By Lindsay Walker
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Tempe's candidates for the Arizona state legislature have been finalized after the April 4 filing deadline passed. 

The city will be represented by Legislative Districts 8, 9 and 12 after redistricting was approved following the 2020 U.S. Census. 

LD8 stretches south past Loop 202 and enters north Tempe. LD9 flows from the Price-101 Freeway in south Tempe and past the US-60 to reach Mesa. LD12 goes north from Maricopa County’s border with Pinal County, up to the US-60 in south Tempe.

A primary election will be held Aug. 2, followed by a general election on Nov. 8.

Arizona State Senate

Candidates for LD8 are Roxana Holzapfel, R-Tempe, and Todd Howard, R-Tempe, who are challenging incumbent Juan Mendez, D-Tempe.

Holzapfel identifies herself as a first-generation American whose parents are of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. She lists her priorities as being pro-life, being a second amendment conservative and does not support mask and vaccine mandates. Holzapfel supports border security, giving parents voices in their children’s schools and protecting and caring for veterans and the military.

Howard did not list a candidate statement on the Arizona Secretary of State’s website with his filing. His website lists his priorities as being the 2020 election, education, life and liberty and the border.

Mendez is a first generation Chicano. He outlines that his priorities are building strong communities, with public investment in education, health, infrastructure, transportation, research and economic stability.

Candidates for LD9 are Tyler Pace, R-Mesa, Robert Scantlebury, R-Mesa, and Eva Burch, D-Mesa.

Pace is the incumbent who was elected to represent the old LD25 in 2018. He is a Mesa native. He lists education, health care, job creation and border security as a few of his top issues. 

Scantlebury is a retired Mesa Police Department officer. He previously ran for a seat on the Mesa City Council in 2018, though he was unsuccessful. He’s called Arizona home for three decades. 

Burch was born and raised in Phoenix and ultimately chose to study nursing at Pima Medical Institute in Mesa. She is now a nurse practitioner. Burch aims to work for a more inclusive Arizona and names homelessness, food insecurity, voting rights and health care as some of her top issues. 

Candidates for LD12 are David Richardson, R-Phoenix, Suzanne Sharer, R-Phoenix, and Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe. 

Richardson is a first-generation college graduate from Phoenix. An entrepreneur, he and his co-founders developed drug discovery and diagnostic tools. Richardson also opened a COVID-19 testing lab in Ahwatukee when the pandemic hit. 

Sharer was born and raised in Arizona and identifies with Goldwater conservatism. This is her first election; she has worked as a licensed realtor for 28 years. Her priorities include school choice, support for law enforcement and fighting illegal immigration. 

Currently a state representative, Epstein is running for a senate seat. She is also a former board member with the Kyrene School District and is a small business owner. She lists education, the economy, water and environment as some of her top issues. 

Arizona House of Representatives

Candidates for LD8 include Caden Darrow, R-Tempe, Bill Loughrige, R-Tempe, Melody Hernandez, D-Tempe, and Incumbent Athena Salman, D-Tempe. 

Darrow is a 25-year-old who was born and raised in the Midwest before moving to Arizona six years ago. An Arizona State University grad, he spent time working in the U.S. Senate. Darrow points to education, border security and homelessness as issues of note. 

Loughrige was born and raised in Arizona and his family has had a presence in the state since 1993. He is a retired agent with the U.S. Customs Service and now serves as president of the Tempe Sunrise Kiwanis and the Walker Fire Protection Association near Prescott. His platform supports improved public education and security. 

Hernandez is Mexican-American and was born and raised in the southeast Valley. She works as a paramedic and previously served as the Chair of the District 26 Democrats. Hernandez names health care inequalities, worker’s rights and a strengthened education system as her top priorities. 

Salman was born and raised in Arizona to a first generation-American family from Mexico, Germany and Palestine. She was originally elected to the state legislature in 2016, served as the House Democratic Whip, serves as the Ranking Member on the Government and Elections Committee and is on the Education Committee.

LD9 candidates are Mary Ann Mendoza, R-Mesa, Kathy Pearce, R-Mesa, Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, and Seth Blattman, D-Mesa. 

Mendoza is running for the legislature for the first time. Mendoza’s son was killed by a drunk driver in the country illegally in 2014. Since then, she has become an advocate for tougher immigration policies. 

Pearce is the founder of AZ Heroes to Hometowns, a nonprofit that welcomes home service members unable to continue serving their country due to injuries. Her top issues include illegal immigration, school choice, election integrity and more. 

Austin is a fifth-generation Arizonan and proud graduate of Mesa Community College, which she parlayed into a bachelor’s degree from ASU. Her degree focused on U.S. & Mexican Regional Immigration Policy and Economy. Her top issues include education, affordable housing and community resources. 

Blattman moved to Arizona at the age of 10 and graduated from ASU. He aims to focus on education, jobs and campaign finance issues. 

LD12 candidates are Jim Chaston, R-Phoenix, Terry Roe, R-Chandler, Patty Contreras, D-Phoenix, Sam Huang, D-Chandler, Ajlan Kurdoglu, D-Chandler, Anastasia Travers, D-Phoenix, and Paul Weich, D-Phoenix. 

Chaston has lived in the Valley since 1991 when he began attending ASU. An accountant for over 30 years, Chaston has also worked as the city’s finance director and is a small business owner. His focuses include border security, strengthened public safety and keeping taxes low. 

Roe is running on a platform of quality public safety, economic growth, fiscal responsibility, government accountability and securing the border. He grew up in the East Valley and served as a peace officer in Phoenix. He has also served on the Chandler City Council since 2015. 

Contreras has lived in the Ahwatukee-Foothills area for 30 years and is a third-generation Arizonan. Education, supporting seniors, and the environment are her top priorities. 

Huang was born in Taiwan and has lived in Arizona for 15 years. He was an at-large member of the Chandler City Council from 2017 until 2021. His critical priorities are affordable medical services, applied education, high-speed trains, and welfare fairness and effectiveness, according to his statement of candidacy. 

Kurdoglu moved from Istanbul to Arizona to attend the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU. He stayed in the East Valley and built a business as a first-generation American. He aims to focus on community building, affordable housing, small businesses and quality education. 

Travers is a U.S. Army veteran and scientist who was born in Athens, Greece. She has become an advocate for veteran women’s issues, and homeless and disabled veterans. Her other top issues include education, the environment and gun safety. 

Weich has lived in Ahwatukee and worked in Tempe for many years. He has practiced election law and published articles on law and politics in Arizona. Some of his key issues include protecting democracy, Arizona public schools and reproductive rights. 

Editor Melissa Rosequist contributed to this reporting.