Arizona has 29 contested state legislative primaries this year, down 24% from 2022.
Of these, there are 12 for Democrats and 17 for Republicans. For Democrats, this is down from 15 in 2022, a 20% decrease. Contested Republican primaries are down 26% from 23 in 2022.
Twenty-nine incumbents—14 Democrats and 15 Republicans— face primary challenges, representing 41% of all incumbents running for re-election. This is the most since Ballotpedia began tracking these figures in 2010. The previous high was 28 incumbents in 2014.
Sixteen states, including Arizona, use term limits for state legislators. Two Arizona state senators and four Arizona state representatives are term-limited this cycle.
In total, 187 major party candidates filed to run. Eighty-seven are Democrats and 100 are Republicans. All 60 House seats and all 30 Senate seats are up for election.
Twenty seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed. This means newcomers will make up at least 22% of the legislature next year, the second smallest percentage since 2010. The smallest occurred in 2020, when 19% of seats were guaranteed to newcomers.
Arizona is one of 10 states with a divided government. The state was a Republican trifecta from 2009 until 2023, when Governor Katie Hobbs (D) assumed office. Republicans currently have a 31-29 majority in the House and a 16-14 majority in the Senate.
Arizona’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for July 30.
Additional reading: