Arizona's 8th Legislative District, which encompasses parts of Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale Mesa, and the entirety of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, has two house seats and one senate seat up for grabs in the 2026 elections.
LD8 is currently controlled by three Democrats, all of whom are running for reelection. Currently, there are four house candidates and two senate candidates.
Running for the two house seats are incumbent Democrats Janeen Connolly and Brian Garcia, as well as Democrat primary challenger Claudia Kline. Republican Donald Hawker is running as the lone Republican candidate in the race.
The senate seat is a two-woman race between incumbent Democrat Lauren Kuby and her primary challenger Deborah Nardozzi.
Independent Newsmedia invited LD8 candidates to answer a questionnaire. Here are the responses we received. The Arizona LD8 GOP did not respond on behalf of Donald Hawker. Janeen Connolly and Brian Garcia also did not respond.
Lauren Kuby (D)
What sets you apart from your fellow candidate? What sets our campaign apart is to whom we are accountable. I do not accept campaign contributions from lobbyists, utilities, developers, or powerful corporations because I believe elected officials should answer to voters and working families — not special interests.
What sets me apart personally is my record of leadership and my lifelong commitment to solving the challenges facing Arizona families. As a Tempe City Council member and vice mayor, I delivered real results: expanding affordable housing partnerships, advancing climate and water resilience, reforming campaign finance laws, protecting workers’ rights, and strengthening environmental protections.
Beyond elected office, I have spent my career working on Arizona’s future as a sustainability scientist at Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. My work has focused on issues that directly affect Arizona families — extreme heat, water conservation, sustainable growth, and clean energy solutions. I led ASU’s Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, where I brought university experts together with nonprofits and community members to craft housing solutions.
In the Legislature, I have worked to meet the moment during times of deep uncertainty. I advocate for my community on the Senate floor and in public debate, and I work to bring community members, advocates, and organizations directly into the policymaking process. In my first term, I introduced 39 bills focused on climate solutions, worker protections, healthcare access, consumer protections, government transparency, and protecting fundamental rights to health care and abortion. Whether inside the Senate or out in the community, I have consistently stood up for Arizona families and worked to turn progressive values into real policy solutions.
That combination of tested public leadership, scientific expertise, legislative action, and independence from special interests is what sets me apart in this race.
What is the most pressing issue facing LD8 today? If I had to choose one issue facing my legislative district, it would be affordability and the rising cost of living.
Families are struggling with high rents, rising home prices, grocery costs, utility bills, and healthcare expenses.
Too many households are energy-burdened, meaning a large share of their income goes just to keeping the lights on and their homes cool during Arizona’s extreme heat. Many young people cannot afford to live in the communities where they grew up, seniors on fixed incomes are worried about whether they can remain in their homes, and the number of houseless families is on the rise.
I have worked on these challenges throuhout my career — as a Tempe City Council member, as a state senator, and through my work at Arizona State University, where I led the Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family. I have fought to expand affordable and workforce housing, defend neighborhoods from the unchecked growth of short-term rentals, and push back against wealthy developers who too often prioritize profits over people and community stability.
I have also sponsored Senate Bill 1607, the Fair Claims Accountability Act, which protects patients’ rights to health insurance coverage by establishing a Healthcare Consumer Assistance Program to help consumers with denied claims and by increasing penalties on health insurance companies that systemically deny valid claims—putting patients over profits.
Arizona’s rapid growth and extreme heat are putting even more pressure on working families. We need smarter planning that increases housing affordability, protects neighborhood character and quality of life, and reduces the financial strain on families already struggling with high utility costs.
That is why I support building more affordable and workforce housing, protecting renters, addressing homelessness with “Housing First” solutions, improving energy efficiency in homes, and giving communities a stronger voice in development decisions.
People in LD8 want safe, affordable, and healthy communities and we can achieve that through practical, people-centered solutions that bring neighborhoods, communities, and government together in a shared mission.
It seems that in 2026, the political divide in Arizona is wider than ever. What do you plan on doing to create a more bipartisan environment? The political divide in Arizona is real, and we see it at every level of government. What frustrates me most is that urgent challenges like drought, extreme heat, air pollution, housing affordability, and public health are treated as partisan issues instead of problems to solve together.
