2006 Arizona Legislature election

Elections to the 48th Arizona Legislature were held on November 7, 2006. Primary elections to determine political party nominees were held on September 12, 2006. The two candidates with the highest vote count in each primary advanced to the November election.

The Legislature is composed of 30 legislative districts, each electing two Representatives (to the Arizona House of Representatives) and one Senator (to the Arizona Senate). No person may serve more than four consecutive terms in either body. Members of the Republican Party currently hold a majority of seats in both the House and Senate.

State House of Representatives

District	Incumbents	Party	Status	Candidates
1	Lucy Mason Tom O'Halleran	Republican Republican	Running Running for State Senate	Andy Tobin (R) Wesley Edmonds (D) George Seaman (I)
2	Ann Kirkpatrick Albert Tom	Democratic Democratic	Running Running	Preston J. Korn (R)
3	Trish Groe Nancy McLain	Republican Republican	Running Running	Luis Lopez (D)
4	Tom Boone Judy Burges	Republican Republican	Running Running	Debra Boehlke (D) Sue Dolphin (D)
5	Jack Brown Bill Konopnicki	Democratic Republican	Running Running
6	Ted Carpenter Pamela Gorman	Republican Republican	Running for State Senate Running for State Senate	Doug Clark (R) Sam Crump (R)
7	Ray Barnes Nancy K. Barto	Republican Republican	Running Running	Marilyn Fox (D) Jeanne Lunn (D) Jim Iannuzo (L)
8	Michele Reagan Colette Rosati	Republican Republican	Running Retiring	John Kavanagh (R) Stephanie Rimmer (D) H. William Sandburg (D)
9	Rick Murphy Bob Stump	Republican Republican	Running Running	Sheri van Horsen (D)
10	Doug Quelland James P. Weiers	Republican Republican	Running Running	Lamont Lovejoy (D) Jackie Thrasher (D)
11	John Allen Stephen Tully	Republican Republican	Retiring Retiring	Adam Driggs (R) Don Hesselbrock (R) Mark Anthony DeSimone (D)
12	John Nelson Jerry Weiers	Republican Republican	Running Running	None
13	Steve Gallardo Martha Garcia	Democratic Democratic	Running Running	None
14	Debbie McCune-Davis Robert Meza	Democratic Democratic	Running for State Senate Running	Chad Campbell (D) John Stevens (R) Mike Renzulli (L)
15	David Lujan Kyrsten Sinema	Democratic Democratic	Running Running	Robert Gear (R) William Wheat (R) (write-in) Richard Buck (L)
16	Leah Landrum Taylor Ben Miranda	Democratic Democratic	Running for State Senate Running	Cloves Campbell, Jr. (D) Daniel Coleman (R)
17	Meg Burton Cahill Laura Knaperek	Democratic Republican	Running for State Senate Running	Ed Ableser (D) David Schapira (D) Dale Despain (R)
18	Mark Anderson Russell Pearce	Republican Republican	Running Running	Tammie Pursley (D)
19	Kirk Adams Gary Pierce	Republican Republican	Running Running for Arizona Corporation Commission	Rich Crandall (R) Lara Wibeto (D)
20	John McComish Bob Robson	Republican Republican	Running Running	Jack Heald (L)
21	Warde Nichols Steve Yarbrough	Republican Republican	Running Running	Phil Hettmansperger (D)
22	Andy Biggs Eddie Farnsworth	Republican Republican	Running Running	Edward Schwebel (L)
23	Cheryl Chase Pete Rios	Republican Democratic	Running for State Senate Running	John Fillmore (R) Frank Pratt (R) Barbara McGuire (D)
24	Amanda Aguirre Russell Jones	Democratic Republican	Running for State Senate Running for State Senate	Joseph "Mel" Melchione (R) Ken Rosevar (R) Lynne Pancrazi (D) Theresa Ulmer (D) Martin Rodney (I)
25	Manuel Alvarez Jennifer Burns	Democratic Republican	Running Running	Patricia Fleming (D) Gail Griffin (R)
26	Pete Hershberger Steve Huffman	Republican Republican	Running Retiring	David Jorgenson (R) Lena Saradnik (D)
27	Olivia Cajero Bedford Phil Lopes	Democratic Democratic	Running Running	Gene Chewning (R)
28	David Bradley Ted Downing	Democratic Democratic	Running Retiring	Steve Farley (D) Bill Phillips (R)
29	Linda Lopez Tom Prezelski	Democratic Democratic	Running Running	Bruce Murchison (R)
30	Marian McClure Jonathan Paton	Republican Republican	Running Running	Clarence Boykins (D)

