ leading target for reform. A ballot proposal that would have imposed new restrictions was removed from the Nov. 3 ballot after a challenge, but Gutierrez said legislative changes will probably resemble that initiative. Its provisions included limiting eligibility to households earning no more than $150,000, barring purchases such as lingerie and furniture, and restricting who may be paid as a tutor.

Not every Democratic legislator wants the program eliminated. Edgar Soto, a Democrat winning a Republican held Senate seat in Legislative District 17, said conversations with families using ESAs responsibly changed his view. He supports keeping the program while adding safeguards to protect taxpayers. That approach, combining limits with continued access, could offer Democrats a way to respond to concerns about rapidly rising costs without dismissing families who rely on the scholarships.

Education would extend well beyond vouchers. Potential priorities include increasing teacher pay to improve retention, changing how school infrastructure is financed, strengthening oversight of charter school finances, expanding early childhood education and providing more money to Arizona’s universities. Paying for those efforts would require new revenue, and Farley points to the Arizona Department of Revenue’s 2025 Tax Expenditure Report as a starting place. The report catalogs tax exemptions and other breaks, including provisions that may have survived because powerful industries could afford extensive lobbying.

Farley has previously highlighted a sales tax exemption involving four inch pipes, which benefits Southwest Gas and companies transporting oil, water and coal slurry. His broader argument is that exemptions supported mainly by lobbyists rather than the public should be reconsidered. For Tucson and other communities facing tight budgets, examining those provisions could help Democrats identify money for education and other services, though changing them would likely bring opposition from the interests that benefit from them.

Water may be an even more urgent Southern Arizona priority. Rep. Gail Griffin, who has repeatedly blocked rural groundwater regulation proposals, won another term, this time in the Senate. However, she will be in the minority and will no longer be able to stop bills as a committee chair. That change could open space for the Rural Groundwater Management Act previously sponsored by Sundareshan and Mathis. Their proposal would create local councils in groundwater basins to make water use decisions, rather than relying only on Arizona’s existing active management areas. The issue is pressing in basins where agricultural pumping is lowering water tables beyond the reach of older wells.

Democrats could also reverse some of the state’s limits on local government. Arizona law prevents cities from taking actions that other communities might want to consider, including destroying seized guns, adopting rent control and regulating plastic bags. A 2016 law allows any legislator to challenge a local ordinance as inconsistent with state law or the Constitution, triggering an attorney general investigation and potentially putting state shared revenue at risk. Repealing those restrictions would require care, but allowing cities to regulate short term rentals could be an initial target. Communities such as Sedona have experienced housing pressures linked in part to the number of Airbnb and VRBO properties, while the effects differ widely across the state.

The new majority’s central challenge will be proving that Democrats can govern without overreaching. Farley cautioned that Arizona voters have not undergone a radical ideological transformation, and said Democrats must not waste their chance by acting alone. Soto similarly said the best idea should prevail regardless of whether it comes from a Democrat, Republican, independent or someone outside politics. Gutierrez said Democrats need discernment and cannot move so far left that they lose half the electorate. For Tucson lawmakers, that means using their new influence on water, schools, spending and local control while showing residents that a majority can produce practical results.