Rick Gray is heading back to the State Capitol, this time to the Senate. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Gray, a Republican, as the new State Senator for Legislative District 21.
Gray will replace Republican Debbie Lesko, who resigned her seat only after the legislative session started, to run for an open U.S. Congressional seat.
District 21 covers much of northwest Maricopa County including Peoria, El Mirage, and Sun City. Gray used to represent District 21 in the State House.
Gray’s previous assignments in the House have included being Majority Whip, Chairman of Transportation and Infrastructure, Vice Chairman of the Rules Committee, Vice Chairman of the Commerce Committee, and a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He is also a small business owner.
As required by law, the Board selected Gray from a list of three candidates submitted by the Legislative District 21 Precinct Committeemen. Gray will serve through 2018. The next election for seats in the Arizona Senate will be the 2018 primary.