Arizona state elections 2024: Legislative majority at risk for Republicans
ARIZONA PRIMARY ELECTION 2024
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The 2024 elections in Arizona could mark a pivotal turning point.
Republicans in the Arizona Legislature hold narrow one-seat majorities in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate.
With every lawmaker in Arizona on the ballot, Democrats could win control of a chamber of the state Legislature for the first time in more than three decades. Democrat Katie Hobbs holds the Governor's Office, meaning they could also win total control over state government for the first time since 1966.
Republicans could also retain one of both legislative chambers, ensuring divided government through 2026, when Hobbs is eligible to seek reelection.
And Arizonans will weigh in on three seats on the state Corporation Commission, an agency that serves as the state's utility regulator.
The process begins with the July 30 primary election and ends with the Nov. 5 general election, in which voters will also be asked to settle policy questions pivotal to Arizona's future. The extension of a half-cent sales tax to pay for a mix of transportation projects has already qualified for the ballot, while a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution appears poised to go before voters.
Arizona Legislature: What important issues does it work on?
Control of all 90 seats in the Arizona Legislature will be up for grabs this fall. Republicans seek to defend their single-seat majorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate.
Here's what lawmakers have been doing during the 2024 legislative session on some of the biggest issues facing Arizonans:
1864 abortion ban repeal passes
1864 abortion ban: The Arizona abortion ban repeal passed by the Legislature was signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, but the 1864 law will linger for months. A look at what's next for abortion in Arizona.
160-year-old law repealed: Senate votes to overturn Arizona abortion ban, sends repeal of 1864 law to governor.
"Shame, shame": GOP ethics complaints target two Arizona House Democrats for "attempted insurrection" in the aftermath of an April 10 debate about Arizona's 1864 abortion law.
Delayed enforcement: Arizona's 1864 abortion ban is not enforceable until mid-August, the state Supreme Court says.
Immigration targeted with House Concurrent Resolution 2060
Judge rejects legal challenge: A lawsuit that argued the measure violated the constitution's single-subject rule, but a Maricopa County judge ruled that lawmakers met that standard.
One step closer: The Arizona Senate passes a border security proposal to send to voters. It now goes to the House.
Sounding an alarm: The Arizona prisons chief says a Republican-backed immigration measure could cost the state $252 million to enforce.
Planning next steps: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs rejects the GOP immigration bill so Republicans want to send it to voters.
GOP rift? House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen are at odds as a push continues for E-Verify.
Cites constitutional concerns: Gov. Katie Hobbs rejects GOP-backed "Arizona Border Invasion Act." It was her first veto in 2024.
Limiting undocumented residents' ability to work: A new immigration law would devastate Arizona's economy, opponents say. The numbers say otherwise.
Guns, cellphones, school vouchers become education focus
Arizona school vouchers: Wealthy areas in Arizona get them at the highest rates, a study finds.
Cellphone ban: Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a plan to limit student phone use during the school day, prompting criticism from the state schools chief.
Vouchers vs. vaccines: Dictating curriculum, making certain immunizations optional and scraping letter grades used to rank schools' performance are some of the education bills Arizona lawmakers are focusing on.
Gun storage at school: A Phoenix school board calls on the Legislature for a safe storage law after a student is found with a gun.
Poverty funds: Arizona's schools chief is withholding funding for low-income students. Democrats want an explanation from Tom Horne.
Harmful legislation or a parent's right to know? A legislative proposal targeting transgender students that was created to bypass Gov. Katie Hobbs' veto failed in the Senate.
Lawmakers focus on election security
More transparency: Arizonans will be able to see the political fundraising and spending of the state's most powerful elected officials much sooner and more often under a measure signed into law this year.
Election redo: Should Arizona cancel votes in low-turnout elections? A GOP lawmaker wants to do just that.
Bipartisan backing: Gov. Katie Hobbs, the GOP and the Democrats find a compromise to fix Arizona's election calendar.
Environment: Groundwater bill rejected as clean air fight ensues
Not good enough: Gov. Katie Hobbs rejects a Republican-sponsored rural groundwater bill approved by the Arizona Senate because she does not believe it would protect water supplies for small communities.
