Rep. Mariana Sandoval and Emilia Cortez, both Democrats, participated in the Clean Elections debate for Legislative District 23 on Sept. 30, 2026. The debate was moderated by journalist Joe Ferguson of the Tucson Agenda. The district, which spans four counties and stretches from Goodyear in Maricopa County to Yuma, is a crucial battleground for Democrats. The district leans Democratic – Democrats hold a seven-point registration edge – but Republicans have won one of its two House seats in the past two elections.
Rep. Michele Peña, a Republican from Yuma, shares the district with Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Democrat from Goodyear. Peña surprised most observers in 2022 when she edged out one of the two Democrats by 3,000 votes, and again when she won reelection in 2024, though by a narrower 2,179 vote margin. Democrats are hoping 2026 is the year they take control of both seats in the district.
During a Wednesday night Clean Elections debate that featured Sandoval and fellow Democrat Emilia Cortez, but that Peña skipped, the Democrats made their case to voters. Sandoval said the Republican majority has prevented Democrats from advancing their policy priorities at the state legislature and said flipping control of the legislature is key to ensuring Democrats have a chance to make a difference. “When Democrats are in the majority, we can deliver an Arizona where working families come first, not corporations,” she said.
In recent years, Arizona Democrats have sought to upend Republican control of the state legislature, which has been in place since 1966, with no success. But with President Donald Trump facing record-low public approval ratings and polls showing voters overwhelmingly favoring Democratic over Republican candidates, the party is optimistic that this year will prove different. On Wednesday, Sandoval and Cortez, a political newcomer from Yuma who has experience in tribal government, outlined their policy priorities, appealing to voters’ top concerns when they both cited affordability as the No. 1 issue they would tackle at the legislature if elected in November.
The pair spoke about immigration enforcement, water conservation and local control. And while they mostly agreed on each topic, the one place they differed was whether they would vote in favor of water restrictions for everyday Arizonans. The district they are aiming to represent includes Yuma, the state’s agricultural core. Sandoval noted that Goodyear, along with many other cities, has a 100-year water designated assured water supply and said it’s too soon to consider constraining how much water Arizonans use. Instead, she advocated for educational efforts that encourage conservation. “At this point, I think we just need to be focusing on education rather than imposing (restrictions),” she said.
Cortez, meanwhile, waffled over the question, but didn’t rule out supporting legislation that limits residential water use. “I don’t believe it’s a yes or no,” she said. “There’s practical ways of utilizing water.” The pair did, however, vocally support the move from Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes to cancel the state land leases from a company that dumped California’s sewage in Yuma. They both said they would oppose a move to renew those leases in their district. “We are not California’s dumping ground for bio solids,” Sandoval said. “Having someone else’s biosolids getting dumped in your backyard was kind of rough”
