Local Politics · Pima County
Arizona Legislative District 17, spanning suburban precincts in Pima and Pinal counties, is a competitive race for two Arizona House seats ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Incumbent Democrat Kevin Volk seeks re-election alongside Democratic candidate Holly Lyon, facing Republicans Rachel Keshel and John Winchester. The district was drawn as a Republican-leaning seat with 37 percent GOP registration versus 28 percent Democratic. Early voting began Oct. 7, and voters must have been registered by the Oct. 5 deadline to participate.
Local Politics · Pima County
Arizona Democrats are targeting Legislative District 17, spanning precincts in Pima and Pinal counties, to flip one of the three seats they need to gain control of the Arizona Senate, currently split 17-13 Republican. With incumbent Vince Leach not seeking reelection, Republican Chris King, a Vail Unified School District Governing Board member, faces Democrat Edgar Soto, a Pima Community College vice president at the Desert Vista Campus. Soto said he would prioritize K-12 funding, early childhood education, restoring state funding to community colleges, addressing rising electric bills and Arizona's water supply, and eliminating tax breaks for data centers. King skipped an LD17 debate earlier in October and did not respond to interview requests; his website lists priorities including rounding up undocumented immigrants, reducing government size, and preventing tax increases.
