The Pima County Democratic Party has selected three candidates to fill the state house seat left vacant when lawmaker Victoria Steele resigned last week to focus on a Congressional bid.
Party committee members for Legislative District 9 met Friday night to select the candidates, who include Pamela Powers Hannley, Matt Kopec and Ted Prezelski.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors will pick one of the candidates to fulfill Steeleβs term, which expires in November. Supervisors are scheduled to vote on the appointment on Tuesday.
Hannley is a Democratic activist, blogger and managing editor of the American Journal of Medicine.
Kopec works in the ward office of Tucson City Councilwoman Karin Uhlich and has worked on political campaigns.
Prezelski is a council aid to City Councilman Paul Cunningham and a longtime Democratic activist.
Hannley is the only candidate also running for the LD9 House seat. She intends to continue her run whether or not the board appointed her to fill the vacancy.
Also nominated to fill Steeleβs seat was former Democratic state house member Larry Bahill. Bahill, however, did not receive enough votes to make the list of candidates.
Steele formed an exploratory committee for the U.S. House of Representatives in June, planning run against Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally in Congressional District 2.
She likely would face at least one opponent in the Democratic primary in former state Rep. Matt Heinz.
Steele has been in the Legislature since 2012.
