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Arizona, State House, District 23

Arizona House of Representatives District 23
Current incumbentsJay Lawrence Republican Party
John Kavanagh Republican Party

Arizona’s twenty-third state house district is represented by Republican Representatives Jay Lawrence and John Kavanagh.

Arizona state representatives represent an average of 106,534 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 85,511 residents.

About the office

Members of the Arizona House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits, limiting representatives to four terms (a total of eight years). Arizona legislators assume office on the first day of the session after they are elected. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January.

Qualifications

Article 4, Part 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution states: "No person shall be a member of the Legislature unless he shall be a citizen of the United States at the time of his election, nor unless he shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been a resident of Arizona at least three years and of the county from which he is elected at least one year before his election."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$24,000/year$35/day for legislators who live in Maricopa County; $60/day for legislators who live outside of Maricopa County.

Term limits

The Arizona legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Arizona Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Arizona senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Arizona State Legislature, the Board of County Supervisors must select a replacement. The political party committee is involved in the appointment process only if the legislative district has thirty or more elected precinct committeemen.

If the legislative district has 30 or more elected precinct committeemen:

The secretary of state is required to contact the state party chairperson to give notice of the vacancy. The state chairperson must give notice of a meeting to fill the seat within three days of receiving notice.

The precinct committeemen must nominate three qualified electors as replacements. If the Legislature is in session, this must occur within five days. If the Legislature is out of session, the committeemen have 21 days to nominate potential replacements. Each elector must receive a majority of the committeemen to earn a nomination. The chair then forwards the three nominees to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors appoints a nominee from the three names. If the committeemen do not submit a list of names within the allotted timeframe, the Board of Supervisors proceed with the vacancy as if the district had fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen.

If the legislative district has fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen:

The Board of County Supervisors appoints a panel of citizen supervisors within three business days of a vacancy occurring. That panel has seven business days to submit the name of three qualified electors of the same political party as the previous incumbent to the Board of Supervisors. Within five business days of receiving the list, the Board of Supervisors must select a replacement by a majority vote.

The person selected to fill the seat serves the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 6, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)

John Kavanagh (R) and incumbent Jay Lawrence (R) defeated Eric Kurland (D) in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

John Kavanagh (R)
36.6
62,797

Jay Lawrence (R)
33.2
57,099

Eric Kurland (D)
30.2
51,893

Total votes: 171,789
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)

Eric Kurland advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Eric Kurland (D)
100
18,677

Total votes: 18,677
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)

John Kavanagh and incumbent Jay Lawrence advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

John Kavanagh (R)
55.7
27,994

Jay Lawrence (R)
44.3
22,256

Total votes: 50,250
(100.00% precincts reporting)

2016

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

Incumbent Michelle Ugenti-Rita and incumbent Jay Lawrence defeated Tammy Caputi in the Arizona House of Representatives District 23 general election.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Michelle Ugenti-Rita Incumbent 38.56% 69,758
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jay Lawrence Incumbent 35.87% 64,903
Democratic Tammy Caputi 25.57% 46,255
Total Votes 180,916
Source: Arizona Secretary of State

Tammy Caputi ran unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 23 Democratic Primary.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Tammy Caputi (unopposed)

Incumbent Jay Lawrence and incumbent Michelle Ugenti-Rita were unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 23 Republican Primary.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Jay Lawrence Incumbent
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Michelle Ugenti-Rita Incumbent

2014

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Incumbent Michelle Ugenti and Jay Lawrence defeated Effie Carlson and Bob Littlefield in the Republican primary and were unchallenged in the general election.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMichelle Ugenti Incumbent 35.1% 19,331
Green check mark transparent.pngJay Lawrence 24.6% 13,573
Bob Littlefield 22.6% 12,451
Effie Carlson 17.7% 9,750
Total Votes 55,105

2012

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 30, 2012. Republican incumbents John Kavanagh and Michelle Ugenti won the general election, after defeating Jennifer Petersen in the August 28 Republican primary.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kavanagh Incumbent 50.6% 68,527
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMichele Ugenti Incumbent 49.4% 66,827
Total Votes 135,354

Arizona House of Representatives, District 23 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kavanagh Incumbent 41.3% 20,922
Green check mark transparent.pngMichelle Ugenti Incumbent 35.7% 18,106
Jennifer Petersen 23% 11,672
Total Votes 50,700


Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Arizona House of Representatives District 23 raised a total of $1,406,111. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $34,295 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Arizona House of Representatives District 23

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $177,288 3 $59,096
2014 $184,718 4 $46,180
2012 $183,236 4 $45,809
2010 $166,395 5 $33,279
2008 $228,150 7 $32,593
2006 $184,739 5 $36,948
2004 $112,312 5 $22,462
2002 $107,529 4 $26,882
2000 $61,744 4 $15,436
Total $1,406,111 41 $34,295