In the Legislature, I have focused on practical solutions instead of political theater. Many of the bills I introduced this year were designed to address real challenges facing Arizona families, not score partisan points.
I have built strong working relationships with several Republican lawmakers because I try to listen and stay focused on policies that can bridge the divide, including government transparency, privacy protections, environmental issues, and public health. Even so, Republicans refuse to hear the vast majority of Democratic bills, which remains an obstacle to advancing policies that address urgent issues of the day.
Affordability, whether related to gas, groceries, housing prices, or rent, is a major concern for many constituents.
How do you plan to approach affordability in your district? The current Legislature has done little to build an Arizona that working families can afford. The Republican majority continues to focus their policies on tax cuts that disproportionately benefit wealthy individuals and corporate interests.
To address the cost of living, we must expand affordable and workforce housing and strengthen renter protections. I support repealing the 2014 law that prevents cities from requiring affordable housing in new developments because local communities should have the ability to address their own housing needs. I also believe we need stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors to build housing that working families can actually afford. To do that, we need to collaborate with nonprofit developers experienced in building rental housing and for-sale homes that are within reach for everyday Arizonans.
As a former council member and senator, I have worked to defend neighborhoods from the unchecked growth of short-term rentals and to push back against wealthy developers who too often prioritize profits over community needs.
In addition, I support investments in policies that lower utility costs and improve energy efficiency—especially during Arizona’s extreme summers, when many families struggle with high electricity bills. It is unconscionable that monopoly utilities are seeking a 14% rate increase while reporting record profits.
Lastly, we need policies that support workers and raise wages to ensure our economy works for working families, not just large corporations.
As artificial intelligence and data centers continue to emerge in the state, how do you plan on navigating this emergence in LD8?Arizona is seeing rapid growth in artificial intelligence and data centers, but that growth has not always been responsible.
I oppose tax exemptions for data centers, which create relatively few permanent jobs while costing Arizona taxpayers about $40 million annually, monies that go to AI billionaires and companies like Amazon.
While technology can create jobs and investment, taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability. That is why I sponsored Senate Bill 1510 — legislation requiring data centers to report their expected energy and water use, carbon emissions, and waste generation before receiving public incentives.
In a desert state facing water shortages and extreme heat, we must ensure these facilities do not strain our water supply, increase utility costs for residents, or negatively impact surrounding neighborhoods. I also believe local residents should have a meaningful voice in major development decisions through strong Community Benefit Agreements tied to data center projects. Communities deserve a seat at the table when it comes to issues like water use, energy demand, infrastructure impacts, neighborhood compatibility, and local economic benefits.
Arizona can support innovation and emerging technology while protecting our environment, our neighborhoods, our water resources, and our taxpayers.
What are three bills that you’d like to bring before the state legislature in the coming session? I introduced 39 bills during this legislative session and plan to continue working on many of those proposals when the Legislature returns in January 2027. Three major priorities I would focus upon in 2027 include:
1. Empowering Local Solutions to the Housing Crisis
In 2014, the Legislature passed a law that prevents cities from requiring a certain percentage of affordable or workforce housing in new developments. I would sponsor legislation to repeal that law and give local communities more control over housing solutions.
2. Championing the Arizona Green Amendment
I sponsored — and would re-introduce in 2027 — the Arizona Green Amendment (SCR1017), which would enshrine the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment in the Arizona Constitution, protecting the lives and livelihoods of current and future Arizonans..
As Arizona faces an historic drought, extreme heat, and growing environmental challenges, future generations deserve stronger protections for our natural resources.
3. Strengthening Tenant Protections During Extreme Heat
This session, I worked with community groups and Attorney General Kris Mayes to craft SB 1608, legislation to update Arizona’s tenant protection laws during extreme heat emergencies.
This bill would create a statewide maximum temperature standard for rental properties and shorten the amount of time landlords have to repair broken air conditioning systems or provide other accommodations.
Right now, renters can wait up to five days for repairs during dangerous, life-threatening heat. In Arizona, extreme heat is a serious public health issue, and everyone deserves a safe place to live.
Deborah Nardozzi (D)
What sets you apart from your fellow candidates? I am a community builder, and I think that is exactly what this moment calls for.
