Candidates want to boot rivals off Arizona's ballot before voters can weigh in. Here's why

Candidates in competitive primaries appear to be finding the matchups with their fellow party members a little too close for comfort.

Lawsuits filed in Maricopa County Superior Court show challenges in at least seven legislative districts where the Republican and Democratic primary lineups have exceeded the number of seats to be filled.

In other cases, the challenges are motivated by the slim margin for error candidates left when gathering voter signatures on their nomination petitions.

In Congressional District 3, Republican candidate Jesus Mendoza collected just one more signature than the required 810. That drew a complaint from Shelby Busch, a GOP activist and chair of the We the People AZ Alliance political action committee.

Other challenges revolve around irregularities. In the far northwest Valley's Legislative District 29, freshman Rep. Austin Smith, R-Waddell, is alleged to have forged signatures on his nomination petitions. Two voters filed affidavits attesting they never signed Smith's petitions, even though their names are among the 826 signatures he submitted.

The complaint was filed by Jim Ashurst, a district resident.

Most of the challenges reflect a desire to reduce the competition level in the July 30 primary.

In the crowded race for the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 1, a lawsuit challenges the eligibility of Marlene Galan Woods. A copy of the court filing was not immediately available to understand the nature of the complaint.

State Senate races were fertile grounds for complaints. For example, state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, is challenging her opponent, Rep. David Cook, a Globe Republican.

State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, is contesting the petitions of Democrat Matt Welch.

In north Phoenix, an ally of Republican Sen. Shawnna Bolick is challenging the petition signatures submitted by conservative Republican Josh Barnett.

In House races, where voters pick two nominees, a challenge seeks to narrow the three-candidate Democratic field in Chandler-based District 13 by questioning the validity of Shante Saulsberry's petitions. Likewise, lawsuits question the eligibility of Michael Butts and Izaak Ruiz for Democratic slots in southwest Phoenix's District 11.

Other challenges involved Gilbert council candidates and several Libertarians running for Congress. Among them was Michelle Martin, a Libertarian candidate in Congressional District 1. Martin has withdrawn from the race.

All of the challenges have been scheduled for trial dates either later this week or early next week. The primary election is July 30, and election officials need time to prepare and print the official ballot.

Challengers must present evidence to the court that a candidate lacked enough valid signatures. Petitions were due April 1 and lawsuits had to be filed by Monday.

One of those challenges targeted state Rep. Melody Hernandez, a Tempe Democrat seeking a state Senate seat in Democrat-leaning Legislative District 8. But after a challenge from Republican David Alger, Hernandez left the race on Monday, saying she needed to take accountability for her errors.

Of the 451 signatures she turned in, 97 were invalid, Alger's complaint stated. That left her 51 signatures short of the minimum 405.

Hernandez, a two-term Democrat in the Arizona House, told The Arizona Republic her decision to withdraw came from a need to hold herself accountable for her signature and campaign finance reporting problems.

She owes $3,365 in late fees for her failure to file timely campaign finance reports, the secretary of state’s online data shows. The total includes $2,025 for not turning in her 2023 cumulative report donations and spending. The amount continues to grow at $25 a day.

“It was one of those instances where like, ‘Oh, I could fight this.' But at what cost? " Hernandez said. "And at the end of the day, I just recognized how tired I am.”

Steven Jackson, the chairman of LD8, said in a post on X that Democrats will field a write-in candidate for the primary who, if they get enough votes, will face the lone Republican seeking the LD8 Senate seat, Roxana Holzapfel. Jackson said he was confident Democrats would hold on to the seat, which has been in Democratic hands for years.

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Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona candidates file lawsuits to disqualify opponents from primary