The 'personal' fight for Democrats hoping to retain west Mesa legislative seats
The western Mesa legislative district that Democratic Rep. Lorena Austin represents holds a lot of meaning.
Austin, along with the other Democratic candidates on the ticket, are hoping to hold on to the seats they’ve gained in the competitive district as Democrats in the state are attempting to flip the statehouse blue.
“For me, it is really personal,” Austin says while writing their personal phone number on a pamphlet to put on a door. “I don’t look at these neighborhoods like I’m just getting your votes.”
Austin is the state’s first non-binary lawmaker, and along with Democratic Rep. Seth Blattman, they flipped Legislative District 9 in 2022 by about 2,000 votes. Republicans hold a narrow one-vote majority in the state House of Representatives and Democrats are spending big money to flip the GOP-controlled legislature that has been fighting with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs since she took office.
https://azmirror.com/2024/10/11/the-personal-fight-for-democrats-hoping-to-retain-west-mesa-legislative-seats/