The climate stakes in Arizona are clearer than ever this summer, with extreme heat records set daily, major water scarcity, and a proposed data center buildout that threatens its natural resources and clean energy plans. The state remains one of the largest in the country whose legislature has yet to pass a climate plan, and this November’s election could very well win a Democratic climate trifecta to do just that. If just five seats are flipped this fall, a new climate majority could pass legislation that would require utilities transition to 100% clean energy, regulate data center expansion, and put in place much needed water conservation measures. We’re backing: 

Amelia Gallitano for State Senate District 2: Dr. Gallitano is a neuroscientist, professor, and doctor, who originally moved to Phoenix to help build out the University of Arizona College of Medicine’s Phoenix campus. She has conducted academic research at the intersection of climate impacts and public health and co-leads the Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium at the University of Arizona. In the State Senate, Gallitano is committed to prioritizing legislation to lower costs, strengthen public schools, and protect Arizona’s water future.

Stephanie Simacek for State House District 2: Representative Simacek is a public school teacher and Deer Valley Unified School District Board member running for re-election to the State House to represent District 2, a seat she won in a tight race in 2024 (with Lead Locally’s support!). In her first term in office, she has been a staunch advocate for strong public schools, affordable housing, reproductive freedoms, and environmental conservation. She sponsored multiple sustainability bills over the last two years, including a proposal to promote rainwater recycling systems in the state, and if reelected, will continue to prioritize future-proofing Arizona’s natural resources.

Aaron Lieberman for State Senate District 4: Lieberman is running to return to the state legislature and continue fighting for environmental action. Currently, he is the founder and CEO of Buzze Inc, a climate tech company working to expand access to affordable electric vehicle charging infrastructure. If elected to the Senate, Lieberman will ensure the state prioritizes drought management and clean energy policy to protect Arizona’s future.

Karen Gresham for State House District 4: Gresham is a former accountant and second-term school board member in the Madison Elementary School District. During her career as an accountant, Gresham audited various corporations, including APS, and so she has the expertise to hold the utility accountable for rising rates. If elected, she will be a powerful voice in the state legislature advocating for solar energy and opposing new fossil fuel infrastructure projects that threaten Arizonans’ health and energy bills.

Kiana Maria Sears for State Senate District 9: Representative Sears is a civil rights advocate and longtime public policy professional currently serving in the State Senate for District 9. Before her appointment to the Senate in 2025, she served on the Governing Board of Mesa Public Schools for eight years. Sears formerly worked as an executive utility regulatory consultant for the Arizona Corporation Commission where she made policy regarding solar energy, water, and wastewater. She is running to defend her seat and continue utilizing her utility expertise to prevent tax breaks from going to data centers.

Lorena Austin for State House District 9: Representative Austin is a fifth generation Arizonan who has served in the state legislature since 2023. They are focused on improving education funding, increasing access to affordable housing, and ensuring a stable, long-term water future. Austin is deeply committed to safeguards on Arizona’s diminishing water supply and protections for the cleanliness of that water and has co-sponsored a range of bills aimed at addressing the climate crisis.

Jacob Martinez for State House District 9: Martinez is a lifelong Mesa resident, community advocate, and member of the U.S. Navy Reserve running for an open seat in the State House. His top environmental priorities are water, data centers, and air pollution. If elected, Martinez will fight to repeal pre-emption laws prohibiting state agencies from regulating emissions to enable bolder action for climate and clean air.

Kristie O’Brien for State Senate District 13: O’Brien is a lawyer and mediator who is deeply committed to addressing the rising cost of living, protecting our environment, and ensuring families can thrive in Arizona for generations to come. Inspired to run in part by her own difficult experience navigating the country’s broken medical system, she understands firsthand the precarity that so many face due to the rising costs of healthcare. In the State Senate, O’Brien will fight for affordable healthcare, champion investments in solar energy, and push for strong regulations on data centers. O’Brien is also a graduate of Lead Locally’s Run for Climate training program!

Racquel “Rockee” Armstrong for State House District 13: Armstrong is a former public school teacher, school administrator, and current education professor at Arizona State University, where she conducts research to support school leaders nationwide. Her campaign to represent District 13 is focused on lowering costs for families, investing in education, and protecting Arizona’s long-term water supply. One of her key policy priorities is to hold utility companies accountable and ensure that rates for water and energy don’t continue to rise and force families to choose between paying rent and utilities.

