Democrats largely took home the District 3 races in the local Pima County election Nov. 3, including House of Representatives, State Senate and Pima County Board of Supervisors.
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Grijalva wins House re-election
Democrat incumbent Raúl Grijalva recently won his twelfth consecutive term to the House of Representatives over Republican Daniel Wood, by a margin of 66% to 33%, as of early Wednesday morning. This will be Grijalva’s third term served as Representative for Arizona’s District 3, and he will go to Congress as one of Arizona’s longest serving House Representative.
Grijalva is on the House committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Natural Resources and is known as progressive representative. He advocates for debt-free college, Medicare For All, a conversion to 100% renewable energy, and comprehensive immigration reform as well as an increase in the minimum wage.
He is a Tucson native, and a longtime advocate for Native American rights and America’s Hispanic and Latinx populations. Grijalva has been critical of Arizona’s COVID-19 response as a ranking member of Congress and believes there needs to be more investment in essential workers, testing and healthcare.
As a senior member of the Committee on Natural Resources, Grijalva has been a strong advocate for solar and reviewable energy in Arizona, advancing air and water quality in the state and protecting preservations from the destruction of border wall construction. He will lead Arizona District 3 in Congress as Arizona’s senior congressman.
Grijalva’s Republican opponent, Daniel Wood was a Marine veteran from Virginia, running on a staunch pro-gun and hard border policy platform. It was his first election for a public office.
State Senator Sally Ann Gonzales wins an uncontested re-election
State Senator and Democrat Sally Ann Gonzales has won her re-election in Arizona’s State Senate District 3 after an uncontested race. Gonzales will represent Pima County and West Tucson and was the sole candidate for the senate seat after the Republican primary was cancelled.
Gonzales has been a champion for indigenous rights since her service in the Senate, fighting for bills to honor Native American Veterans, and to make a Native American state holiday. She has previously served on the TUSD Board and on the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council.
Gonzales also advocates strongly for drug policy reform, co-signing bills on medical marijuana regulations in state and rehabilitation treatment for drug addicts. Gonzales is also a proponent of immigration reform in Arizona and is pro-choice in terms of abortion rights.
Alma Hernandez and Andrés Cano win their re-election seats for Arizona LD-3
Arizona House Representatives Alma Hernandez and Andrés Cano win their re-election bids to Arizona Legislative District 3 after an uncontested election. Both Democrat candidates won their second consecutive terms to the Arizona House after winning a general election without any Republican or third-party opponent.
Cano and Hernandez are both native Tucsonans. Cano is one of the youngest members to be re-elected to the Arizona House at the age of 28. He serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Ways and Means Committee in the state House.
In terms of issues, he is strongly advocating for COVID-19 protections in Arizona schools, supports the Rio Nuevo Development District in downtown Tucson, is pro-choice, and for an expansion of Medicaid coverage in-state.
Hernandez is a bachelor’s and Master of Public Health graduate from the University of Arizona. She ran this campaign and last campaign under a strong public health-based platform, promising expansive healthcare coverage to underserved communities of color, more equal mental health care and helped lead a state-wide effort to defend the Affordable Care Act under Arizonans United for Healthcare. Hernandez is also the first Mexican-American Jewish woman elected to Arizona Congress.
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Sharon Bronson wins Pima Board of Supervisors election, serving the Board since 1996
Democrat Sharon Bronson won a re-election to the Pima county Board of Supervisors, winning her seventh consecutive term to the Board, making her a Board Supervisor for Pima County District 3 since 1996. District 3 is Pima County’s largest district representing 7,400 square miles and sharing a 130-mile border with Mexico.
Bronson won a contested election against Republican Gabriela Saucedo Mercer, winning 57% to 37%. Saucedo Mercer was a former Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, running against incumbent Raúl Grijalva in 2012, and losing by 21%. She now tried for the Pima Board of Supervisors but lost to Bronson on Tuesday.
Bronson as a Supervisor has placed strong emphasis on preserving the environment along District 3, and Pima County’s expansive border with Mexico. As a Supervisor she played a large role in the production of Pima County’s Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Bronson has also championed addressing economic disparity and improving the living conditions in Pima County as a Board Supervisor.
In 1996, Bronson was also the first woman to be elected to the Pima County Board.
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