LD 10 candidates talk issues heading into primary

By Tom Blodgett
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Arizona Legislative District 10 includes north and east Mesa and west Apache Junction.  

That district will have at least one new state lawmaker this year, as Rep. Ralph Heap is not running again. Incumbents, both Republicans, are Rep. Justin Olson and Sen. David Farnsworth, and each is seeking re-election 

Also running for the House are Republicans Ciara Anderson, a stay-at-home mom and political activist who formerly worked in business operations, and attorney James Rogers; Democrats Brian Calaway, who runs after-school enrichment programs, and Helen Hunter, a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal church; and David Scott from the No Labels Party. 

Blair Moses is running unopposed in the district’s Senate Democratic primary. 

Candidates in Arizona House races are vying for a maximum of two seats per party in July 21 primaries. In the Nov. 5 general election, the top two vote-getters in Arizona’s 30 House districts win seats, regardless of party. 

Independent Newsmedia invited all the candidates to answer a questionnaire. Here are the responses we received. Neither incumbent nor the Democratic House candidates responded. 

Ciara Anderson 

Primary: House Republican Party 

Age: 40 

Hometown: Mesa 

Occupation: Stay-at-home mother and wastewater business owner 

Community involvement: I’m deeply involved in my community as a mother of three, a small business owner, and a grassroots leader in East Valley. I serve as a Precinct Committeeman in LD10 and founded the East Valley Moms Coalition, connecting and supporting hundreds of local families. I volunteer with Hope Women’s Center and serve through my church, while regularly attending community events and neighborhood meetings to stay connected with residents and the challenges they face. 

James Rogers 

Primary: House Republican Party 

Age: 46 

Hometown: Phoenix 

Occupation: Attorney at America First Legal 

Community involvement: Republican precinct committeeman, Boy Scouts, Federalist Society 

David Scott 

Primary: House No Labels Party  

Age: 46 

Hometown: Gilbert; Louisiana 

Occupation: Arizona Market President - First Western Bank & Trust 

Community involvement: I serve on the board of directors of Junior Achievement of Arizona, Million Dollar Teacher Project, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and PHX East Valley Partnership. I co-chair the Community Action Partnership at the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, and serve on the campus council of Central Christian Church in Mesa. I lead the Early Literacy Impact Maker Team for Valley Leadership, for which I was named the organization's 2026 Impact Maker of the Year. 

Blair Moses 

Primary: Senate Democratic Party 

Hometown: Mesa 

Occupation: Retired 

Community involvement:   I serve on the Multicultural Advisory Board of the nonprofit One Community.  I am a member of the Arizona Leaders Network.  I am a member of Healthcare Rising Arizona.  I attend Mesa City Council meetings when I'm available.  I have been active politically in working with a variety of campaigns over the years.  I make food and clothing donations to organizations who collect for those in need. 

 Why did you choose to run? 

Anderson: I have spoken a lot about living in Washington state during COVID and the negative experiences we had due to government control and overreach. We moved to Arizona to get away from that and got involved in politics pretty much right away. You can see signs of Arizona Democrats trying to move Arizona toward California, Oregon, Washington state-type policies, which makes sense since they all share the same left-of-center ideology. When I saw a need for someone to run, it was an easy decision to follow my passion and make the commitment. We need common-sense elected officials pursuing pro-growth, low-tax, limited government policies.  

Rogers: Arizona is at a crossroads: we will either follow California and Colorado into permanent blue states or become a solid red state like Florida. I am running for the Arizona House to work for legislation to help make Arizona solidly conservative. 

Scott: I see the pressure on families and small businesses every day. Costs are rising, and too much time at the state level is spent on political fights instead of solving real problems. I’m running to bring a steady, practical approach that focuses on outcomes and accountability. 

Moses: As a retired attorney with a prior 30-year career in healthcare, I spent the past few years reviewing hundreds of bills introduced by the Legislature during each Legislative session. What I found was alarming: a sharp rise in legislation aimed at limiting Constitutional rights, restricting healthcare access, undermining voting rights, and making it harder for Arizonans to afford food, housing, and utilities. Bills harming public education and attacking vulnerable communities have also increased every year. These bills are hurting real people. When I was approached by the LD10 Democrats Board and asked to run, I felt compelled to use my knowledge and past experience to try to effect change. 

What do you see as the biggest issue facing the state heading into the next legislative session? 

Anderson: Getting our economy back on track we went from a top-five to a bottom-bottom economy in just a few years. I’m looking forward to learning more about how that happened, but while some of it is going to be due to specific policies, some of it comes from the messages a state sends to the rest of the country. Are we open and welcoming to businesses? Can you grow and thrive here without being burdened by government regulations?  

Rogers: There are six issues we need to tackle: fixing our election laws, making it affordable to start families, protecting children from radical gender ideology, defending the pre-born, protecting our Second Amendment rights, and fighting illegal immigration. 

Scott: Cost of living. Housing, childcare, healthcare, groceries and many other costs are rising faster than income, and that affects long-term stability for families and the broader economy. 

Moses: Affordability: increased food, housing, utility, insurance, property tax, and healthcare costs are causing increased anxiety and making it impossible for many to "make ends meet." 