We cannot afford elected officials who are burning bridges within our own coalition when we need every single person pulling in the same direction to take on what is coming out of Washington. I built the South Scottsdale Democrats Club from scratch, I have flipped seats from Republican to Democrat that nobody thought we could win, and I have been organizing this community block by block for years. That track record of bringing people together is what gets housing built for families who are getting priced out, gets real relief on childcare costs that are crushing working parents, and builds the kind of unified front we need at the state level to push back against a federal agenda that is coming after our neighbors.
What is the most pressing issue facing LD8 today? It is hard to pick one because housing, child care, and schools are all so tangled up together for families in this district. But if I am being real with you, the cost of living is squeezing people out of the community they built their lives in, and that is the thing I hear about most at the doors. Teachers who work in this district drive 45 minutes because they cannot afford to live here. Parents doing math every month that just does not add up. Families who have been here for decades are wondering whether they will be able to stay. And I know that feeling personally because I am one of those moms sitting at the kitchen table making the math work every single month. This is my struggle too, and that is exactly why I will stay laser-focused on it in the Senate.
It seems that in 2026, the political divide in Arizona is wider than ever. What do you plan on doing to create a more bipartisan environment? Look, there is plenty we can work on together at the Capitol. Infrastructure, small business support, water policy, and economic development. I am genuinely happy to sit across the aisle and get things done on the stuff that actually improves people's lives, and I have a track record of doing exactly that.
But I want to be straight with you about something. The divide we are seeing right now is not happening because Democrats stopped wanting to work together. It is happening because a MAGA culture war agenda keeps getting injected into every corner of public life in ways that target my neighbors, their families, and their ability to live fully and safely in this community.
I am never going to compromise on that. That is not partisanship; that is just being a decent human being.
So when people ask me about bipartisanship, I always want to ask back, bipartisan on what exactly? Because I will work with anyone who wants to get families housed, fix our schools, and make childcare affordable. That table is always open. But I am not going to call it unity when it comes at the expense of the people I am showing up every single day to fight for.
Affordability, whether it be gas prices, grocery prices, or housing prices and rent, is a major point of concern for much of your constituents. How do you plan to approach affordability in your district? On housing, the state Legislature has real tools, and I plan to use them. Zoning reform, protecting tenants from rent hikes that have no ceiling, and making sure public dollars go toward starter homes that teachers, nurses, and young families can actually afford.
We have an incumbent who has voted against that kind of development, and the families getting priced out of this district deserve better.
On groceries and gas, the state Legislature does not control those prices directly, but we can fight like heck on the things we do control.
Arizona just watched SNAP participation drop by over 40% after federal cuts took effect under Trump's budget. Families in this district are losing food assistance, and I want Arizona to step up with state-funded nutrition support to fill that gap, as California and other states have. We can also push for utility relief programs and clean energy incentives that lower what families pay every month to keep the lights on and get to work.
As artificial intelligence and data centers continue to emerge in the state, how do you plan on navigating this emergence in LD8? These are multi-billion-dollar companies, and they should go through the same rigorous regulatory process we demand of any other industry coming into our communities. Full stop.
What I keep seeing is local city councils and boards just waving these data centers through without any real community input on water usage, energy demands, noise, and the impact on neighborhoods. That is not a sustainable path, and it is not how we should be making decisions that affect people's daily lives for decades.
Community control matters here. Residents deserve a seat at the table before these projects are approved, and the state Legislature has a role in making sure that happens. I am not against economic development or innovation, but I am absolutely against handing over our community's resources and quality of life to corporations without making them earn them and meet the same bar we set for everyone else and I know some companies are ready to have those talks.
What are three bills that you would like to bring before the state legislature in the coming session? Honestly, my first order of business is finishing what the incumbent refused to start.
Senate Bill 1229 and Senate Bill 1431, the Starter Homes Act bills that would have actually opened the door to housing that working families can afford to buy in this state, came up, and our incumbent voted against them.
Let’s bring back a version of those bills, and I am going to fight for them.
Beyond housing, I want to push hard on child care affordability because the costs in this state are crushing working parents, and while I truly appreciate Gov. Hobbs’ funding our Bright Futures AZ initiative we have not done nearly enough about it at the legislative level.
And I want to bring forward serious investment in public school funding because we keep asking teachers and classrooms to stretch further every single budget cycle, and at some point, that has to stop.
