Arizona House of Representatives District 7

Arizona House of Representatives District 7 is represented by Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren (D) and Myron Tsosie (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Arizona state representatives represented an average of 119,191 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 106,533 residents.

About the office[edit]

Members of the Arizona House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits, limiting representatives to four terms (a total of eight years).^[1] Arizona legislators assume office on the first day of the session after they are elected. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January.

Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 4, Part 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution states: "No person shall be a member of the Legislature unless he shall be a citizen of the United States at the time of his election, nor unless he shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been a resident of Arizona at least three years and of the county from which he is elected at least one year before his election."

Salaries[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$24,000/year	For legislators residing within Maricopa County: $35/day for the first 120 days of regular and special sessions and $10/day for all following days. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County: $151/day for the first 120 days of regular and special sessions for lodging and $56 for meals. That rate would be cut in half after the 120th day. The per diem for legislators residing outside of Maricopa County is tied to the federal rate.

Term limits[edit]

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Arizona legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Arizona Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Arizona senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.^[2]

Vacancies[edit]

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Arizona State Legislature, the board of county supervisors must select a replacement. The political party committee is involved in the appointment process only if the legislative district has thirty or more elected precinct committeemen.^[3]

If the legislative district has 30 or more elected precinct committeemen:

• The secretary of state is required to contact the state party chairperson to give notice of the vacancy. The state chairperson must give notice of a meeting to fill the seat within three business days of receiving notice.^[3]
• The precinct committeemen must nominate three qualified electors as replacements. If the Legislature is in session, this must occur within five days. If the Legislature is out of session, the committeemen have 21 days to nominate potential replacements. Each elector must receive a majority of the committeemen to earn a nomination. The chair then forwards the three nominees to the board of supervisors. The board of supervisors appoints a nominee from the three names. If the committeemen do not submit a list of names within the allotted timeframe, the board of supervisors proceeds with the vacancy as if the district had fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen.^[3]

If the legislative district has fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen:

• The board of supervisors appoints a panel of citizen supervisors within three business days of a vacancy occurring. That panel has seven business days to submit the name of three qualified electors of the same political party as the previous incumbent to the board of supervisors. Within five business days of receiving the list, the board of supervisors must select a replacement by a majority vote.^[4]
• The person selected to fill the seat serves the remainder of the unfilled term.^[4]

See sources: Arizona Rev. Stat. Ann. §41-1202

District map[edit]

The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Redistricting[edit]

2020-2022[edit]

See also: Redistricting in Arizona after the 2020 census

On January 24, 2022, Arizona enacted new legislative maps after the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission transmitted its finalized plans to the secretary of state.^[5] The commission initially voted to finalize and certify the legislative map plan on Jan. 21.^[6] The commission's nonpartisan chairwoman, Erika Neuberg, joined the two Republican members—David Mehl and Douglas York—voting in favor of the map. The commission's two Democratic members—Shereen Lerner and Derrick Watchman—were opposed.^[7] This map takes effect for Arizona's 2022 legislative elections.

The commission previously voted in favor of the legislative map by a 3-2 vote on December 22, 2021, which was followed by a period for counties to request administrative changes before the final vote on Jan. 21.^[8]

How does redistricting in Arizona work? The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. The commission is composed of five members. Of these, four are selected by the majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the state legislature from a list of 25 candidates nominated by the state commission on appellate court appointments. These 25 nominees comprise 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans, and 5 unaffiliated citizens. The four commission members appointed by legislative leaders then select the fifth member to round out the commission. The fifth member of the commission must belong to a different political party than the other commissioners. The governor, with a two-thirds vote in the Arizona State Senate, may remove a commissioner "for substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct in office, or inability to discharge the duties of office." The Arizona State Legislature may make recommendations to the commission, but ultimate authority is vested with the commission.^[9][10][11]

The Arizona Constitution requires that both congressional and state legislative districts be "contiguous, geographically compact, and respect communities of interest–all to the extent practicable." The state constitution further mandates that district lines "should [follow] visible geographic features, city, town, and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts." In addition, the constitution requires that "competitive districts be favored where doing so would not significantly detract from the goals above."^[11]

Elections[edit]

2022[edit]

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brenda Barton (R)

2020[edit]

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2020

2018[edit]

2016[edit]

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.^[12] Incumbents Albert Hale (D) and Jennifer Benally (D) did not seek re-election.

Eric Descheenie and Wenona Benally were unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 7 general election.^[13][14]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 7 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Eric Descheenie	52.63%	41,398
	Democratic	Wenona Benally	47.37%	37,261
Total Votes				78,659
Source: Arizona Secretary of State

Eric Descheenie and Wenona Benally were unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 7 Democratic Primary.^[15]

Arizona House of Representatives, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Eric Descheenie
	Democratic	Wenona Benally

2014[edit]

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Incumbent Albert Hale and Jennifer Benally defeated Joshua Lavar Butler and Arlando Teller (write-in) in the Democratic primary. Hale and Benally were unchallenged in the general election.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Arizona House of Representatives, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Albert Hale Incumbent	42.8%	12,897
Jennifer Benally	33%	9,953
Joshua Lavar Butler	23.1%	6,955
Arlando Teller	1.1%	339
Total Votes		30,144

2012[edit]

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 30, 2012. Incumbent Albert Hale and Jamescita Peshlakai won the general election, after defeating Phil Stago in the August 28 Democratic primary election.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Arizona House of Representatives, District 7, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Albert Hale Incumbent	58.7%	40,245
	Democratic	Jaescita Peshlakai	41.3%	28,269
Total Votes				68,514

Arizona House of Representatives, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Albert Hale Incumbent	49.1%	13,890
Jamescita Peshlakai	27.6%	7,803
Phil Stago	23.2%	6,570
Total Votes		28,263

Campaign contributions[edit]

From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Arizona House of Representatives District 7 raised a total of $1,019,087. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $17,879 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Arizona House of Representatives District 7
Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2018	$8,724	3	$2,908
2016	$5,384	2	$2,692
2014	$30,572	4	$7,643
2012	$26,782	3	$8,927
2010	$215,269	10	$21,527
2008	$97,598	4	$24,400
2006	$176,466	7	$25,209
2004	$134,385	6	$22,398
2002	$231,030	7	$33,004
2000	$92,877	11	$8,443
Total	$1,019,087	57	$17,879

See also[edit]

• Arizona State Legislature
• Arizona State Senate
• Arizona House of Representatives
• Arizona state legislative districts

External links[edit]

• The Arizona State Legislature

Footnotes[edit]

	v • e State of Arizona Phoenix (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2022 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy