Arizona Senate
Upper house of the Arizona State Legislature
The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms with term limits that limit Senators to a maximum four consecutive terms (eight years) before requiring a one-term respite prior to running again. Members of the Republican Party are currently the majority in the Senate.
As with the Arizona House of Representatives, members to the Senate are elected from the same legislative districts as House members; however, one senator represents the constituency, while for the House there are two Representatives per district. This districting system is similar to those of the New Jersey, Idaho, and Washington State Senate. In political science, this type of legislative district is called a multi-member district.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal United States Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
The Senate convenes in the adjacent legislative chambers at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.
01Leadership
Unlike in other states, where an elected lieutenant governor presides over the senate, in Arizona, the Senate elects its own presiding officer, the president of the Senate, who presides over the body, appoints members to all of the Senate's committees and to joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees if desired. The Senate president also appoints a president pro tempore, who serves for the duration of a session of the legislature, to preside in their absence, and may appoint a temporary president pro tempore in the absence of the president and president pro tempore.
The current president of the Senate is Republican Warren Petersen of district 14, the Senate Majority Leader is Janae Shamp of district 29. The current minority leader is Priya Sundareshan of district 18 with Catherine Miranda of district 11 as the assistant minority leader.
Leadership information
| Position | Name | Party | Residence | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Warren Petersen | Republican | Gilbert | District 14 |
| President pro tempore | T. J. Shope | Republican | Coolidge | District 16 |
| Majority leader | John Kavanagh | Republican | Scottsdale | District 3 |
| Majority whip | Frank Carroll | Republican | Surprise | District 28 |
| Minority leader | Priya Sundareshan | Democratic | Tucson | District 18 |
| Assistant minority leader | Catherine Miranda | Democratic | Phoenix | District 11 |
| Minority whip | Rosanna Gabaldón | Democratic | Sahuarita | District 21 |
| Minority caucus chair | Lela Alston | Democratic | Phoenix | District 5 |
02Current composition
| 13 | 17 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Affiliation | Party (shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
| 2011-12 | 21 | 9 | 29 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| Begin 2015 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| End 2016 | 18 | 12 | ||
| 2017-18 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 0 |
| Begin 2025 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| March 14, 2025 | 12 | 29 | 1 | |
| March 31, 2025 | 13 | 30 | 0 | |
| Latest voting share | 56.7% | 43.3% | ||
03Current members, 2025-2027
04Committees
The current standing committees of the Arizona Senate are as follows:
| Committee | Chair | Vice Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appropriations | John Kavanagh | David Farnsworth | Not Listed |
| Director Nominations | Jake Hoffman | T. J. Shope | Not Listed |
| Education and Transportation | David Farnsworth | Carine Werner | Eva Diaz |
| Federalism | Mark Finchem | Hildy Angius | Priya Sundareshan |
| Finance | J. D. Mesnard | Vince Leach | Mitzi Epstein |
| Government | Jake Hoffman | Wendy Rogers | Lauren Kuby |
| Health & Human Services | Carine Werner | T. J. Shope | Sally Ann Gonzales |
| Judiciary and Elections | Wendy Rogers | John Kavanagh | Analise Ortiz |
| Military Affairs and Border Security | David Gowan | Janae Shamp | Catherine Miranda |
| Natural Resources, Energy & Water | T. J. Shope | Tim Dunn | Rosanna Gabaldón |
| Public Safety | Kevin Payne | Hildy Angius | Kiana Sears |
| Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency | Shawnna Bolick | Frank Carroll | Mitzi Epstein |
| Rules | David Farnsworth | Janae Shamp | Flavio Bravo |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Arizona Senate”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Arizona state seal.svg by United States government, Public domain
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