Jacob Weinberg for State House District 13: Weinberg is a financial analyst and auditor andLieutenant Colonel in the Arizona Army National Guard. He is running on a platform of housing affordability and water security and is particularly concerned about the impacts of data centers on water and energy rates. 

Elaine Aldrete for State Senate District 16: Aldrete is an educator, community leader, and nonprofit board member running for State Senate to ensure families can afford to thrive in the state. She will fight in the state legislature to prevent big corporations from driving up the already-rising costs of energy and water and to repeal tax incentives for data center expansion.

Julia Romero Gusse for State House District 16: Romero Gusse is an Air Force veteran, a public servant, and a former Maricopa Councilmember. She has been a tireless advocate for veterans and their families throughout her career, with roles in the Biden Administration, Arizona’s Department of Veterans’ Services, and at Arizona State University. As a solar energy user herself, Romero Gusse will support policies that expand renewable energy, protect rooftop solar users, and move the state away from costly fossil fuel dependence. 

Edgar Soto for State Senate District 17: Soto is a lifelong educator and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He has worked at many levels within public education institutions, starting out as a middle school social studies teacher and currently serving as Campus Vice President at Pima Community College. Born and raised in Tucson, Soto’s family has been in Pima County for generations (before it was even part of the United States!), and he is deeply committed to protecting the desert and its natural resources for future generations.

Hollace “Holly” Lyon for State House District 17: Lyon is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former middle-school math teacher with an impressive track record of political organizing in Legislative District 17. She is running for State House because she firmly believes every Arizonan should have access to affordable and accessible housing, utilities, and healthcare. With proposed data centers threatening electricity bills and water resources in her district, Lyon is committed to ending incentives for data centers and expanding access to cheap solar energy.

Kevin Volk for State House District 17: Volk is a former educator and current small business owner running to defend his State House seat, which he flipped from red to blue in 2024. In the state legislature, he has championed bills to expand affordable childcare, wildfire preparedness, and sound water management. He is running for reelection to continue efforts to lower costs for Arizonans and invest in long-term water conservation solutions.

Brian Fernandez for State Senate District 23: Fernandez is a sixth-generation Arizonan from Yuma running for reelection to the State Senate. As a former member of the Senate’s Committee on Natural Resources and Water, he has been a champion for expanding clean energy infrastructure and investing in water conservation technologies like water recycling plants. He is specifically committed to increasing funding for vocational training programs that can funnel young people, especially in rural areas, into clean energy jobs.

Mariana Sandoval for State House District 23: Sandoval is a longtime public servant and is running for elections to the State House. While previously working in the state Attorney General’s Office, she supported efforts to prosecute air and water polluters and protect wildlife. During her tenure in the State House, she has elevated climate justice as a legislative priority, centering the needs of communities most impacted by pollution and extreme heat while advancing policies that accelerate clean energy investment and hold polluters accountable.

Emilia Cortez for State House District 23: Cortez is an Economic Development Specialist with the Quechan Indian Tribe and a community leader, born and raised in Yuma County. Over the course of her career, she has led multiple large-scale infrastructure initiatives, including broadband expansion to rural schools and sustainable water management. She is committed to protecting the district’s water resources and mitigating the effects of local polluting projects.

Kyle Clayton for State Senate District 27: Clayton is the Board President of Washington Elementary School District and a leader in the Shaw Butte Neighborhood Alliance, where he’s helped plant over 300 trees and secure $250,000+ in local investments. He is running for the State Senate to build stronger, safer, and more affordable communities across the state. One issue that is important to Clayton is addressing the impacts of extreme heat and rising energy costs, and he is committed to investing in home efficiency, cooling infrastructure, and community resilience.

Deborah Howard for State House District 27: Howard is an advocate and activist who has spent the past decade fighting to protect public schools, voting rights, and democracy. In 2021, she led Indivisible’s Statewide Redistricting Team to champion equitable districting and has organized to elect progressive leaders throughout the state with Swing Left Maricopa County. A committed environmentalist, she will push for policy in the state legislature to harness Arizona’s abundant sunshine and accelerate the transition to clean energy.