Tempe, AZ / By Lauren Kuby

Tuesday, August 30th is Primary Election Day in Arizona. In Legislative District 26, which includes half of Tempe, we face our first Democratic primary in a decade. Primaries are painful and this one’s no exception. Each candidate vying for your vote is qualified, progressive, and dedicated. But, along with these fine qualities, we need a legislative team that will champion the progressive values of our community AND engage workers, young people, and working families in that fight.

Why support Juan Mendez for State Senate, along with Athena Salman & Isela Blanc, candidates for State Representative?

These three candidates have built a solid infrastructure not only for their campaign, but for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. Along with their grassroots army, this team has knocked on over 25,000 doors, a remarkable number, engaging thousands of residents and registering hundreds of new voters and signing them up to receive mail-in ballots.

Juan Mendez, Athena Salman, and Isela Blanc have built a grassroots infrastructure like we haven’t seen since the days of Harry Mitchell’s buoyant 2006 campaign. They’ve encouraged their army of volunteers, many of them from McClintock and Tempe High, to carry the petitions of candidates up and down the ballot. They also championed and selflessly collected signatures for the Fair Wages & Healthy Families ballot initiative, because they believe Arizonan workers deserve a raise and earned sick day protections.

After the primary, we will have a historic opportunity to transform Arizona politics for a generation. We can elect Ann Kirkpatrick for US Senate (it’s time to retire John McCain!), Paul Penzone for Sheriff (Adios Arpaio!), solar champions Bill Mundell and Tom Chabin for two Arizona Corporation Commission seats and help push countless other races to succeed. To elect Democrats up and down the ballot, we need to increase turnout, especially in Legislative District 26, like never before.

The boundaries of our district, which include North and Central Tempe, West Mesa, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, were drawn to enable Hispanic representation. Juan and his team best represent the diversity of our progressive community, and they will help awaken voters to the possibility of a new Arizona.

With the support of our community on August 30th, the team of Juan Mendez, Athena Salman, and Isela Blanc will be ready to hit the ground running on September 1st.

Ballot in hand? It’s best to drop off at any polling place on Election Day on Tuesday, August 30th

Voting at the polls? Contact www.recorder.maricopa.gov to discover your polling location.