Statewide Elections
The State DeskState Mine Inspector
Debate availableStatewide · 4-Year Term
Population
7,378,838
Registered Voters
4,340,860
Voter Registration Breakdown
General Election Debate
State Mine Inspector General Election Debate
Walter Presmyk
Republican · State Mine Inspector
Walter Presmyk is the sitting state mine inspector, appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs in September 2025 after Paul Marsh resigned. A mining engineer for more than four decades, he worked in underground and open-pit copper mines and spent three decades at Salt River Project. Presmyk served on the Gilbert Town Council from 1999 to 2011.
Brian Matlock
Democrat · State Mine Inspector
Brian Matlock, a mechanical engineer from Apache Junction and a Marine Corps Reserve veteran, has never held public office; he is a Pinal County Democratic committeeman. He spent about 13 years in the pulp, paper and forestry industries and roughly 12 in mining. Matlock campaigns on securing Arizona's abandoned mines and improving the state's mine-injury record.