What bills do you plan to introduce to deal with this issue? 

Anderson: Arizona’s economy grows when businesses, workers, and families have confidence in our future. I would support legislation that cuts unnecessary regulations, speeds up permitting, and makes it easier for small businesses to expand and hire. We should also invest in reliable infrastructure, including water policy that supports long-term growth through groundwater recharge, water recycling, and responsible planning. Economic growth and water security must work together. If we want companies to invest in Arizona and families to afford homes, we need practical policies that encourage responsible development while protecting our water future. Arizona should be one of the best states in the nation to start a business, create jobs, and raise a family. 

Rogers:

• Fixing our election laws: implement Florida-style elections where elections are secure, ballots are counted quickly, and we get results on election night.  
• Making it affordable to start families: cut down on the red tape to build homes; open up options for owner-builders to build houses themselves; and attack the problem of illegal immigration to get illegal immigrants to leave the state, thus driving down demand for housing, which will reduce housing costs.  
• Protecting children from radical gender ideology: require parental notification and consent before any discussions at school about sexuality or gender issues and significantly increase the penalties for schools and teachers that fail to comply.  
• Defending the pre-born: repeal Proposition 139, which made abortion until the moment of birth a constitutional right.  
• Protecting our Second Amendment rights: Strengthen Arizona's Second Amendment Firearm Freedom Act to ensure that state and local resources are not used to enforce federal gun control measures and to make that law's requirements more enforceable.  
• Fighting illegal immigration: There are too many bills that I plan to introduce to list all of them here, but two of them are 1) strengthen our state's requirement that employers use e-verify to make sure that illegal aliens cannot work in our state; and 2) legislation to prevent aliens from using public services and to ensure that they and their sponsors are held financially accountable when they do. 

Scott:

• Increase housing supply by supporting responsible development and reducing delays.  
• Support job growth in the East Valley and align housing and infrastructure with that growth.  
• Improve access to childcare so parents can remain in the workforce.  
• Remove barriers that limit small business growth and improve access to capital.  
• Ensure programs that disburse public dollars are used with clear accountability, transparency, and safeguards against misuse. 

Moses: One example of a bill I would like to introduce to help with utility costs is one that puts guidelines on data centers in this state. This bill would include limiting the number and location of data centers and ensuring the corporations owning them pay for their water and energy use instead of increasing utility costs for Arizona residents. Also, either in the same bill or a separate one, I would like to push for clean energy use by data centers, such as solar. We are a state already struggling with water issues and do not need huge numbers of data centers using our water. 

Why do you think you are the best candidate for the position?

Anderson: I am the best candidate because I have an unwavering passion and a strong desire for knowledge, growth, and continuous improvement beyond the average person. I have deep roots in the community and have fully integrated my family into the church, our small business, civic involvement, and our local schools. I am living the same challenges and concerns that everyday constituents face right now. I understand the issues because I experience them personally as a mother, business owner, and community member. I am ready to put my head down, work hard, and fight for the people of Arizona every single day. 

Rogers: I have the expertise and experience to hit the ground running. I won't have a learning curve to get up to speed. I've written bills before and I know how things work at the Legislature. I'm a Harvard- and Cambridge-educated constitutional attorney who has already delivered major wins for Arizona families — blocking Biden’s vaccine mandate, suing Mesa Public Schools for hiding gender transitions from parents, securing our elections, and fighting the Biden Administration’s open-border policies. Beyond my professional experience, I am a sixth-generation Arizonan and a father of four. I have strong roots in this community — my family has been here for almost 150 years, and I will work hard to keep Arizona as a free and prosperous place that our descendants will be able to enjoy for the next 150 years. 

Scott: I bring real-world experience outside of politics. For over 20 years, I’ve worked with business owners and community leaders navigating growth, risk, and rising costs. I understand how decisions made at the Capitol play out in the real world, and I focus on solutions that are practical and accountable. 

Moses: I am a retired attorney who worked in healthcare for 30 years before attending law school. During law school, I took a full year of Constitutional Law, which made the Constitution come alive for me. Upholding our Constitutional rights, such as our voting rights, free speech, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to unionize, is extremely important to me and is one of my campaign priorities. With my legal background, I also am familiar with reading and truly understanding the full meaning of bills and statutes and the application of Constitutional and state or federal law to proposed bills. Because of my 30 years of healthcare experience, I understand the extreme importance of ensuring all people in this state have access to healthcare and access to affordable healthcare coverage. Finally, as a 39-year resident of Mesa, I know well the many issues we face in this district and the importance of addressing those issues, such as affordability issues with housing, food, utilities, and property taxes. I’m committed and hardworking, and I will always be interested in communicating with my constituents. 

What are issues you believe could be common ground between the political parties during the next session? 

Anderson: Economy, water policy, border security, education. 

Rogers: Tackling the affordability crisis. 

Scott: Cost of living, workforce development, and small-business growth. These are not partisan issues, and how we respond will shape whether people can continue to build a life here. There is also room to make progress on education outcomes and accountability in public spending. When the focus stays on results, there is more common ground than the politics suggests. 

y Affordability and economic issues, Constitutional rights, healthcare access. 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).