Legislative District 17: Jones, McGarr take early lead in GOP House primary

Republican candidates Rachel Jones and Cory McGarr were leading the Arizona House Legislative District 17 primary race in unofficial results late Tuesday night.

Jones, of Tucson, was leading with 23.72 % of the vote. She is a former teacher and business executive who campaigned on supporting "low taxes, the right to bear arms and small government" saying that is what has made Arizona great. She said Arizona values are under attack and is against vaccine mandates, critical race theory and believes "the Socialist Democrats in Phoenix are threatening our rights, families and very way of life." 

Jones says she is part of the “Arizona Freedom Team,” candidates who are conservative fighters in LD17, including fellow nominee McGarr. McGarr, of Marana,  was closely behind Jones with 23.16 % of the vote. He is district manager of a Tucson pest control business. He is involved with anti-abortion organizations and his platform includes “running for the state House to fix the broken election system, to eliminate fraud and to ensure that something like the 2020 election never happens again.” McGarr says “I’m a rock-solid defender of the Second Amendment.” 

Both had leads over Tucson Republican nominees Anna Orth, who had 20.23%; Kirk Fiehler, who had 19.02%; and Sherrylyn Young, who trailed with 13.88%, in early unofficial results.

Orth has a real estate license, and is a longtime business owner, most recently working as an organizational behavior consultant. She advocates strong and effective conservative leadership “to defend our constitutional rights and freedoms”.

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Fiehler is a constitutional conservative who grew up in Scottsdale and has worked in corporate business for more than 30 years. Currently, he is district manager for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service in southern Arizona. 

Young is a retired OB-GYN physician who ran a small medical practice. She is “a serious constitutional conservative, with experience in education, health care, and business.” 

District 17 includes much of the northwest side, the far eastside and the Rita Ranch area.

Democrat nominees Dana Allmond, of Marana, and Brian Radford, of Tucson, were running uncontested and advance to the Nov. 8 general election.