Early voters favor Democrats Gutierrez, Mathis in House District 18

Democrats Nancy Gutierrez and Chris Mathis have a large lead over Republican Linda Evans in the state House Legislative District 18 race in early unofficial returns as of Wednesday morning. Voters choose two candidates.

Gutierrez received 38.73% and Mathis got 37.38% of the vote, while Evans received 23.90%. 

The Arizona House LD18 covers the Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes and a swath of Tucson north of Broadway, east of Country Club Road and west of Camino Seco.

Gutierrez of Tucson has lived here for 14 years and is co-owner of Yoga 4 Youth. She received a bachelor’s in elementary education with an emphasis in math from Northern Arizona University. She is a teacher and has taught in Paradise Valley, Sierra Vista and since 2013 has taught yoga at Tucson High Magnet School. Her campaign worked “to ensure that Arizona puts public education, teachers, staff and students as a priority.” She said a top-notch educational system will benefit the state’s economy by attracting businesses that will help produce leaders in industry, infrastructure and the environment.

She supports reproductive freedom and care.

“Women are the backbone of our society, and we must have the freedom to make our reproductive decisions,” according to campaign literature. She said she will work with health care providers and organizations that support women to ensure their rights. She also advocates for family leave so families can bond and care for each other before returning to work.

Gutierrez is a sensible gun candidate who believes guns should never be allowed on any campus, and loopholes must be closed for sales at gun shows.

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“Where there are guns, there are more reports of gun violence,” she said. “In Arizona, we are too lenient on who can carry a gun and where it can be carried. Arizona should reinstate the requirement to be certified to carry a concealed weapon,” states her campaign.

Democrat Mathis of Tucson is the incumbent who was appointed in December to represent District 9 after state Rep. Randall Friese resigned. Mathis received a master’s in public administration from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government and a master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He received law and undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois.

Mathis is a practicing attorney who teaches health care law and policy and aging at the University of Arizona law school. He has lived in Tucson for 21 years and practices law helping older adults and their families resolve issues related to long-term care, public benefits and estate planning, according to his campaign.

As a legislator, he said, he will fight to protect voting rights, women’s reproductive rights, fully fund public schools and advocate for better pay for educators.

Republican nominee Evans of Tucson is artistic director of America Regional Touring, or ART, a nonprofit offering education in music and theater for theater productions. She received a master’s from Columbia College in Chicago and said her plays and musicals have been produced in Manhattan. She was born and raised in Van Wert, Ohio, and moved to Tucson 28 years ago. Evans said she taught a psychology course, focusing on stress management and suicide prevention, to Border Patrol agents, police officers, first-responders and nurses at Pima Community College.

Her campaign literature states that she believes public education should remain in the control of the state and parents, not the federal government. She advocates to defund Arizona public schools and universities that promote the teaching of critical race theory. She supports border security to end human trafficking and advocates for the U.S. to increase manufacturing and oil production to halt inflation and increasing gas prices.