Longtime Democratic Arizona Sen. Lela Alston (D-Phoenix) is leaving her Senate seat at the end of this term and endorsing former lawmaker Christine Marsh to take her place.
Alston has served in the state Legislature on and off since 1977.
Marsh is a public school teacher who served in the Senate last session, but was not successful in her reelection campaign in 2024. Marsh lived in the 4th Legislative District — which is one of the most competitive in the state and is now represented by a Republican.
Alston lives in the 5th Legislative District, where Marsh is moving.
“I was moving/downsizing anyway, and when I saw that the house I really wanted to get was in LD5, I decided to go for it,” Marsh said in a text on Monday.
Alston is term-limited, and can’t run for Senate again, but she said she may not retire. Instead, she said there’s still a chance she’ll run for a seat in the House of Representatives instead.
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