The race between a moderate Republican running against a moderate Democrat in Maricopa County’s 3rd district could determine whether the county’s Board of Supervisors remains under Republican control.
District 3 runs from the central Valley up to Cave Creek and Anthem. It’s currently represented by outgoing Republican Supervisor Bill Gates, best known for facing vitriol for defending the integrity of the county’s 2020 and 2022 elections.
Gates’ insistence that the county’s elections are safe and secure led to death threats against him and his family from those who claim — without evidence — that elections were stolen from unsuccessful Republican candidates.
Vying to take over the seat are former state lawmaker Kate Brophy McGee and former Phoenix City Councilman Daniel Valenzuela.
Brophy McGee has described herself as a “moderate” and voted like one during her tenure in the Arizona state Senate. She occasionally sided with Democrats on issues, such as efforts to ban conversion therapy.
She also opposed the expansion of Arizona’s school voucher program.
Brophy McGee says she likes to look for ways to compromise, without walking away from her Republican principles.
“I have been able in my time in office to build some very powerful bipartisan consensus around a host of issues,” she said. “Probably the one I am most known for or was most known for in the legislature was to reform what is now the Department of Child Safety from the ground up.”
Brophy McGee has also served on the Washington Elementary School Board and the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission, and currently sits on the board of directors for the Maricopa County Special Health Care District.
Valenzuela served as vice mayor during part of his time on the Phoenix City Council, and served as a firefighter for 20 years before that.
Brophy McGee and Valenzuela both say their number one priority is public safety and both tout endorsements from law enforcement and fire organizations.
But Valenzuela has sought to distinguish himself on the issue.
“It's not just delivering for the people that we're here to deliver for, but it's delivering for our first responders as well and getting our first responders the resources they need so that they could do a good job, but also, you know, go home at the end of the night to their loved ones,” he said.
Brophy McGee defended her own track record on public safety.
“In the Legislature, I worked around local public safety issues by enacting legislation to regulate sober living homes, to regulate outpatient methadone clinics, and I worked very cooperatively with local officials to adopt those — to enact those laws,” she said.
When it comes to election integrity, Brophy McGee says she believes our elections are safe and secure, but that doesn’t mean things can’t run better and results can’t come quicker.
Valenzuela agreed that Maricopa County elections are safe and that the community needs some reassurance of that.
“Nothing on that ballot matters that the election itself doesn't matter, and so it is something that we all have to, you know, you should feel comfortable with and every effort should be made to do that,” Valenzuela said.
Brophy McGee touted her numerous endorsements and said where she and Valenzuela most differ is in experience
“If you look at my depth and breadth of state, local and county direct county government I would have to say that I'm far more qualified, I can hit the job running on day one,” Brophy McGee said.
She chose not to debate against Valenzuela, but she is participating in some candidate forums.
Valenzuela says that’s disappointing.
“Anytime my opponent would like to have a debate on any platform. I would meet my opponent. I think it's incredibly important to talk about again, some of these opportunities and challenges that we have in our community and let voters make an informed decision,” he said.
