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6 candidates in divided East Valley district could change control of Arizona Legislature

Arizona State Capitol building
Mark Brodie/KJZZ
The Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix.

The six candidates competing in a divided East Valley district hope to turn the tide for control of the state Legislature.

Legislative District 13 includes most of Chandler, part of Gilbert and Sun Lakes. It is currently represented by two Republicans and one Democrat in the state Capitol, but that Democratic representative, Jennifer Pawlik, isn’t running for reelection.

This is longtime incumbent Republican Sen. JD Mesnard’s 8th legislative race, and he’s never lost.

But Mesnard says one thing that makes this race different from the others is the fact that Arizona now has a Democratic governor. He warned that if Democrats get the Legislature, it will be a “radical shift.”

“They could literally pass whatever they wish. More likely, in some cases, undo some pretty great things that we've accomplished here, and they could do. In a matter of months, in fact, they could undo 40 years of accomplishment in just four months,” Mesnard said.

J.D. Mesnard ( left) and Sharon Lee Winters
Vote Mesnard, Sharon For Senate
J.D. Mesnard ( left) and Sharon Lee Winters

Mesnard’s challenger is Sharon Lee Winters, who is running for the state Legislature for the first time.

Lee Winters is a former special education public school teacher, former business owner and an author.

She says her number one priority is public education.

“We need to have certified teachers coming into our schools, rather than having some kind of emergency certification, and we need to keep our experienced teachers, and in order to do that, we need to pay them a fair wage. And when they have worked in our school system for 20 or 30 years, they deserve a good pension,” she said.

Winters also prioritizes reproductive rights.

She said if she could pass only one bill, it would be an amendment to establish a constitutional right to reproductive rights, including abortion, IVF, IUDs, contraception and surrogacy.

Mesnard says his top priority is the same as his constituents’: the high cost of living.

Economic issues are what he’s known for as chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

“I typically get more excited to talk finance and numbers than maybe the average person. I'm not even sure every member of my Finance and Commerce Committee wants to be there,” Mesnard joked. “I was the author of the flat tax that we created that other states are now looking at emulating. I've pushed the bills, and really authored the bills, to lower the burden on our small businesses.”

(From left) Jeff Weninger, Julie Willoughby, Brandy Reese and Nicholas Gonzales
Jeff for AZ, Julie Willoughby for State Representative, Brandy Reese, Nicholas Gonzales
(From left) Jeff Weninger, Julie Willoughby, Brandy Reese and Nicholas Gonzales

The Republican House candidates, Julie Willoughby and Jeff Weninger, did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Weninger served on the Chandler City Council for eight years and in the state Legislature for another eight years. He co-owns multiple eateries, including Floridino’s Pizza and Pasta.

Willoughby first ran in 2018 and 2022 and lost both times. She was appointed to the state Legislature in 2023 after members expelled former Rep. Liz Harris.

Democrat Brandy Reese is a forensic scientist and peace officer. She speculates that what could make this race different in Democrats’ favor is the fact that abortion is on the ballot.

“I think that sort of brings more people's attention to what's going on, what's happening at the Legislature, and I think we have to recognize that what's happening at the top of the ticket also has piqued interest, and especially with the change at the top of the ticket recently, I think there is a new sort of energy in the community,” Reese said.

All three of the Democratic candidates in LD13 called out Mesnard and Willoughby for voting to uphold the state’s 1864 abortion ban, which would have only made an exception for the life of the mother. That law was repealed by Democrats and a handful of Republicans last legislative session over the objection of most Republicans.

Reese is running with fellow Democrat Nicholas Gonzales, also in his first campaign. They both called education their top priority.

“On a personal level, with my son also attending public schools here in Chandler - the same schools I did - I want to make sure that he's being provided the resources alongside his teachers for him to receive an effective education, and then be a productive member of the community after graduating,” Gonzales said.

Following that, Gonzales says he aims to prioritize reproductive rights and affordability.

“As a man here in Arizona, I have the ability to make all of my health-care decisions without the influence of my legislator, and so I believe women here in Arizona should have that same right,” Gonzales said.

He’s worked as a community planner for a progressive nonprofit and said in addition to using his background and experience to address affordable housing that he also wants to raise the minimum wage and create “more accessibility to health care and health care insurance.”

LD13 is one of just a handful of competitive legislative districts. Even two flipped seats could mean the difference between a fully Republican-controlled Legislature, and one tied for party control.

LD13’s status as a competitive area has both parties pouring in resources. Around $2.5 million has been spent on this district as of July, both in terms of what they raised, and in terms of political action committees’ contributions.

By comparison, in neighboring LD14 (which is not considered competitive), only $312,000 was spent on the candidates over the same time period.

More election news

Camryn Sanchez is a field correspondent at KJZZ covering everything to do with state politics.