Those are my three, and they all connect back to the same thing: keeping families stable in this district.
Claudia Kline (D)
What sets you apart from your fellow candidates? I think one of the biggest things that sets me apart is my age. I’m a young, progressive candidate who understands what it feels like to worry about the future and the direction our state is heading. I’ve also had the privilege of living all across Arizona — from Cottonwood to Douglas, Tucson to Phoenix — which has given me a firsthand understanding of the challenges communities face throughout the state.
No matter the ZIP code, people are struggling with many of the same issues: affordability, access to quality education and health care, and a government that too often feels disconnected from everyday people.
I also come from a community organizing background. Over the last nine years, I’ve worked on ballot initiatives, candidate campaigns, and a wide range of issue-based efforts. That experience has taught me how to listen to people, build coalitions, and fight for meaningful change.
What is the most pressing issue facing LD8 today? Based on my conversations with voters while canvassing, there are a few issues that consistently come up across LD8. In Mesa, I hear a lot about immigration and education. In Scottsdale, many people are focused on health care, while voters in Phoenix and Tempe often talk about affordability and the rising cost of living.
But across every community, there’s a shared concern about accountability and checks and balances at every level of government. People want leaders who will stand up to corporate interests, put working families first, and ensure government is responsive to the people it serves.
It seems that in 2026, the political divide in Arizona is wider than ever.
What do you plan on doing to create a more bipartisan environment? During my time as president of the Young Democrats of Arizona, I participated in a bipartisan Gen Z working group that focused on finding common ground across political lines. That experience reinforced something I still believe today: while we may disagree on certain issues, there are many challenges Arizonans face that transcend party affiliation.
I believe progress starts with listening, open communication, and focusing on practical solutions that improve people’s lives. While the current political climate can make bipartisan cooperation difficult, I remain committed to working with anyone who is willing to engage in good faith and put the interests of Arizonans first.
At the same time, part of the responsibility of elected officials is ensuring harmful or extreme legislation does not move forward unchecked. I’m prepared to have conversations across the aisle, advocate for my community’s values, and work toward solutions wherever common ground can be found.
Affordability, whether it be gas prices, grocery prices, or housing prices and rent, is a major point of concern for much of your constituents. How do you plan to approach affordability in your district?
One of the main reasons I decided to run for office was because I felt too many elected officials were not showing up for their communities during times of need. I’ve spent years involved in mutual aid efforts and community organizing, helping connect people with resources and services that can make a real difference in their daily lives.
Even throughout this campaign, I’ve helped constituents navigate government systems, connect with city council offices, congressional representatives, translation services, and other public resources. I believe public service should be hands on and accessible.
Long term, I believe affordability also requires stronger corporate accountability and policies that put working families first. Rising costs are affecting people across LD8, and we need leaders who are willing to address the root causes, from housing affordability to wage stagnation and corporate price gouging, while ensuring resources and support are actually reaching the communities that need them most.
As artificial intelligence and data centers continue to emerge in the state, how do you plan on navigating this emergence in LD8? As Arizona continues to grow, we have to be thoughtful about the long-term impact that large-scale data centers and emerging technologies will have on our communities. In a state already facing serious water and energy concerns, I believe we need stronger oversight and accountability. My priority is making sure development decisions put residents first, not just large corporations.
Innovation is important, but it cannot come at the expense of Arizona families, our environment, or our long-term sustainability. I’m committed to advocating for responsible growth that protects the resources our communities rely on.
What are three bills that you would like to bring before the state legislature in the coming session? One of my top priorities would be stronger groundwater protections. Arizona is facing a serious water crisis, and we need legislation that ensures our groundwater is managed responsibly and preserved for future generations rather than overexploited for short-term corporate gain.
Second, I would support establishing a universal heat standard for outdoor workers. In Arizona’s extreme temperatures, workers deserve basic protections such as access to water, shade, and rest breaks to prevent heat-related illness and death. I also believe workers should be protected from retaliation for reporting unsafe working conditions or exercising their right to take necessary safety precautions during extreme heat events.
Third, I would introduce legislation updating Arizona law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under anti-discrimination statutes. No Arizonan should be fired, denied housing, or discriminated against in public accommodations simply because they are LGBTQ+. I believe every person deserves equal protection and dignity under the law.
After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.
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