East Valley outsider candidates outline their progressive plans for the Arizona Legislature

A pocket of voters in the East Valley have historically split their ballots across party lines, but two political newcomers are trying to change that—one door at a time.

Brandy Reese and Nicholas Gonzales, both Democrats, are running for the House of Representatives in Arizona’s 13th Legislative District, which covers parts of Chandler, Gilbert, and Sun Lakes.

The seats are currently held by Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, who is not seeking reelection, and Republican Rep. Julie Willoughby, who was rejected by voters in 2022, but appointed to the legislature in 2023 after Liz Harris was expelled for using the Capitol as a platform for defamatory conspiracy theories.

Brandy Reese (left) and Nicholas Gonzales (right). Photos courtesy Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Who’s running

Willoughby hopes to retain her seat, and Republicans see Pawlik’s departure as an opportunity for them to regain their footing in a district that could determine which party controls the state’s legislature next year. She is running with Republican Jeff Weninger, a former state legislator and city of Chandler councilmember.

Neither of the Democratic candidates have held public office. Reese is a retired criminologist for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and public education advocate. Gonzales is a community planner and entrepreneur who has worked for Chicanos Por La Causa to develop affordable housing.

Gonzales has recently come under scrutiny for tense relations with a former partner over a custody swap, as first reported by the Arizona Republic. The incident ended with a now-set-aside conviction for making a false police report.

Weninger, on the other hand, is a longtime politician: he served eight years on the Chandler City Council before representing the district for another eight years up until 2022, when he made a failed bid for state treasurer.

Willoughby, a former emergency room nurse, unsuccessfully ran for a House seat twice, in 2018 and 2022, before finally being appointed in 2023.

The pair are not as far right as many Republicans—and have even gone as far as to hide endorsements from the party’s more extreme faction—and put forth very business-centric and traditionally conservative campaigns, prioritizing public safety and lowering taxes.

Voting for solutions, not party politics

Many voters in LD13 don’t feel at home with either party, and they just want to elect people who work together, aren’t on either extreme, and are focused on good governance, Reese said.

“I remind [people] that I’m a retired forensic scientist, so my focus is very much on facts and data and using my evidence-based problem solving skills to actually tackle the problems and not getting caught up in culture war nonsense or conspiracy theories,” Reese said.

Once a more solidly-red district the area has been trending to the left in recent years—likely from the population growth the district has experienced—but still leans slightly Republican. Independent voters make up an almost equal share of registered Republicans.

“I grew up right here in this community, and I’m going to be focused on the priorities that mean the most to this community that raised me,” Gonzales said. “I believe that the best representation is somebody that truly understands where a community has come from to really be able to propose effectively, kind of where it’s going to be heading.”

Neither Willoughby nor Weninger responded to a request for comment or interview from The Copper Courier.

Addressing affordability

Affordability, whether that be housing costs or day-to-day expenses, has been the number one issue for voters in LD13, Gonzales said.

Gonzales is an advocate for progressive housing policy, and as an urban planner working with developers to build affordable housing, he recognizes the common roadblocks that builders face to bring more affordability to the state.

“It’s very difficult, if not extremely difficult, for any type of developer, let alone an affordable housing developer, to build affordable housing here in Arizona, and that’s due to a lack of resources,” he said.

He plans to hold the legislature accountable to create more resources for developers to build affordable housing, such as expanding low-income housing tax credits and creating more housing voucher opportunities.

Unlike Reese, Gonzales is not an advocate for complete local control of housing regulations—such as zoning and land use laws— as a piece of the puzzle to improve housing affordability in Arizona. Instead, he believes it is important for local governments to have the resources and funding to solve the problems that are specific for their communities.

For example, the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year to legalize the construction of casitas, or accessory dwelling units, in cities and towns across the state, overbearing on cities that had previously passed laws to ban them.

Reese believes the right path forward is repealing laws that preempt local control, because allowing local communities to do what is right for them is the best way forward, she said.

“What is good and right in Chandler, is not necessarily what is going to work for people in Bisbee or people in Mojave County,” Reese said.

Gonzales believes that when local governments and local communities have more control over housing options, it limits statewide efforts in building more affordable housing, and housing in general. For issues like water and sustainability, local governments have a better understanding of how to solve these problems, he said.

Everyone wants a community where their kids can thrive, and having a well-funded education to give them the tools they need for a career, is where that starts, Reese said.

Abortion

Both Reese and Gonzales are advocates for reproductive freedom and a woman’s right to abortion access. Reese points to the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 as the catalyst for her decision to run for office.

Gonzales has made women’s rights a pillar of his platform and has pledged to protect abortion access in the legislature.

Both Republican candidates are in favor of abortion bans that provide no exceptions for victims of sexual assault. Earlier this year, Willoughby voted to preserve Arizona’s Civil War-era abortion ban, which was eventually repealed. In 2022, Weninger voted for the state’s current 15-week abortion ban.

“I’m a parent of two young adult daughters, and I certainly want my kids to be able to live here and afford to live here,” Reese said. “They also want politicians not in their exam rooms with them, not making those decisions or even involving themselves.”

For the people who don’t agree with abortion, for a variety of reasons, they still don’t want politicians making those healthcare choices for them, Reese said.

In this regard, Reese says Weninger and Willoughby are out of touch with what Arizonans want regarding reproductive health care. The two have both voted against abortion access, something Reese says she will be a steadfast supporter of.

Education

Reese is an organizer and volunteer with Save Our Schools Arizona, a nonprofit that advocates for more funding for public schools — and says she will make advocating for public education a top priority.

Private school vouchers have lost control of their intended use, and they are no longer suiting the needs of students and families across the state, Gonzales said.

Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) vouchers are taxpayer-supported vouchers in Arizona that allow parents to use public money to pay for private school tuition and other educational expenses. The program has cost the state roughly $332 million—$267 million over budget—due to a lack of oversight and accountability from the Arizona Department of Education.

Most of the voters Reese has spoken to in her district want a good, robust public education system — she has never been against the original purpose of school vouchers, but that original purpose has been getting lost, she said.

Brandy Reese volunteering with Save Our Schools Arizona. Photo courtesy Brandy Reese campaign.

Both Willoughby and Weninger support the expansion of Arizona’s school voucher program in its current unregulated form.

Arizona is moving in the direction of privatizing its education system, which is not in the best interest of the state or in the best interest of workforce development, Gonzales said.

Gonzales grew up in Chandler, a graduate of Chandler High School, and has seen it grow from a city that was once primarily farmland to one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the country.

“For somebody who has come out of the public school system, earned my degree from ASU and then went on to law school to start a small business, I am confident that by improving our public school system and getting us out of the top ten worst funded schools in our nation, that is where we’re going to be able to best support our local workforce development,” Gonzales said.

While there is a need for charter schools and special education institutions, especially as the state continues to grow, that does not mean resources should be taken away from public schools, Gonzales said.

“I’m from this community, I’m focused on doing what’s best for this community where I grew up, and I’m confident that my opponents are not focused on those same priorities,” Gonzales said.

Reese is a proponent of the Second Amendment, as a gun owner, as a graduate of the police academy, and as a former employee of a law enforcement agency, she said. “I just think that with any right, there comes responsibilities.”

Gonzales said he would not be running for office if he did not believe it was possible to flip the legislature to Democratic control in order for meaningful change to happen.

As Arizona’s legislature has become more toxic and divisive, the Republican majority has used their power in undemocratic ways — placing nearly all of the political power in their hands, Reese said.

If Democrats win the majority this election cycle, Reese believes it will create the opportunity for more issues to be placed on the table and, in turn, put forth more policies that will be good for Arizonans.