Legislative races to watch in Arizona's primary election

Before Democrats and Republicans can slug it out for control of the Legislature, they'll have to decide who will represent them on the ballot in November.

Why it matters: Because the majority of Arizona's 30 legislative districts are one-party dominant, the winners of most of the state's legislative races will be determined by the July 30 primary rather than the general election.

State of play: Republicans hold one-vote majorities in both chambers, and Democrats are hopeful they'll finally win control of the Legislature.

Zoom in: Axios Phoenix took a look at some of the more competitive and notable primary races that'll be on ballots across the state when early voting begins July 3.

LD1 Senate (R): Senator and former secretary of state Ken Bennett (R-Prescott), who won back his old Yavapai County-based Senate seat in 2022 after a 16-year absence from the Legislature, faces a three-way primary in this Republican stronghold.

• Bennett has broken with his GOP colleagues on several notable occasions, costing Republicans their crucial 16th vote .
• Former southern Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem, a Trump-aligned election denier who lost the 2022 secretary of state's race, moved to the district and is challenging Bennett.
• Steve Zipperman, a real estate broker and former attorney, is also running.

LD7 Senate (R): Rep. David Cook (R-Globe) is termed out of his House seat and is challenging incumbent Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), a controversial MAGA firebrand in this conservative, rural northeastern Arizona district.

• Rogers defeated incumbents in the past two elections .

LD17 Senate (R): Newcomer Sen. Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) defeated incumbent former Sen. Vince Leach in 2022, and Leach is hoping to return the favor by wresting his old seat back from her.

• The district, which covers the northern Tucson area and parts of Pinal County, is predominantly Republican, but Democrats didn't lose by much two years ago and are making a play for it.
• Democrats view Wadsack, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, as more beatable than Leach.

LD22 Senate (D): Rep. Leezah Sun (D-Phoenix) resigned earlier this year shortly before a vote to expel her from office after an ethics committee found that she'd made threatening comments about a lobbyist and engaged in other questionable behavior.

• But Sun is still looking to unseat incumbent Sen. Eva Diaz (D-Tolleson) in this heavily Democratic West Valley district.

LD5 House (D): Both representatives in this central Phoenix district resigned earlier this year — one for a congressional race and one for a new job — and Democrats Charles Lucking and Sarah Liguori, a former lawmaker, were appointed to fill the seats.

• Challengers Aaron Márquez and Dorri Thyden are hoping to unseat the appointed incumbents in this overwhelmingly Democratic district.

LD7 House (R): Incumbent Rep. David Marshall (R-Snowflake) is joined by five others vying for the heavily GOP district's two House seats.

• Among the challengers are former Reps. Walt Blackman and John Fillmore, as well as Steve Slaton, whose military records contradict his claim that he served in Vietnam.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note John Fillmore's first name.