Learn more about the three candidates for the state House in Arizona Legislative District 23.
LD17 is a Democrat-leaning district in southwest Arizona including parts of Yuma, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. The district wasn’t considered competitive in the last election cycle, but a Republican won a seat in the House which Democrats hope to recover.
Mariana Sandoval
Party: Democrat
Website: sandovalforaz.com
Sandoval is an incumbent Democratic representative running to keep her seat in the Arizona House. She worked as a paralegal and spent 12 years at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. She also served on the Agua Fria Union High School District. Sandoval ran unsuccessfully for a spot in the state Legislature in 2020, but she won in the 2022 election.
Michele Pena
Party: Republican
Website: michelepena.com
Pena is an incumbent state House representative and the only Republican running in the Legislative District 23 House race. It’s a key district Democrats hope to take complete control over. She first ran for office in 2022 and was successful, though she started out as a write-in candidate and spent very little on her campaign. In the course of her tenure at the Legislature, three of the bills she’s sponsored have been signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Pena lists education, agriculture, fiscal responsibility, water, health care and opposing corruption as her priorities on her campaign website.
Matias Rosales
Party: Democrat
Website: martinrosales.com
Rosales is a political newcomer hoping to oust incumbent Republican Rep. Michele Pena in LD23. Democrats will take full control of the district if they can push Pena out of office. Rosales is a member of the San Luis City Council and the former vice mayor of the city. He describes himself as a real estate professional and serves on the Arizona State Association of Realtors.
On his campaign site, Rosales lists water and agriculture, education, infrastructure, housing and reproductive freedom as his priorities.
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Every two years, Arizonans cast their votes in primary and general elections. And every two years, critics complain it takes too many days for all the votes to be counted. Through KJZZ’s Q&AZ project, a listener asked: Why does the vote counting process take so long?