State Senate

District	Incumbent	Party	Status	Candidates	Winner
1	Ken Bennett	Republican	Retiring	Tom O'Halleran (R) Josephine Kelleher (D) Terry Dunn (L)	Tom O'Halleran (R)
2	Albert Hale	Democratic	Running	Royce Jenkins (R) Mark Haughwout (I)	Albert Hale (D)
3	Ron Gould	Republican	Running	Noah Harris (D)	Ron Gould (R)
4	Jack Harper	Republican	Running	Ed Gogek (D)	Jack Harper (R)
5	Jake Flake	Republican	Running	Phil Cobb (D)	Jake Flake (R)
6	Dean Martin	Republican	Running for State Treasurer	Pamela Gorman (R) Jim Larson (D)
7	Jim Waring	Republican	Running	Lisa Black (D)
8	Carolyn Allen	Republican	Running	Dan Oseran (D)
9	Bob Burns	Republican	Running	Steve Poe (D)
10	Linda Gray	Republican	Running	Martin Monroe (D) Dan Poland (L)
11	Barbara Leff	Republican	Running	Ann Wallack (D)
12	Robert Blendu	Republican	Running	None
13	Richard Miranda	Democratic	Running	None
14	Bill Brotherton	Democratic	Retiring	Debbie McCune-Davis (D)
15	Ken Cheuvront	Democratic	Running	Andrew Smigielski (R)
16	Linda Aguirre	Democratic	Retiring	Leah Landrum (D) Daniel Veres (R)
17	Ed Ableser	Democratic	Running for State House	Meg Burton Cahill (D) Rose Crutcher (R)
18	Karen Johnson	Republican	Running	Rachel Kielsky (L)
19	Chuck Gray	Republican	Running	Steven Zachary (D)
20	John Huppenthal	Republican	Running	Donna Gratehouse (D)
21	Jay Tibshraeny	Republican	Running	None
22	Thayer Verschoor	Republican	Running	Glenn A. Ray (D)
23	Rebecca Rios	Democratic	Running	Cheryl Chase (R)
24	Robert Cannell	Democratic	Retiring	Amanda Aguirre (D) Russell Jones (R) Stanley Lenihan (I)
25	Marsha Arzberger	Democratic	Running	Mary Ann Black (R)
26	Toni Hellon	Republican	Defeated in Primary	Al Melvin (R) Charlene Pesquiera (D)
27	Jorge Luis Garcia	Democratic	Running	None
28	Paula Aboud	Democratic	Running	Michael J. Steimer (I, Write-In)
29	Victor Soltero	Democratic	Running	None
30	Tim Bee	Republican	Running	Jeffrey Chimene (D)

R=Republican, D=Democratic, L=Libertarian, I=Independent/No Affiliation

Analysis

Five incumbents—three Democrats and two Republicans— retired and didn't seek another elective office. Eleven State House members ran for the State Senate, and one State Senator ran for a seat in the State House; switching between chambers, especially when a term limit has been reached in one chamber, is a common occurrence in the Arizona Legislature. Two members of the State Legislature sought statewide offices, and one sought election to the United States House of Representatives.

There were 14 races in which an incumbent Senator or both the incumbent Representatives are sought reelection and faced a primary challenge for the nomination(s) of their respective parties. Out of the 90 state legislative races, there are only six in which there are candidates ran without opposition.

The Republican Party needed to pick up one seat in the State House and two in the State Senate and lose none of their own in either chamber to gain a legislature that could override a Governor's veto. The Democratic Party needed to pick up nine seats in the State House without losing any of their own to form a House majority, and pick up three in the State Senate without losing any of their own to form a Senate majority.

See also

• 2006 Arizona statewide elections
• Political party strength in U.S. states

References

https://web.archive.org/web/20121017223640/http://www.azsos.gov/election/2006/General/2006_General_results_query.htm