In November, Arizonans will head to the polls to vote for their preferred candidates for top offices. In the midst of President Donald Trump’s second term, with thousands of Arizonans kicked off food assistance and surging prices of groceries, Democrats are vying to flip Arizona blue while Republicans are hoping to hold onto their narrow majority.
Here are the main races to watch.
Congressional District 1
A longtime battleground district, Democrats have tried to flip Arizona’s 1st Congressional District for years. Represented by US Rep. David Schweikert (R-Scottsdale) for more than 15 years, the congressman left his seat for an unsuccessful bid for governor, losing the July 21 Republican primary to US Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert).
Democrat Amish Shah, a former ER nurse and state lawmaker, won the Democratic nomination against former broadcast journalist Marlene Galán-Woods in the July primary. An anti-Trump Democrat, Shah is running on a platform of affordability and expanded healthcare access for Arizonans.
A self-described “staunch supporter of President Trump,” Trump-backed Jay Feely won the Republican nomination in the July primary, beating out state Rep. Joe Chaplik (R-Scottsdale) for the nomination. A former NFL kicker, Feely is running on a pro-Trump platform, including support for mass deportations and opposing transgender students’ participation in sports.
Congressional District 2
Represented by US Rep. Eli Crane (R-Flagstaff) since 2022, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting this race, backing former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
Tribal land makes up a significant portion of Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District and the district is home to 14 tribal nations. Crane has faced criticism for his yes vote on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which put rural hospitals at risk of closure. Crane has also been criticized for not living in the district he represents. Backed by Trump, Crane is running on border security, veterans issues, and the economy.
It’s Nez’s second time facing Crane. In 2024, Nez made the district competitive, according to the Cook Political Report, outperforming Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona’s 2nd District by 3.5 points and surpassing Sen. Ruben Gallego’s numbers, too. A Democrat, Nez is running to lower costs, support veterans, and reform government, according to his website.
Congressional District 6
After redistricting turned the district competitive in 2022, Democrats have been attempting to flip the district blue once and for all.
US Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson) is seeking his 3rd term in the US House. Ciscomani positions himself as bipartisan, but has voted with Trump in his second term 100% of the time, according to the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. Per his website, Ciscomani’s top issues include lowering taxes and border security.
Democrat JoAnna Mendoza ran unopposed for the nomination and will face Ciscomani in the fall. A Marine Corps veteran, Mendoza is running on an affordability platform, pointing to Ciscomani’s yes vote on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” which cut Medicaid and SNAP food assistance by more than $1 trillion over a decade. An Arizona Mirror analysis found that Tucson hospitals are slated to lose $110 million every year due to the cuts. Mendoza has also campaigned on expanding the Child Tax Credit and protecting Social Security, arguing current benefits aren’t enough for Arizona seniors.
Legislative District 2 Senate race
Incumbent Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) will face off against Democratic challenger Amelia Gallitano, a neuroscientist, in the fall for one of the state’s most competitive districts.
Far-right lawmaker Bolick is a staunch supporter of Arizona’s school vouchers program. Bolick has repeatedly defended school choice as “a modern civil rights issue,” in 2021.
An anti-abortion advocate, Bolick opposed Prop 139, a measure to enshrine abortion into the state constitution. Despite her efforts, the state voted overwhelmingly in support of Prop 139.
“From the moment of conception until the end of life, everyone should have a right to life. All lives matter or no lives matter,” she said on the House floor.
However, in 2024, Bolick broke from her party to help repeal Arizona’s 1864 near-total abortion ban, joining Democrats even as she continued to oppose the constitutional amendment.
An election denier, Bolick introduced a bill that would have allowed the state legislature to overturn the will of Arizona voters in presidential elections for any reason. Bolick was one of 20 Republican lawmakers who signed onto a resolution urging Congress to either accept a slate of fake electors or reject the state’s electoral votes until the legislature could perform an audit. Despite the efforts, the audit later confirmed that then President Joe Biden did in fact win the state.
