Inside Arizona Politics: Arizona lawmakers already lining up for leadership positions

PHOENIX - Soon after the November general election, the new set of lawmakers will gather into four groups — one for each caucus in the House and the Senate — and select their leaders for the upcoming legislative session.

Members of the Legislature will meet behind closed doors to choose the next Senate president and House speaker, as well as lower-level positions for the majority party and the lineup of leaders for the minority party.

Theoretically, all lawmakers are equal, but those chosen to lead the House and Senate have far more power to change the course of bills and measures during the upcoming session.

To a large extent, it’s up to the Senate president and House speaker to set the tone at the Capitol. They decide, for example, how the lawmakers approach the budget and which non-budget legislation will be a priority.

As you can imagine, lawmakers jockey intensely for these positions of power – especially on the Republican side, which has held control of the Legislature for many years.

So far, four Republicans are running for Senate president: Russell Pearce of Mesa, Steve Pierce of Prescott, John McComish of Phoenix and Steve Yarbrough of Chandler.

Pearce and Pierce are hoping to return to the Senate, while Yarbrough and McComish are hoping to switch to the Senate from the House.

Nobody has a lock on the position at this point.

Meanwhile, Rep. Rick Murphy, a Republican from Phoenix who is running for the Senate, said he is interested in being majority leader. Scott Bundgaard, a former legislator who is running for the Senate, is also interested in the position, according to the Yellow Sheet Report, a publication affiliated with the Arizona Capitol Times.

Sen. Al Melvin of Tucson, a Republican from Tucson, and Sen. Sylvia Allen, a Republican from Snowflake, both have confirmed that they are eyeing the position of Senate majority whip.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Rebecca Rios of Apache Junction is expected to assume the position of minority leader if she is re-elected in November.

Sen. Linda Lopez, a Democrat from Tucson is interested in becoming assistant minority leader, and Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor, a Democrat from Phoenix, is also eyeing the minority whip position.

Across the legislative mall, House Speaker Kirk Adams, a Republican from Mesa, is expected to keep his position, while Rep. Andy Tobin, a Republican from Paulden, is expected to become House majority leader.

Several House members are eyeing the majority whip post: Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Glendale; Rep. Steve Court, a Republican from Mesa; and Rep. David Stevens, a Republican from Sierra Vista.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Chad Campbell, a Democrat from Phoenix, is so far unopposed in his bid to become the House minority leader.

Sen. Richard Miranda, a Democrat from Tolleson, and Rep. Steve Farley, a Democrat from Tucson, both are seeking the House assistant minority leader post. Several others are interested in the minority whip
position.

While power is enticing, it also carries big responsibilities. The upcoming set of leaders will face daunting tasks when the Legislature convenes next year, not the least of which is balancing a state budget that could be short by $700 million.