Arizona Senate

33°26′53″N 112°5′45″W / 33.44806°N 112.09583°W / 33.44806; -112.09583

Arizona Senate
56th Arizona Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
4 terms (8 years)
History
New session started
January 9, 2023
Leadership
President
Warren Petersen (R)
since January 9, 2023
President pro tempore
T. J. Shope (R)
since January 9, 2023
Majority Leader
Sonny Borrelli (R)
since January 9, 2023
Minority Leader
Mitzi Epstein (D)
since March 2, 2023
Structure
Seats30 senators
Political groups
Majority
  •   Republican (16)

Minority

Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle 4, Arizona Constitution
Salary$24,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 8, 2022
(30 seats)
Next election
November 5, 2024
(30 seats)
RedistrictingArizona Independent Redistricting Commission
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Arizona State Capitol
1700 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, Arizona • 85007
Website
Arizona State Senate

The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms with term limits that limit Senators to a maximum four consecutive terms (eight years) before requiring a one-term respite prior to running again. Members of the Republican Party are currently the majority in the Senate. There are currently 16 women serving in the Senate after Raquel Terán was appointed, making it the first time a majority of the body was composed of female members.

As with the Arizona House of Representatives, members to the Senate are elected from the same legislative districts as House members, however one Senator represents the constituency, while for the House there are two Representatives per district. This districting system is similar to those of the Idaho and Washington State Senate. In political science, this type of legislative district is called a multi-member district.

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.

The Senate convenes in the adjacent legislative chambers at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.

Leadership of the Senate[edit]

Arizona, along with Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire and Wyoming, is one of the five U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the nominal senate president in many states. As a result, the Senate elects its own presiding officer, the President of the Senate, who presides over the body, appoints members to all of the Senate's committees and to joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees if desired. The Senate President also appoints a President pro tempore, who serves for the duration of a session of the legislature, to preside in their absence, and may appoint a temporary President pro tempore in the absence of the President and President pro tempore.[1]

The current President of the Senate is Republican Warren Petersen of District 14, the Senate Majority Leader is Sonny Borrelli of District 30. The current Minority Leader is Mitzi Epstein of District 12 with Juan Mendez of District 8 as the Assistant Minority Leader.[2]

Leadership information[edit]

Position Name Party Residence District
President of the Senate Warren Petersen Republican Gilbert District 14
President Pro Tempore T. J. Shope Republican Coolidge District 16
Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli Republican Lake Havasu City District 30
Majority Whip Sine Kerr Republican Buckeye District 25
Minority Caucus Chair Lela Alston Democratic Phoenix District 5
Minority Leader Mitzi Epstein Democratic Chandler District 12
Assistant Minority Leader Juan Mendez Democratic Tempe District 8
Minority Whip Eva Burch Democratic Mesa District 9

Current composition[edit]

14 16
Democratic Republican
Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
2011–12 21 9 29 1
2013–14 17 13 30 0
Begin 2015 17 13 30 0
End 2016 18 12
2017–18 17 13 30 0
2019–20 17 13 30 0
2021–22 16 14 30 0
Begin 2023 16 14 30 0
March 2, 2023[3] 13 29 1
May 8, 2023[4] 14 30 0
June 16, 2023[5] 15 29 1
July 19, 2023[6] 16 30 0
Latest voting share 53.3% 46.7%

Current members, 2023–2025[edit]

District Image Senator Party Residence Assumed office on Elected
1 Ken Bennett Rep Prescott 2023 2022
2 Shawnna Bolick Rep Phoenix 2023 2023†
3 John Kavanagh Rep Scottsdale 2023 2022
4 Christine Marsh Dem Phoenix 2023 2020
5 Lela Alston Dem Phoenix 2023 2018
6 Theresa Hatathlie Dem Coal Mine Mesa 2023 2022
7 Wendy Rogers Rep Tempe[7] 2023 2020
8 Juan Mendez Dem Tempe 2023 2016
9 Eva Burch Dem Mesa 2023 2022
10 Dave Farnsworth Rep Mesa 2023 2022
11 Catherine Miranda Dem Phoenix 2023 2022
12 Mitzi Epstein Dem Chandler 2023 2022
13 J. D. Mesnard Rep Chandler 2023 2018
14 Warren Petersen Rep Gilbert 2023 2020
15 Jake Hoffman Rep Queen Creek 2023 2022
16 T. J. Shope Rep Coolidge 2023 2020
17 Justine Wadsack Rep Tucson 2023 2022
18 Priya Sundareshan Dem Tucson 2023 2022
19 David Gowan Rep Sierra Vista 2023 2018
20 Sally Ann Gonzales Dem Tucson 2023 2018
21 Rosanna Gabaldón Dem Sahuarita 2023 2022
22 Eva Diaz Dem Tolleson 2023 2022
23 Brian Fernandez Dem Yuma 2023 2022
24 Anna Hernandez Dem Phoenix 2023 2022
25 Sine Kerr Rep Buckeye 2023 2018†
26 Flavio Bravo Dem Phoenix 2023 2023†
27 Anthony Kern Rep Glendale 2023 2022
28 Frank Carroll Rep Surprise 2023 2022
29 Janae Shamp Rep Surprise 2023 2022
30 Sonny Borrelli Rep Lake Havasu City 2023 2016

† Member was originally appointed.

Committees[edit]

The current standing committees of the Arizona Senate are as follows:

Committee Chair Vice Chair
Appropriations John Kavanagh Jake Hoffman
Commerce Steve Kaiser Frank Carroll
Director Nominations Jake Hoffman Sine Kerr
Education Ken Bennett Justine Wadsack
Elections Wendy Rogers Ken Bennett
Finance J. D. Mesnard Steve Kaiser
Government Jake Hoffman Wendy Rogers
Health & Human Services T. J. Shope Janae Shamp
Judiciary Anthony Kern John Kavanagh
Military Affairs, Public Safety & Border Security David Gowan David Farnsworth
Natural Resources, Energy & Water Sine Kerr T. J. Shope
Rules Warren Petersen Sonny Borrelli
Transportation & Technology David Farnsworth Frank Carroll

Past composition of the Senate[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Senate Rule 2: The President". Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  2. ^ "Member Roster". Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  3. ^ Democrat Raquel Terán (District 26) resigns [1]
  4. ^ Democrat Flavio Bravo appointed to succeed Terán. [2]
  5. ^ Republican Steve Kaiser (District 2) resigns [3]
  6. ^ Republican Shawnna Bolick appointed to succeed Kaiser [4]
  7. ^ "Open Letter Raises Questions About Wendy Rogers Candidacy – Arizona Daily Independent". May 25, 2020.

External links[edit]