Arizona’s fourth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Lisa Otondo.

Arizona state senators represent an average of 213,067 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 171,021 residents.

About the office

Members of the Arizona State Senate serve two-year terms with term limits, limiting senators 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

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 State Senate 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

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

2016

Elections for the Arizona State Senate 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 Lynne Pancrazi (D) did not seek re-election.

Lisa Otondo ran unopposed in the Arizona State Senate District 4 general election.

Arizona State Senate, District 4 General Election, 2016

Lisa Otondo ran unopposed in the Arizona State Senate District 4 Democratic Primary.

2014

Elections for the Arizona State Senate 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 Lynne Pancrazi was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Connie Uribe was unopposed in the Republican primary. Pancrazi defeated Uribe in the general election.

Arizona State Senate District 4, General Election, 2014

2012

Elections for the office of Arizona State Senate 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. Incumbent Lynne Pancrazi ran uncontested in the August 28 Democratic primary before winning the general election unopposed. After redistricting, Pancrazi announced her bid for the new 4th District state Senate seat in January 2012, admitting that she wanted to announce prior to current senator Don Shooter of Yuma, whose district was split into the new 4th and 13th Districts. Shooter has since opted to run for Senate in the 13th District.

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Arizona State Senate District 4 raised a total of $636,415. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $33,496 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Arizona State Senate District 4