Morgan Abraham
State Senator - District 18
Democratic
https://www.morganabraham.com/
I’m Morgan Abraham. I’ve spent my life working to make Southern Arizona a better place to live, work, and raise a family. As a small business owner, I’ve built and created thousands of affordable housing units. As an Intelligence Officer in the United States Army, I’m fighting to protect and defend our country. As a State Representative, I’ve introduced bills to get rid of tax loopholes, fund education, create a public pre-k system, retire coal and natural gas plants, and increase the supply of affordable housing in our community. As an education advocate, I’ve fought against the draconian cuts harming our public schools, colleges and universities. Whether it was opposing Jan Brewer’s tuition hikes or standing up to Doug Ducey balancing the budget on the backs of our schools, I’m proud to stand up for education. I’m running for the state senate to keep pushing for progressive values and because we need a fighter at the legislature to push back against the republican extremist bills threatening our right to vote. I have the experience, energy, and enthusiasm to get the job done and with your support, I’ll continue fighting for Southern Arizona values at the State Senate.
Stan Caine
State Senator - District 18
Republican
Why am I running for office? After working 33 years for the Department of Defense, I knew in my retirement that I couldn’t stand by and watch my great state and country continue down the path it was heading. Gas prices continue to rise; inflation is higher than it’s been in years; our freedoms and liberties are being challenged; people are not respecting police, first responders, or our military; our border is not being enforced; and common respect and courtesy is fading. Families are being torn about by political division that is fueled by the mainstream media. In some ways, I’m glad my mother is not alive to witness the state of things. I respect everyone and will fight for your constitutional freedoms. I helped to raise my three kids in Arizona, and all graduated from Arizona schools. I am a certified substitute teacher in Arizona and have worked in Amphitheater and Marana schools. I wish for Arizona children to have a quality education. It’s time Arizona leads the nation in restoring respect, responsibility, and common decency back into Arizona and our lives. I’m running to make a positive difference!
Priya Sundareshan
State Senator - District 18
Democratic
https://priyaforarizona.com/
I am running for State Senate to make Arizona a leader in renewable energy, restore balance to our water issues through conservation and efficiency, and improve our democracy by making voting easy and accessible to all. I teach natural resources law at the University of Arizona and my career has been focused on environmental sustainability and addressing climate change. I am also a voting rights advocate and have been leading voter protection efforts and engagement on redistricting within the Arizona Democratic Party. I was born and raised in the LD18 district and I want the wonderful opportunities I had in our public schools to be available to all Arizona children. I studied engineering at MIT and law and natural resource economics at the U of A, so I know we need more science-based decision-making in politics. I have a young family and I want my children and all children to inherit a sustainable world and sustainable Arizona.
Nathan Davis
State Representative - District 18
Democratic
https://nathandavisaz.com/
Nathan Davis was born and raised in Tucson. He is the proud product of Arizona public education and a graduate of Pima Community College and the University of Arizona. Nathan returned to Tucson after receiving an MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University. He and his wife teach in Tucson Unified School District and are members of the Tucson Education Association. Nathan left the classroom last year to run his family’s small business but continues to substitute teach. Over the years, Nathan realized that the solution couldn’t just come from the classroom, one underpaid teacher at a time, or one business owner paying livable wages and supporting workers. It must come from structural change rooted in sound policy decisions and new ideas. Nathan is a Democrat who will stand up for our values in the Arizona House of Representatives to reinvest in public education; support workers’ rights and our small, local businesses; fight for bills that combat climate change; expand access to the ballot for all Arizona citizens; and protect legal abortion care in Arizona.
