Arizona Democratic Party

Party organization

The Arizona Democratic Party is organized into three parts: the state committee, the executive committee, and the executive board.

State Committee

The state committee is composed of "the chairperson of each county committee of the Democratic Party of Arizona, plus one member of the county committee for every three members of the county committee elected pursuant to statute." The state committee meets biennially. A state committee member has four duties:

a) Canvass and campaign only on behalf of Democratic candidates. b) Assist in registration programs and in turning out a maximum Democratic vote. c) Support the permanent State Party organization as well as their County and District Party committees. d) Encourage financial support of the State Democratic Party, their County Committees and their districts.

The state committee has many officers including: Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, First Vice-Chair (who is required to be a different gender and county residence than the chair), three Vice-Chairwomen, three Vice Chairmen, Educational Coordinator, and Affirmative Action Moderator.

Executive committee

The executive committee meets quarterly. The executive committee consists of, "the County Chairperson and the first and second County Vice-Chairpersons from each county; the State Committee-elected National Committeemen, the State Committee-elected National Committeewomen; three members-at-large from each Congressional District; the President or a representative of the President of the Young Democrats of Arizona; the President or representative of the President of the Arizona Federation of Democratic Women's Clubs; and the other State Officers as listed in Article III of these bylaws. The Chair of the State Committee shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee". The executive committee has several duties. "The Executive Committee shall approve the budget and amendments to the budget, approve specific contracts extending beyond the Chair's term, act as the final board of arbitrators for State Committeepersons seeking reinstatement after removal, and perform such duties as assigned by the State Chair".

Executive Board

The executive board duties are assigned by the chair. It also, "acts on behalf of the state committee between State Committee meetings". The executive board meets at least quarterly. Members of the executive board are, "State Chair, First Vice-Chair, Senior Vice-Chair, Vice-Chairwomen, Vice-Chairmen, Secretary, Treasurer, Educational Coordinator, and Affirmative Action Moderator, the State Committee-elected National Committeemen and the State Committee-elected National Committeewomen".

National role

The state committee selects candidates to become presidential electors. These candidates pledge to vote for the National Democratic Convention's presidential and vice presidential nominee. Additionally, the chair and first vice-chair serve on Democratic National Committee. The state committee also elects the national committee members which represent Arizona. These members serve a term of four years and must have previously been an elected precinct committee person. National committee members are to be as evenly split between male and female as possible.

Local groups

The party has affiliate groups in localities throughout the state:

Current elected officials

U.S. Senate

Democrats have controlled both of Arizona's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2020. File:Mark Kelly, Official Portrait 117th (cropped).jpg|Senior U.S. Senator File:Senator Ruben Gallego Official Portrait (cropped).jpg|Junior U.S. Senator

United States House of Representatives

Out of the 9 seats Arizona is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 3 are held by Democrats:

Statewide Offices

Democrats control 3 of the 11 elected statewide executive offices:

File:KatieHobbs2023.jpg|Governor File:Adrian Fontes by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|Secretary of State File:Kris Mayes (52365525231) (cropped).jpg|Attorney General

State legislative leaders

• Senate Minority Leader: Priya Sundareshan
  • Assistant Senate Minority Leader: Flavio Bravo
  • Senate Minority Whip: Rosanna Gabaldón
• House Minority Leader: Oscar De Los Santos
  • Assistant House Minority Leader: Nancy Gutierrez
    • House Minority Whips: Quantá Crews and Stacey Travers

State Senate

The Arizona Democratic Party is the minority party in the Arizona State Senate, holding 13 of the 30 seats.

• LD-05: Lela Alston
• LD-06: Theresa Hatathlie
• LD-08: Lauren Kuby
• LD-09: Kiana Sears
• LD-11: Catherine Miranda
• LD-12: Mitzi Epstein
• LD-18: Priya Sundareshan
• LD-20: Sally Ann Gonzales
• LD-21: Rosanna Gabaldón
• LD-22: Eva Diaz
• LD-23: Brian Fernandez
• LD-24: Analise Ortiz
• LD-26: Flavio Bravo

State House

The Arizona Democratic Party is the minority party in the Arizona State House of Representatives, holding 29 of the 60 seats.

Navajo Executives

• President: Buu Nygren

Mayoral offices

Some of the state's major cities have Democratic mayors. As of 2021, Democrats control the mayor's offices in three of Arizona's ten largest cities and in one median-sized city.

• Phoenix: Kate Gallego
• Tucson: Regina Romero
• Tempe: Corey Woods
• Flagstaff: Becky Daggett
• Sierra Vista: Clea McCaa

History

The Arizona Democratic Party has been functioning since territorial times. The citizens of the Arizona Territory were mostly Democrats as a reaction to the Republican governors appointed by Washington, D.C. When drafting a state constitution in 1910, 41 Democrats were elected as delegates to the convention The convention totaled 52 delegates.

In July 2020, the party's headquarters was destroyed by a fire that was declared to be an act of arson.

