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LD29 · 2-Year Term
Population
256,972
Registered Voters
161,112
District Lean
R+16.9
Voter Registration Breakdown
Debate recap
West Valley Democratic legislative candidates make their case while Republicans skip debates “And it just seems like, in a desert where we are completely running out of water, we have so many farms that aren’t using sustainable agricultural practices, pumping unlimited water, and there’s not a lot of rules in place to make sure that it’s being done responsibly,” Democratic candidate Eric Stafford said.
Read the recap: LD29 debate recap (opens in a new tab)State Senate
Republican · Senate
Janae Shamp is an operating room nurse who won the LD29 Senate seat in 2022 and was re-elected in 2024, beating Eric Stafford. Senate Republicans elected her majority leader in November 2024 and then voted her out of the post in June 2025, minutes after adjourning, following contentious budget fights. She and her two Republican running mates declined the Clean Elections debate, which became an interview with the Democrats.
Prominent Endorsements
Democrat · Senate
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Eric Stafford is making his second run at the LD29 Senate seat after losing to Janae Shamp in 2024. Ballotpedia lists his work as machinist, veterinary technician and political organizer, with training from Western Maricopa Education Center and Pima Medical Institute. He ran unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary. At the Clean Elections event he called for tighter regulation of unmetered groundwater pumping, singling out foreign-owned farms.
Prominent Endorsements
State House
Republican · House
Steve Montenegro has been speaker of the Arizona House since January 2025, the first Hispanic lawmaker to hold the job. A pastor, he served in the House from 2009 to 2017, including two years as majority leader, moved to the Senate in 2017 and resigned in 2018 for an unsuccessful run in the 8th Congressional District special election. He returned to the House in 2023. He declined the Clean Elections debate.
Prominent Endorsements
Republican · House
James Taylor entered the 2024 LD29 House race as a write-in after Rep. Austin Smith abandoned his re-election bid amid accusations that he forged nominating-petition signatures, a charge Smith pleaded guilty to in 2025. Taylor won the primary and a seat that November, and spent 30 years in management at the Palo Verde nuclear plant and eight years at Shell Oil before that. He vice-chairs the House Education Committee and declined the Clean Elections debate.
Prominent Endorsements
Democrat · House
Christine Scianna is a teacher who has worked in the Glendale Elementary and Dysart Unified school districts and, earlier, in property management. She holds a psychology degree from Arizona State University and a master's in education from Walden University. She is making her first run for office and was unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary. She is the caregiver for a daughter with a disability, which she campaigns on. With the three Republicans declining, the Clean Elections debate became an interview with her and Eric Stafford.
Prominent Endorsements