Clean air fight: GOP leaders and the Arizona Chamber sue the EPA, decrying 'tyrannical' air quality standards.
Yuma farmworker heat death: An Arizona lawmaker files a bill to protect workers from heat after the death of the 26-year-old father of two.
Water, climate, environmental justice: Students were among those hoping for more protections for resources in Arizona in 2024.
Ethics: Allegations of fraud, sexual violence surface
Abortion fallout: Democrats chanting, "Shame, shame," on the House floor led to ethics complaints for behavior Republicans characterized as "an attempted insurrection".
Grand jury indicts fake electors: A grand jury has charged 11 Arizona Republicans and seven top aides to Donald Trump in a scheme to keep Trump in the White House by falsely certifying he won the state in 2020.
Dropping out: A Republican state lawmaker with a history of leveling unfounded allegations of fraud against election workers has dropped his reelection bid amid allegations he forged signatures on his nomination petitions.
"Political stunts"? The GOP launches a panel to investigate Attorney General Kris Mayes for alleged weaponization of her office and malfeasance.
Resignation accepted: Democrat state Rep. Jevin Hodge resigns after sexual violence findings from his college days are uncovered.
Death threats from lawmaker: Democratic state Rep. Leezah Sun resigns from Arizona Legislature after a damning ethics panel report is released.
18-month probation term: Arizona Republican lawmaker Rep. Alexander Kolodin was disciplined for misconduct after regulators found four lawsuits he brought related to the 2020 election violated rules for attorneys.
Lawmakers target Arizona's housing crisis
"Yes in God's Backyard": A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to allow thousands of land-owning churches and other religious institutions in Arizona to develop their extra land with fewer zoning restrictions.
Starter Homes Act: Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a bipartisan housing bill that would have restricted local jurisdictional power, citing "unclear outcomes".
Short-term rental reform: A group of furious Arizona voters threatens to oust state GOP lawmakers who stopped progress on regulations.
Leaders get tough on drugs and punishments
"There will be accountability": Fentanyl dealers will face tougher Arizona laws and more prison time.
Attorney general opinion: "Intoxicating" compounds made from hemp are illegal in Arizona and any stores selling them should stop immediately.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy centers: One state has a legal magic mushrooms industry. Here's what Arizona can learn from it.
Highly sought: Arizona tried adding equity into marijuana licensing, but wealthy corporations still took over.
"Magic mushrooms" legalization: A bipartisan bill that cleared a Senate committee would spawn a medical psilocybin mushroom industry in Arizona that could grow into a larger market.
Dispensary industry: "Microlicenses" could allow you to sell pot gummies to your friends. What that means for Arizona.
Culture wars surface
"Had no idea": An Arizona fake elector appeared on Holocaust denier show but now he's banned from Senate video room.
"Attack on Arizonans": Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a school shower rule, saying it targets transgender students.
Sanctions: The Republican House speaker punished Democratic colleagues for hosting a "drag story hour" at the Legislature, accusing them of spreading "dangerously perverse ideology".
23rd veto: Arizona will not require age verification for accessing porn sites after Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes GOP bill.
Relationship with Gov. Katie Hobbs
GOP claims victory: Hobbs' nominee to a panel that helps select Arizona judges resigns, citing "obstructionist toxicity."
A shorter leash: Lawmakers push for shorter terms for Arizona’s government agencies.
Tone of divisiveness: Arizona Senate president sues Gov. Katie Hobbs after she bypasses agency director confirmations.
Bipartisan support: Pay raises are on the table for Gov. Katie Hobb and other Arizona lawmakers, the first since the 1990s.
Arizona Corporation Commission has 3 seats up for grabs
The five-member commission regulates Arizona's public utility companies, incorporation of businesses and organizations, and manages railroad and pipeline safety, among other duties.
Three of the commission's five seats are up for election. Incumbent Lea Marquez Peterson as well as Rene Lopez and Rachel Walden are running in the Republican primary, while Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill, and Joshua Polacheck will run in the Democratic primary. The candidates will face off for the trio of seats in November.
