PHOENIX — Unofficial election returns show Arizona Democrats have swept both chambers of the state Legislature, putting them in position to form a governing trifecta alongside reelected Gov. Katie Hobbs for the first time in six decades.
While county officials continue tabulating ballots statewide, vote totals show Democrats leading 37-23 in the state House and 20-10 in the state Senate, the Arizona Capitol Times reported. Democrats also hold leads in major statewide executive posts, including attorney general and secretary of state. At a Wednesday evening victory celebration, Hobbs recalled that when she entered the state Senate in 2011, her caucus was small enough to share a single pizza. She told supporters the party has moved from that modest footprint to holding majorities in both legislative chambers.
Affordability and Education at the Top of the Agenda
The sudden shift in power gives Democrats the opportunity to advance long-stalled policy priorities when lawmakers convene in January. State Rep. Oscar De Los Santos, the current House minority leader who is poised to become speaker, said lowering costs for working families will be the top priority for the new majority, according to AZ Family. De Los Santos emphasized that the outcome is not an open-ended mandate, noting that registered Republicans still outnumber Democrats in Arizona by roughly 300,000 voters.
De Los Santos indicated that Democrats plan to target institutional investors who have driven up Valley housing prices, restrict data centers, protect water supplies, and impose guardrails on the state universal school voucher program, AZ Family reported. Hobbs similarly campaigned on overhauling the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, which expanded under former Republican leadership to roughly 110,000 students at a cost exceeding $1 billion annually, according to KJZZ.
“We’ll crack down on the waste, fraud, and abuse in the out-of-control ESA entitlement program while delivering $1 billion to our public schools without raising taxes,” Hobbs said during her victory address, as reported by KJZZ.
Fiscal Hurdles and Legislative Realities
Despite their new legislative majorities, Democrats will confront substantial fiscal constraints. In recent years, lawmakers were forced to slash spending to address severe budget shortfalls, which Democrats attributed to the universal voucher expansion and a 2.5 percent flat individual income tax enacted under former Gov. Doug Ducey, KJZZ reported. Because Arizona law requires a supermajority vote in both chambers to raise taxes, Democrats lack the necessary margins to repeal those tax cuts or increase corporate rates on their own.
Allied progressive groups and labor unions are already pushing the incoming majority to deliver substantial results. Alejandra Gomez, executive director of the advocacy group LUCHA, told KJZZ that voters backed Democrats because they need fundamental relief from rising grocery and housing expenses. Labor representatives, including the Teamsters, have called for restoring prevailing wage requirements, while families have urged lawmakers to expand childcare assistance, where more than 15,000 children remain on a state waiting list.
Hobbs set state records during her first term by vetoing 541 bills sent by Republican majorities. Democratic strategists told the Arizona Capitol Times that Hobbs is expected to maintain a pragmatic approach, requiring bills to demonstrate broad appeal to ensure the party can sustain its coalition.
Legislative caucuses will meet in the coming days to formally select their leaders before the 2027 legislative session begins. Whether Democrats can achieve their ambitious policy goals within strict budget limits and maintain a fragile coalition across the state remains to be seen.
