Carter, Boyer Can Expect GOP Opponents

paul boyer
Sen. Paul Boyer

If your name is State Senator Paul Boyer or State Senator Heather Carter, then you need to start watching your back.  Both Senators are the subject of candidate recruitment originating with GOP Senate Leadership.  Both were holdouts on the recent state budget — Boyer for a bill of his that dealt with victims of sexual abuse, and Carter for a whole litany of additional spending proposals and government expansions that she wanted.

Carter’s district is a very safe district, Boyer represents a district that AZ Democrats target heavily.  A Carter challenge risks nothing, but a Boyer challenge may put that seat in play — something Arizona Republicans can ill afford to do.

Both Carter and Boyer are believed to have supported J.D. Mesnard for Senate President, so this move could also be Senate President Karen Fann trying to improve her chances of holding onto the President’s office after a rough first year.

Whatever the reason, the 2020 legislative session just got a lot more interesting, and potentially difficult, for the GOP caucus.