Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch resigns, citing the $24,000 annual salary

A Democratic lawmaker who represents one of Arizona’s most competitive districts announced Wednesday that she’s resigning.

Sen. Eva Burch (D-Mesa) won reelection to Arizona’s 9th Legislative District in November, representing a deeply divided area around Mesa. But, she says the $24,000 annual salary for lawmakers is putting too much financial stress on her and her family.

“To a certain extent, you get what you pay for, and I’m worried that we are going to be overrepresented by people who are independently wealthy or otherwise well kept because we don't nurture an environment where regular working-class people can have this job and continue to support their lives and their families,” Burch said.

She said she does worry that Democrats could have a hard time holding on to her seat, but said she can’t stay.

“The finance is an absolute reality and part of the reason that this has to happen now and not later,” Burch said.

She also said that as a Democrat in the Republican-controlled legislature, she’s not in the best position to get things done.

“I know that with the current structure in place, the best way for me to get bills to the floor is certainly not to sponsor them myself. I can and must do more than what I can do here and now, and the time for me to start seeking those opportunities has come,” Burch said in a statement.

Burch said she still plans to be involved some way in Arizona politics. For now, she said she is going back to full-time work as a nurse and take her kids to Universal Studios.

She first ran in 2022 and is currently in her second term.

Burch is best known for sharing her plans to get an abortion with her colleagues on the Senate floor last year, in the midst of a court case that determined whether Arizona would be able to enforce a near-total abortion ban.

Burch explained that she wanted to have a baby, but the fetus was not viable.

“I don’t think people should have to justify their abortions, but I’m choosing to talk about why I made this decision, because I want us to be able to have meaningful conversations about the reality of how the work that we do in this body impacts people in the real world,” Burch said at the time.