Challenger faces 2 Tucson legislators in Democratic primary

On July 30, Tucsonans will have the opportunity to cast their votes in important races, including electing state legislators.

Incumbents Consuelo Hernandez and Stephanie Stahl Hamilton and attorney Briana Ortega are running in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 21. Two of the three candidates will move forward to the general election.

The winners will face Christopher Kibbey in November, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary for nomination to the House in District 21.

Here are the candidates:

Stephanie Stahl Hamilton Stephanie Stahl Hamilton is seeking her third term in the Legislature.

Born in Flagstaff, she spent her early childhood in Northeastern Arizona. After earning a BA in Christian education from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass., and her master of divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary, Stephanie settled with her husband in Tucson to work and raise their family.

“My training and vocation were to minister the Presbyterian Church,” Stahl Hamilton said. “My focus and emphasis was on youth ministry.”

She spent extensive time volunteering in her children’s schools, coaching cross country, coordinating after-school programs, working as a substitute teacher, and serving on the Site Council and Parent Teacher Organization.

Stahl Hamilton said she fell into politics after witnessing a lack of investment in public education.

She first worked to collect signatures for Proposition 305, to reverse the voucher expansion law passed in 2017 and also served as the regional lead for the group Save Our Schools in 2018 to stop expansion of school vouchers.

“It was in that process that I found my voice within the community, and that is where I realized how directly the district’s funding was tied to what was coming up in the state Legislature,” she said.

She was elected to the state House in 2020 and reelected in 2022.

“I think education is critically important, so that’s something that I’ve been pleased to be able to lead on,” she said.

Her focus is on education funding and creating policy that supports public schools and their employees.

“I ran on a platform of health care and education and was appointed to the Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee,” Stahl Hamilton said. “And so the four years that I’ve been in the Legislature, I’ve spent a high percentage of my time working on the issues of water, energy and natural resources.”

Stahl Hamilton said her environmental policies are about investing in the future, and she has pushed for legislation to establish safe standards for drinking water, watershed management, and pollutant regulations.

“There is more work to be done with water policy,” she said. “And I will continue working to put forward policies that are smart and sustainable.”

She has also made it a priority to ensure reproductive health care freedom for Arizonans, pushing legislation including House Bill 2678, which would have enshrined Arizonans’ right to obtain and use contraceptives, and sponsoring House Bill 2677, which repealed an 1864 anti-abortion ban that became enforceable earlier this year under a state Supreme Court ruling.

“Certainly there is more to be done when it comes to reproductive health care and freedoms, so I will continue to push for greater resources, for paid family medical leave,” she said.

Stahl Hamilton said she has also advocated for progressive health care policies, accessible and affordable health care for Arizonans, and supportive programs for veterans.

In June, the Republican-controlled House voted to censure Stahl Hamilton for what she said was trying to make a playful point about the separation of church and state by moving and hiding the Bibles in the lawmakers’ lounge.

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As she seeks reelection, what sets her apart, she says, is her experiences with the community and as a parent.

“I know what it is to be a parent working hard to provide for a family,” Stahl Hamilton said.

She has the endorsement of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Councilman Kevin Dahl, Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz, and others, as well as endorsements from unions and education organizations.

Consuelo Hernandez Consuelo Hernandez is a current representative of District 21 alongside Stahl Hamilton.

Hernandez earned an undergraduate degree in global health from Arizona State University before going on to get her master’s in law with a concentration in economics at the University of Arizona, and a certificate in education finance from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

She has dedicated her career to mentoring at-risk youths and advocating for education equity in Tucson.

“As a young Latina, my parents taught me the value of serving others. From the time I started at first grade at Liberty Elementary to when I graduated from Sunnyside High School, I knew that serving others was important,” her campaign website says.

Hernandez won election to the House of Representatives in 2022 and has said she has shown her commitment to securing education funding, investing in small businesses and Arizona’s economy, and prioritizing renewable energy resources.

She has pushed for legislation that would increase voting and education accessibility, expand health-care access and establish safe standards for drinking water, watershed management, and pollutant regulations.

She also co-sponsored House Bill 2677, which repealed the 1864 abortion ban.

Hernandez has the endorsement of the Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge, Santa Cruz County Supervisor-Rudy Molera, state Sen. Andrea Dalessandro, and state Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr.

She could not be reached for further comment.

Briana Ortega Briana Ortega is a lifelong Southern Arizonan, an attorney, and a small business owner.

According to her campaign website, her parents are Mexican immigrants who both graduated from college while raising their two small children. Her father became a public school teacher, and her mother became a prosecutor, who now serves as a judge in Santa Cruz County.

She has developed two core values in her life, her campaign website says: hard work and the importance of supporting your community.

Ortega earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, economics and law from the University of Arizona, before attending law school at Gonzaga University.

During law school, she clerked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, working on cases involving illegal guns, drug trafficking and corporate fraud, according to her campaign website. She was the youngest person ever appointed by the state’s Supreme Court to be a commissioner on the Minority and Justice Commission, her campaign says.

She says she launched her own law firm after seeing a need for affordable, accessible legal services for small business owners and residents of Southern Arizona.

Ortega’s campaign website says she is poised to be a voice for the people, bringing fresh perspectives and a commitment to public service.

She could not be reached for further comment.