On Thursday, with Republicans trailing in several critical races, Arizona Senate Republicans selected new leadership at their post-election organizational meeting.
Senator Warren Petersen, of Gilbert, was named as the next Senate President. He was first elected to the Legislature back in 2012 to the State House of Representatives, where he served a total of six years. He was later elected to the Senate and has so far served a total of four years. During his time as a Senator, he was appointed as the Judiciary Committee Chair and as a member of the Government, Ethics and Finance Committees. Senator Petersen is a third-generation Arizonan and has worked in the real estate industry for more than two decades. His duties as Senate President will include being the primary leader of the Senate, presiding over legislative sessions and ensuring Senators abide by procedural rules.
Senator Sonny Borrelli, of Lake Havasu, was named the next Senate Majority Leader. He’s been a member of the Senate since 2016 and has served as Majority Whip for two terms. Most recently, he served as the Government Committee Vice Chair, as well as a member of the Rules, Appropriations, Commerce and Judiciary Committees. Senator Borrelli was first elected to the Legislature back in 2012 for the State House of Representatives. He proudly served in the United States Marine Corps for 22 years and retired as a Gunnery Sergeant. His duties as Majority Leader will include being the principal leader of Senate Republicans on the Senate floor, serving as the lead speaker during floor debates, scheduling the daily calendar and working to promote the legislative priorities of Senate Republicans.
Senator Sine Kerr, of Buckeye, was named the next Senate Majority Whip. She’s been a member of the Senate since 2018. During that time, she served as the Natural Resources Water and Energy Committee Chair, the Senate Ethics Committee Chair, as well as a member of the Appropriations and Transportation and Technology Committees. Senator Kerr, along with her family, have owned and operated a fourth-generation dairy farm since 1980. Her duties as Majority Whip will include assisting the Majority Leader in securing votes on legislation considered critical to the Majority Caucus.
House Democrats elected Rep. Andrés Cano, of Tucson, to lead the Democratic Caucus in the 56th Legislature. The Caucus also elected Representative-elect. and current Senator Lupe Contreras of LD 22 as Assistant Leader and returning Representatives Melody Hernandez of LD 8 and Marcelino Quiñonez of LD 11 as Co-Whips.
Cano was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2019. He was raised by a single mom in in public housing, is a first-generation college graduate, and entered public service as an aide to the late Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias. In 2020, he was named the first director of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
Contreras, of Avondale, served first in the House in 2013 and then served as a Senator from 2015 on. He grew up in Cashion, Arizona. He and his wife have proudly called the West Valley home, along with their six children. Since entering public service, he has become an active member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO.) In his last year in the Senate, Contreras served as the Assistant Minority Leader.
Melody Hernandez, of Tempe, was elected in 2020. She quickly rose in leadership within her first term becoming the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. Hernandez works full-time as a paramedic. She grew up in the southeast valley to a first-generation Mexican American family and served as the first Latina Democratic Chair for the previous Legislative District 26.
Quiñonez, of south Phoenix and Laveen, joined the Caucus last session. He is a first-generation college graduate who continues to provide opportunities to his community through education. Quiñonez also sat on the board of the Roosevelt School District, served as a nonprofit leader at St. Vincent De Paul and most recently the Director of Educational Outreach and Partnerships at ASU.
Opening day of the 56th Legislature, first regular session, will be on Monday, January 9, 2023.