Past officers

State Chairs

• Vernon F. Vaughan (1923)
• A. A. Johns (1925)
• C. E. Addams (1931)
• Junious Gibbons (1937)
• E. C. Locklear (1945)
• Stephen W. Langmade (1948–50)
• J. N. Harber (1955)
• Joe F. Walton (1958)
• Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. (1960–62)
• Herb Ely (1968-1972)
• Bill Minette (1991–1993)
• Steve Owens (1993–1995)
• Samuel G. Coppersmith (1995–1997)
• Mark Fleisher (1997–2001)
• Jim Pederson (2001–2005)
• Harry Mitchell (2005–2006)
• David Waid (2006–2007)
• Don Bivens (2007–2009)
• Paul Eckerstrom (2009)
• Harriet Young (2009)
• Don Bivens (2009–2011)
• Andrei Cherny (2011–2012)
• Harriet Young (2012)
• Bill Roe (2012–2015)
• Alexis Tameron Kinsey (2015–2017)
• Felecia Rotellini (2018–2021)
• Raquel Terán (2021–2023)
• Yolanda Bejarano (2023–2025
• Robert Branscomb (2025)
• Kim Khoury (acting) (2025–present)

Members of Democratic National Committee 1920–present

• W. L. Barnum 1920
• Mrs. B. J. McKinney 1920
• Isabella S. Greenway 1928–34
• Clarence Gunter 1929
• Wirt G. Bowman 1937
• Mrs. Samuel White 1937
• Della Tovrea Stuart 1940–56
• Sam H. Morris 1943–50
• R. B. Robbins 1947
• Mrs. Henry S. Larson 1963
• Frank S. Minarik 1963
• Lorraine W. Frank 1980–2000
• Jim Pederson 2001
• Martin Bacal 2004
• Janice Brunson 2004
• Carolyn Warner 2004
• Joe Rios 2004
• Alexis Tameron 2004
• Sue Tucker 2004
• Judy Kennedy 2008
• Fred DuVal 2008
• Luis Heredia 2012-present
• Mark Robert Gordon 2020-present
• Debbie Nez-Manuel 2020-present

Election results

Presidential

Gubernatorial

Former prominent Arizona Democrats

United States delegates

• John Goulder Campbell (1879–1881)
• Granville Henderson Oury (1881–1885)
• Marcus Aurelius Smith (1887–1895, 1897–1899, 1901–1903, 1905–1909)
• Hiram Sanford Stevens (1875–1879)
• John Frank Wilson (1899–1901, 1903–1905)

United States senators

• Marcus A. Smith (1912–1921)
• Henry F. Ashurst (1912–1941)
• Carl Hayden (1927–1969)
• Ernest McFarland (1941–1953)
• Dennis DeConcini (1977–1995)

United States representatives

• Carl Hayden (AZ-1) (1912–1927)
• Lewis W. Douglas (AZ-1) (1927–1933)
• Isabella Selmes Greenway (AZ-1) (1933–1937)
• John R. Murdock (AZ-1) (1937–1953)
• Richard F. Harless (AZ-2) (1943–1949)
• Harold A. Patten (AZ-2) (1949–1955)
• Mo Udall (AZ-2) (May 2, 1961 – May 4, 1991)
• Stewart Lee Udall (AZ-2) (January 3, 1955 – January 18, 1961)
• George Frederick Senner, Jr. (AZ-3) (1963–1967)
• Bob Stump (AZ-3) (1977–1983)
• James Francis McNulty, Jr. (AZ-5) (1983–1985)
• Samuel G. Coppersmith (AZ-1) (1993–1995)
• Karan English (AZ-6) (1993–1995)
• Harry Mitchell (AZ-5) (2007–2011)
• Gabby Giffords (AZ-2) (2007–2012)
• Ron Barber (AZ-2) (2012–2015)
• Ed Pastor (AZ-2) (1991–2003) (AZ-4) (2003–2013) (AZ-7) (2013–2015)
• Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) (2009–2011) (2013–2017) (AZ-2) (2019–2023)
• Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7) (2003-2025)

Territorial governors

• Conrad Meyer Zulick (1885–1889)
• Louis Cameron Hughes (1893–1896)
• Charles Morelle Bruce ((acting) 1896)

State governors

• George W. P. Hunt (1912–1919, 1923–1929, 1931–1933)
• Benjamin Baker Moeur (1933–1937)
• Rawghlie Clement Stanford (1937–1939)
• Robert Taylor Jones (1939–1941)
• Sidney Preston Osborn (1941–1948)
• Daniel Edward Garvey (1948–1951)
• Ernest William McFarland (1955–1959)
• Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. (1965–1967)
• Raul Hector Castro (1975–1977)
• Harvey Wesley Bolin (1977–1978)
• Bruce Babbitt (1978–1987)
• Rose Perica Mofford (1988–1991)
• Janet Napolitano (2003–2009)

References

References

1. "Voter Registration Statistics – October 2025".
2. [http://www.azdem.org/ Home]. Arizona Democratic Party. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.
3. [http://www.azdem.org/about/109 "ADP Bylaws."] {{webarchive. link. (July 30, 2007 Arizona Democratic Party. November 19, 2005. Arizona Democratic Party. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.)
4. "County Parties". azdem.org.
5. [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/AZ Arizona Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps - GovTrack.us]
6. link. (2017-11-16. Arizona Legislative Information System. Retrieved on January 25, 2014.)
7. link. (2009-05-03. Arizona Legislative Information System. Retrieved on January 25, 2014.)
8. [http://www.city-data.com/states/Arizona-History.html "Arizona - History"]. 2007. Advameg, Inc. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.
9. [http://www.shgresources.com/az/history/ "Arizona State History."] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-06-16 SHG Resources. 2007. SHG, LLC. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.)
10. "Police arrest former activist suspected of Arizona Democratic Party headquarters arson".
11. Riley, Kiera. (January 18, 2025). "Democrats oust party chair, treasurer".
12. Cooper, Jonathan J.. "Arizona Democrats oust embattled chair amid party turmoil".
13. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. [http://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/D/AZ.html#4209 "Arizona Democratic Party Offices."] The Political Graveyard. March 10, 2005. The Political Graveyard. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.
14. "[[List of United States senators from Arizona]]." Wikipedia. URL accessed on August 6, 2007 .
15. [ [http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1487.html "Governors of Arizona."] U-S-History.com. 2005. Online Highways. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.
16. link. (September 30, 2007 National Governors Association. 2007. National Governors Association. URL accessed on August 6, 2007.)