The Endorsement Process
Equality Arizona’s endorsement process is designed to ensure that our endorsements reflect the values, priorities, and voices of Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community.
This year, we invited all candidates listed on the Arizona Secretary of State’s website to participate in our endorsement process. Candidates who chose to participate completed a questionnaire outlining their experience, priorities, and positions on issues affecting LGBTQ+ Arizonans.
After reviewing questionnaires, Equality Arizona scheduled interviews with participating candidates. Interviews were led by Michael Soto, President and CEO of Equality Arizona, along with members of the Endorsement Committee, which included Equality Arizona staff, board members, dues-paying members, and community members who hold no formal affiliation with our organization.
This intentionally broad composition is central to the integrity of our process. By bringing together staff, board leadership, members, and unaffiliated community voices, we ensure that no single perspective dominates the conversation. Our community is not a monolith — it spans generations, regions of the state, racial and ethnic backgrounds, faith traditions, and the full range of lived experiences as LGBTQ+ Arizonans. A committee that reflects that diversity produces sharper, more credible, and more representative endorsements.
Including voices from outside our membership also guards against insularity. It keeps us accountable to the broader community we serve, not only to those already in our orbit, and it ensures that every candidate is evaluated against the full breadth of priorities our community holds. The result is a process that voters and candidates alike can trust to be fair — one in which an endorsement carries the considered weight of many perspectives rather than the preferences of a few.
In races where more than one candidate sought our endorsement, decisions were often difficult. The committee carefully evaluated each candidate based on their alignment with Equality Arizona’s values, leadership experience, understanding of the legislative process, and demonstrated commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ equality.
Following the interview process, the committee met to discuss the candidates and is proud to endorse the following individuals for the 2026 election cycle:
Meet Equality Arizona’s 2026 Endorsed Candidates:
Governor:
Katie Hobbs
Secretary of State:
Adrian Fontes
Attorney General:
Kris Mayes
AZ State Treasurer:
Nick Mansour
U.S. House of Representatives:
Greg Stanton - Arizona's 4th Congressional District
Chris James - Arizona’s 5th Congressional District
Elizabeth Lee - Arizona’s 5th Congressional District
Adelita Grijalva - Arizona’s 7th Congressional District
Bernadette Greene-Placentia - Arizona’s 8th Congressional District
Arizona State Senate:
Dr. Christine Dargon - Legislative District 1
Jeff Fortney - Legislative District 3
Christine Marsh - Legislative District 5
Lauren Kuby - Legislative District 8
Kiana Sears - Legislative District 9
Blair Moses - Legislative District 10
Alma Hernandez - Legislative District 20
Laura Huber - Legislative District 25
Flavio Bravo - Legislative District 26
Kyle Clayton - Legislative District 27
Arizona State House:
Karen Gresham - Legislative District 4
Sarah Liguori - Legislative District 5
Brian Garcia - Legislative District 8
Claudia Kline - Legislative District 8
Lorena Austin - Legislative District 9
Jacob Martinez - Legislative District 9
Junelle Cavero - Legislative District 11
Armando Montero - Legislative District 12
Stacey Travers - Legislative District 12
Dr. Racquel Armstrong - Legislative District 13
Jacob Weinberg - Legislative District 13
Mary Rose - Legislative District 14
Addie Swallow - Legislative District 19
Genoveva Diaz - Legislative District 20
Betty Villegas - Legislative District 20
Consuelo Hernandez - Legislative District 21
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton - Legislative District 21
Veronica Bejarano-Malone - Legislative District 22
Elda Luna-Nájera - Legislative District 22
Emilia Cortez - Legislative District 23
Naomi Miguel - Legislative District 23
Mariana Sandoval - Legislative District 23
Lisbeth Arescurenaga - Legislative District 24
Alberto Flores - Legislative District 24
Deborah Howard - Legislative District 27
Marc Graham - Legislative District 28
Arizona Corporation Commission:
Jonathon Hill
Clara Pratte
Justice of the Peace:
Deborah Ann Begay - Encanto Justice Court
Ken Cheuvront - Encanto Justice Court
City Council:
Nick Willis - Mesa City Council District 4
Danny Hart - Mesa City Council District 5
Superintendent of Public Instruction:
Dr. Teresa Leyba Ruiz
School Board:
Markus Ceniceros - Littleton Elementary School Board
Jennifer Eckstrom - Tucson Unified Governing Board
Isaac Young - Phoenix Union School Board
Franklin Zyriek - Kyrene Governing Board
Why Equality Arizona Endorses
Our endorsement process is one of the most important tools we have for advancing equality in Arizona, but the process itself is only half the story. Behind every endorsement is a deeper commitment: to the voters who trust us, to the candidates we stand behind, and to the long-term political power of LGBTQ+ Arizonans.
A Trusted Source for Voters
Ballots are long, and the demands on voters are real. Most people don’t have the time to research every candidate in every race, or to dig into where each one truly stands on the issues that affect LGBTQ+ Arizonans and our families. That’s where we come in.
An Equality Arizona endorsement is a signal voters can rely on. It means a candidate has stepped forward, answered hard questions, sat across the table from our community, and demonstrated genuine alignment with our values — not just in word, but in record and in commitment. When voters see our endorsement, they can trust that the work of vetting has been done with care, and that the candidate has earned the confidence of the community they hope to serve.
Accountability That Outlasts Election Day
An endorsement is the beginning of a relationship, not the end of one. Candidates who seek our support make concrete commitments to LGBTQ+ Arizonans, and we take those commitments seriously. Which means we hold our endorsees to them long after the votes are counted.
Through ongoing engagement and leadership programming like Elected for Equality, we stay in close contact with the officials we help elect. We track their records, celebrate their progress, and, when necessary, ask hard questions about whether they are living up to the promises they made. Accountability runs in both directions: to the candidates who earn our trust, and to the community that places its faith in our judgment. An endorsement is something a candidate continues to earn.
Building the Political Power of LGBTQ+ Arizonans
Every endorsement is also an act of power-building. When we organize voters around vetted, values-aligned candidates, we turn shared values into electoral influence — and we make clear that LGBTQ+ Arizonans are an engaged, organized, and decisive constituency.
That power compounds over time. Each cycle, we build deeper relationships with leaders across the state, strengthen the network of allies in office, and remind Arizona that our community shows up, pays attention, and votes. This is how rights are protected and freedoms are expanded — not through any single election, but through the durable political power we build together, one endorsement and one engaged voter at a time.
Our endorsements reflect the values, priorities, and voices of Arizona’s LGBTQ+ community. Just as importantly, they are an investment in that community’s future.
Important Election Dates and Voting Information
Key dates for Arizona’s 2026 Primary Election:
• June 22: Last day to register to vote in the Primary
• June 24: Ballots mailed to voters
• July 14: Recommended last day to mail back your ballot
• July 21: Election Day
You can find voter registration information, election resources, and more at Arizona Clean Elections.
Independent voters can participate in Arizona’s Primary Election by requesting a ballot in advance. Learn more about how to request a ballot and your voting options here: Independent Voter Information and Instructions.
Upcoming Events
• Candidate Forum
Date in July TBD
• Equality Arizona Gala
November 7, 2026 at Madison Center for the Arts, Phoenix