The state Senate candidates in Arizona’s Legislative District 23 are set to meet in a Clean Elections debate Thursday.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez is scheduled to face Republican challenger Michelle Altherr at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The discussion will be moderated by Tucson Sentinel Government and Political Impact Reporter Jim Nintzel.
Fernandez, who has launched and then sold tech startups, was first appointed to the Legislature in 2021 after his mother, Charlene Fernandez, resigned from the House of Representatives after nearly a decade in the Legislature to take a job with the Biden administration. In 2022, he won election to the Arizona Senate.
The Yuma native said he sought the appointment to his mother’s seat because given his background as a software engineer, “I think that I just kind of felt like I could do it as well as anyone else. I thought that there were things I could do better.”
He said he was proud of steering dollars toward Yuma’s Arizona Western College and he’d like a second term to work on issues related to economic development, education, housing and prison reform.
His GOP opponent, Altherr, is an Air Force veteran whose 15-year tour of duty included assignments in New Mexico, Korea, Germany, Kansas City and Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base. After she left the service in 1998, she stayed in Goodyear and launched a career in fashion design.
Altherr never imagined she would run for office, but she was inspired by former president Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. She was so dismayed by Trump’s 2020 loss that she worked with the Cyber Ninja audit of the election results.
“You’re not going to tell me that there was not some fraud, anomalies, things that just weren’t right with the election,” Altherr said. “You can’t tell me that it didn’t happen.”
After that, Altherr got more involved in politics and now serves as the GOP chair of LD23.
The largest chunk of LD23’s voters — 47 percent — live in Yuma County
but roughly 19 percent live on the western side of Pima County. The
district includes the Tohono O’odham reservation, including the San
Xavier Mission and the community of Sells. Roughly 34 percent of the
voters live in Maricopa County’s rural areas as well as Phoenix suburbs
such as Goodyear.
While Democrats, at 35 percent of the voters, hold the registration
advantage over the 24 percent of Republicans, the 41 percent of
independent voters can swing either way. The district now has bipartisan
representation in the House of Representatives with Democrat Mariana
Sandoval and Republican Michele Peña.
Sandoval and Matias Rosales, the two Democrats seeking two House seats in LD23, will appear in a forum at 7 p.m. following the Senate debate.
Peña has declined to attend.
Democrats hope to win both seats in the Nov. 5 election as part of an
effort to flip control of the Arizona House of Representatives, which
is now split 31-29 in the GOP’s favor.
The event will stream live on the Clean Elections YouTube channel.
Upcoming debates and important dates
Tuesday, Sept. 17: District 2 Supervisor Matt Heinz, a Democrat seeking a second term, is scheduled to face Republican John Backer in this Democratic-leaning district that includes Tucson’s downtown and South Side and stretches to the Sahuarita area. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 5:30 p.m. Eckstrom-Columbus Library, 4350 E. 22nd St.
Thursday, Sept 19: Candidates for House and Senate seats in Legislative District 17, which includes precincts in the Saddlebrooke, Marana, Oro Valley, eastside Tucson and Vail will meet for a forum. Republican Vince Leach, fresh from dispatching incumbent Sen. Justine Wadsack in the GOP primary, is facing Democrat John McLean in the race for an open Senate seat, while in the House race, incumbent Republicans Reps. Cory McGarr and Rachel Jones are facing Democrat Kevin Volk. So far, only the Democratic candidates have agreed to appear. Democrats are hoping for upset victories in this heavily Republican district. Sponsored by Clean Elections. 6 p.m. via the Clean Elections YouTube channel.
Saturday, Sept. 28: Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat seeking her second full term, is scheduled to meet her independent challenger, Tucson Unified School Board member Val Romero. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson. Quincie-Douglas Library, 1585 E. 36th St.
Monday, Oct. 7: U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani and his Democratic challenger, former state lawmaker Kirsten Engel, are scheduled to meet for a one-hour debate on Oct. 7. This is a rematch of the 2022 race for the CD2 seat, when Engel lost by fewer than 2 percentage points in this GOP-leaning district. The Clean Elections/Arizona Media Association forum will be aired on select televised and radio stations and streamed live on various news websites, including TucsonSentinel.com.
Monday, Oct. 7: Last day to register to vote for general election
Wednesday, Oct. 9: Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego, who are facing each other in one of the most-watched Senate races in the nation, are scheduled to meet in a televised debate. The matchup, hosted by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Media Association, is set for 6 p.m. and will air on select TV and radio stations as well as online news platforms, including TucsonSentinel.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 9: Pima County mails early ballots to voters
Friday, Oct. 25: Deadline to request an early ballot from the Pima County Recorder’s Office
Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day