Linda Evans
State Representative - District 18
Republican
Linda Evans, MFA, is an experienced Leader having served on Boards of Directors in Tucson, Arizona and NW Ohio. Evans taught Psychology to Boarder Patrol & Police Officers at Pima College. On the Board of Assistance League of Tucson, Linda started the 1st Speaker’s Bureau and was liaison to Hughs Corporation, Youth on Their Own, & Primavera Foundation. Linda has served as Secretary General of International Center of Woman Playwrights. Evan’s MFA is from Columbia College, Chicago. Evans (LG Evans) is a director & multi-award winning Playwright whose plays & musicals have been produced in Manhattan. Evans’ works are archived at the OSU main library, Columbus, Ohio. Evans enjoys going door-to-door in her Legislative District 18 and listening to the concerns of people in the neighborhoods, from Broadway to the Catalina Foothills and from East of I-10 to Sabino Canyon Rd down to Camino Seco. Linda can be reached easily at her email: [email protected]
Nancy Gutierrez
State Representative - District 18
Democratic
https://www.nancyforaz.com
My passion is public education. I am running to ensure that Arizona puts public education, teachers, staff and students as a priority. We must prioritize public education and fully fund it so that we can ensure all students receive an education that will allow them to be successful in the paths they choose. Teachers should be empowered to teach students with creativity and knowledge, rather than being demeaned. Education in Arizona should bring opportunities for all students to learn in a variety of modalities in order to prepare for a bright future. I am a Gun Sense Candidate and will work for sensible gun legislation. I will protect a pregnant person’s right to choose what they want for their body. I support and will protect voter’s rights. It is essential to our Democracy that each person who is able to vote has the opportunity to do so. It is important to protect our precious water and not allowing legislation to steal water from underserved communities. We must work together to protect our public education, right to choose, our voting rights and our water.
Chris Mathis
State Representative - District 18
Democratic
https://www.mathisforarizona.com/
Chris Mathis is a Democrat who teaches health care law at the U of A and lives with his wife, Colleen, in Tucson. In December, Chris was appointed to represent the current LD 9 in the Arizona House of Representatives. Chris practices elder law, helping older Tucsonans and their families resolve issues related to long-term care, public benefits and estate planning. A Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and Arizona Education Association member, Chris teaches classes on Health Care Law & Policy and Aging. He formerly served as Director of Policy & Communications at the Healthcare Markets & Regulation (HMR) Lab at Harvard Medical School and as Southern Arizona Coordinator for the Flinn-Brown Fellows Civic Leadership Program. Chris worked in the Illinois General Assembly, the U.S. House of Representatives, the British Parliament and as a Health Care Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel prior to moving to Tucson in 2001. He earned a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Master in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health as well as law and undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois.
Kat Stratford
State Representative - District 18
Democratic
https://www.katforaz.com
Kat Stratford is a single mom to a brilliant daughter and an extraordinary trans son. A twenty year resident of Tucson, Kat is an outspoken advocate for victims of violent crime, and has spent the last two years focused on policies that would help survivors of sexual and domestic violence. As a survivor herself, she is dedicated to removing obstacles that keep people in dangerous situations. Kat has been living with Meniere’s Disease since 2020 and is acquiring deafness and learning ASL. She is currently a candidate for State House in the newly redistricted LD 18, and plans to focus on these issues as well as climate change, reproductive and voting rights, and expanding access to education.
Charles Verdin
State Representative - District 18
Democratic
https://www.charlieverdin.com/
Charlie Verdin is a dedicated father and one of the owners of Fangamer, an online retailer based in Tucson. He is a member of the Point-Aux-Chien Indian Tribe of South Louisiana. Charlie is determined to protect Arizona's environment and develop a sustainable water use plan so that he and his family can live in Southern Arizona for the foreseeable future. His ancestral land in Louisiana became largely uninhabitable due to coastal erosion caused in part by decades of corporate carelessness, government apathy, and climate change, and Charlie refuses to let his new home meet a similar fate. As the father of two young children soon entering the school system, Charlie is also determined to help properly fund public education as soon as possible. Finally, Charlie brings an understanding of technology due to coming of age with the Internet. Depending on how it's used, technology has the capacity to bring about great opportunities and prosperity if used wisely but also great harm when used carelessly or maliciously. Charlie believes that a deep understanding of the Internet's potential is vital for paving the way to making Arizona healthy and prosperous in the modern era.