The commission is currently controlled by Republicans by a 4-1 margin. Chairman Jim O'Connor, a Republican, and Anna Tovar, the lone Democrat, aren't seeking reelection.
New counsel: The Arizona Corporation Commission has hired as the agency’s general counsel the headline-grabbing former lawyer for Sarah Palin and current chief of staff for Congressman Paul Gosar.
8% increase: APS got what it wanted and now you're getting zapped with higher utility bills.
Two-year case: Arizona coal plant communities lose out on millions in economic transition funding.
Shakeup needed? Corporation Commission's lone Democrat explains why she won't seek a second term.
Abortion measure likely headed to ballot
The Arizona abortion ballot measure would create a "fundamental right" to obtain an abortion anytime before viability — the point at which a fetus would have a significant chance of surviving outside the womb. Fetal viability is typically at about 23 or 24 weeks of gestation.
The citizen-initiated effort to amend the Arizona Consitution has not qualified for the ballot yet, but supporters say it has enough signatures to make it in front of voters in November.
"Bait and switch": An Arizona group that opposes abortion filed a lawsuit aiming to keep a constitutional amendment off the ballot in November.
Judge rejects term “unborn human being”: GOP legislative leaders sought the use of “partisan” language in a description of an abortion rights ballot measure that will be sent to voters.
Abortion access seems set for ballot: Proponents gathered over 800K signatures from Arizona voters, but are now suing over voter pamphlet language.
Court upholds 1864 law: Two of the four justices who voted to uphold the 1864 ban are up for retention. Here's a look at who they are.
Judge reacts: Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint decries the effort urging voters to remove him and a colleague from the bench since upholding the state’s 1864 abortion law. He says his critics are “hijacking the retention process”.
Delayed enforcement: Arizona's 1864 abortion ban is not enforceable until mid-August, the state Supreme Court says.
Leaked presentation: The Arizona GOP wants to undercut a proposed abortion ballot measure by crafting competing proposals.
"Seismic" effect: Supporters of an effort to put abortion rights into the Arizona Constitution say the court's ruling on the 1864 ban 'supercharges' their abortion ballot initiative.
$100,00 check: A Washington state lawyer made the single largest donation to a campaign opposed to putting abortion rights into the Arizona Constitution.
Opposition campaign: Opponents of the Arizona abortion rights initiative campaign against what they say is an 'extreme' proposal.
Voters to decide Maricopa County transportation tax ballot measure
The measure — which will appear on the ballot as Proposition 479 and is dubbed Connect Maricopa — allows Maricopa County to ask its voters if they want to extend a half-cent sales tax to pay for a mix of transportation projects over the next 20 years. It has qualified for the ballot.
Want better roads? Arizona leaders launched a campaign to convince Maricopa County voters to continue for another 20 years a half-cent sales tax that funds transportation.
Transportation tax measure clears Legislature: Lawmakers made changes to the bill, which boosts funding for highways and bars any spending on light-rail expansion.
Other Arizona ballot proposals
Lawsuits say measures are ineligible for ballot: A judge is reviewing allegations that ballot measures intended to raise Arizona's minimum wage and eliminate partisan primary elections shouldn't be allowed on November's ballot.
"Throwing away the key": Republicans target harsher punishments on child sex traffickers in Arizona.
Judicial retention: A GOP-backed ballot proposal would keep the Arizona Supreme Court intact, even if justices are voted out.
Not as easy as 1-2-3: House and Senate Republicans, Gov. Katie Hobbs are split over a teacher pay measure.
Legislative districts: The GOP wants a legislative map based on a "citizen-only" census, but Democrats call it gerrymandering.
Make Elections Fair Act: A ballot measure seeks to eliminate the state's partisan primary system and replace it with a system in which every voter can vote in every election.
"The big one": The Legislature is one vote away from asking Arizonans if they abolish early voting.
See all 2024 Arizona primary races
A recap of everything: When is Arizona's primary? Election day is July 30. Here is a voter guide to help you learn about all the candidates.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona state elections 2024: Legislative majority at risk for GOP