Gallitano, on the other hand, is advocating for reforms to the state’s voucher program and better healthcare outcomes. In a conversation with the Arizona Republic earlier this year, Gallitano pointed to her experience as a doctor, arguing that the government should be working to better health outcomes for Arizonans, including expanding access to healthy food and reducing the high-costs of healthcare.
Legislative District 4 Senate race
Republican incumbent Sen. Carine Werner (R-Scottsdale), who’s served the district since 2025, will face Democratic challenger former Rep. Aaron Lieberman in the fall.
Werner has supported bans on books by LGBTQ and Black authors and previously advocated for conservative nonprofit PragerU curriculum within schools. Werner is running on a platform of reducing wasteful education spending, but has signified support for Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program that has cost the state more than $1 billion.
Lieberman, a former state legislator, served in the state house from 2019 to 2021, before stepping down for a failed run at governor. Lieberman is running on a platform of affordability and increasing school spending.
Legislative District 4 House race
Republican incumbents Rep. Matt Gress (R-Scottsdale) and Pamela Carter, (R-Scottsdale), will face off against Democratic challengers Karen Gresham, a member of the Madison Elementary School District governing board, and business owner Tammy Caputi.
In 2025, Gress faced a recall petition launched by parents of children with disabilities after he and fellow Republican lawmakers backed a measure that would have placed new restrictions on a Division of Developmental Disabilities program that provides funding support for parents who act as caregivers for their children.
Carter, who didn’t receive an endorsement from her celebrity sister Lynda Carter, is opposed to abortion and same sex marriage. In 2024, her sister, former star of the 1970s hit TV show “Wonder Woman,” endorsed Carter’s Democratic challengers at the time, Gresham and Kelli Butler.
Gresham’s campaign centers on increasing public education funding and rolling back the costs of the ESA voucher program. Caputi said on a campaign website her top issues include “a stronger economy, better opportunities for families, and responsible leadership.”
Legislative District 13 House race
No incumbent is running for reelection, leaving both House seats wide open.
Rep. Jeff Weninger (R-Chandler), gave up his House seat to run for Chandler mayor, later losing that race to Matt Orlando. Current Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke and Weninger’s wife, Janet Weninger, are running for LD 13’s house seats.
Hartke describes himself as a “future-focused conservative,” running on “fiscal conservatism, limited government, and smart economic growth,” per his campaign website. Weninger’s campaign focuses on border security, protecting children, and defending the state’s voucher program.
Hartke and Janet Weninger will face Democrats Rockee Armstrong and Jacob Weinberg. Armstrong, a former teacher and school administrator, is running on a platform of public education funding, lowering costs, and the state’s water supply. Weinberg, a 20-year Army combat veteran, is focused on affordability, better education, and veterans issues.
Legislative District 17 House race
LD17, which leans Republican, was handed an upset when Rep. Kevin Volk (D-Tucson) defeated then-Republican Rep. Cory McGarr in 2024. This year, Volk is running alongside fellow Democrat Holly Lyon, a retired Air Force colonel and former teacher, for the two House seats. Volk is running on a campaign of lowered housing costs and water security.
Rep. Rachel Keshel (R-Tucson), a far-right lawmaker, is running with Republican John Winchester, a business leader, in an attempt to take back both seats. Keshel is running on a campaign of “fighting the woke agenda,” securing elections, and securing the border.
Lyon has centered her campaign on affordability, strengthening public education, and securing Arizona’s water future.
Legislative District 23 House race
On Aug. 12, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, an organization that works to elect Democrats, announced the organization was putting its support behind Emilia Cortez, a Democrat running to unseat incumbent Rep. Michele Peña (R-Yuma). Peña has been in office since 2022, but only won her 2024 reelection by 592 votes against Democratic seatmate Mariana Sandoval (R-Yuma).
According to Peña’s campaign website, the Yuma incumbent’s top issues include protecting vouchers, addressing agriculture issues, and maintaining a balanced budget. Democratic opponent Cortez is running to better public schools, improve the economy, and make healthcare accessible.
