Democratic newcomer challenges experienced GOP senator in pivotal Chandler district
Photos by Caitlin Sievers | Arizona Mirror
In a race that could determine whether Republicans keep control of the Arizona Senate, a Democratic newcomer is challenging one of the most experienced lawmakers in the state legislature.
J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010, where he later served as speaker for two years, before being elected to the Senate in 2018. Before joining the legislature as an elected official, Mesnard was a policy advisor in the Senate for eight years, and he's worked as a political science professor for the past two decades, including at Arizona State University and Gilbert and Mesa community colleges
Mesnard was the architect behind the state's flat personal income tax rate, approved in 2021 by legislative Republicans and then-Gov. Doug Ducey and implemented in January 2023, and he's worked as a lobbyist for Alliance Defending Freedom, a Scottsdale-based anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion law firm that sued to ban abortion pills nationwide, since 2018.
Mesnard's Democratic opponent, Sharon Winters, is a children's book author, a former special education teacher and a newcomer to politics who says she's focused on reproductive rights and better funding for public schools.
Legislative District 13 covers portions of Chandler, Gilbert and Sun Lakes. Its voters lean Republican, but it was rated a highly competitive district by the Independent Redistricting Committee when it drew a new legislative map in 2021, and Democrats have won one of the district's two seats in the state House of Representatives since 2022.
Republicans have controlled both chambers of the state legislature for the vast majority of the past 60 years. Democrats won control of the chamber in 1976 and 1990, and tied the Republicans at 15 seats apiece in 2000, but the GOP has not ceded control of the House since 1966.
Democrats are hoping to flip both chambers this year, something they've been trying to do for the past few elections, while Republicans are working to keep a grasp on their slim majorities.
With Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs at Arizona's helm, if her party does manage to flip the chambers, they would have more power in the state government than they've had in 60 years.
Winters told the Arizona Mirror that she thinks the chances of flipping the chambers is 50/50, but after 60 years of "Republican domination, that's enough."
Mesnard agreed that the race will be a close one, but told the Mirror that he's cautiously optimistic. Mesnard still expects to be outspent in the race, but so far that hasn't happened. As of mid-July Mesnard had raised nearly $108,000 to Winters' almost $59,000, according to campaign finance reports.
"I would say that the Democrats have done a really good job of steering people away from the issues that most people really care about, like the economy, inflation, border security, public safety — that type of thing," Mesnard said.
He called Winters a "one issue" candidate, for her focus on reproductive rights.
Women deserve access to abortion, contraception and in vitro fertilization, Winters said.
"And they're trying to take that away," she added.
Mesnard told the Mirror that he supports Arizona's existing 15-week ban on abortion, which includes no exceptions for rape and incest, but that he would be open to considering an addition of those exceptions.
And while he voted for that 15-week ban in 2022, his voting record is much more extreme than that.
In April, he voted against the measure that ultimately repealed a near-total abortion ban dating back to 1864.
And during a 12-minute speech explaining his vote against the bill, Mesnard had a different take on the 15-week ban, saying that it would still allow for the vast majority of abortions.
"It leaves much to be desired," he said.
Mesnard also accused his pro-choice colleagues of dehumanizing fetuses by calling them a clump of cells, comparing it to terminology previously used to describe African slaves in the South and Jews in Germany during the Holocaust.
"I get really troubled when we are trying to remove the humanity of the unborn in the womb, because that would seem to set us up to do some morally questionable things," Mesnard said.
On the Senate floor that day, Mesnard played the audio from his wife's sonogram, during the first trimester of her pregnancy with their first daughter.
"I am pro-life" Mesnard told the Mirror. "I tend to believe when there's a beating heart in the equation, that matters."
Mesnard is endorsed by the political action committee for the Center for Arizona Policy, the anti-abortion group that has spearheaded virtually every Arizona law restricting abortion since the 1990s, and backed the Civil-War-era near-total ban on abortion
Winters, who supports the Arizona Abortion Access Act and believes the right to abortion should be enshrined in the state constitution, has the backing of Emily's List, a Democratic political action committee that helps to get pro-choice women elected.
Mesnard told the Mirror that he believes his party's message about improving the economy will better resonate with Arizona voters than Winters' campaign for reproductive rights.
If reelected, Mesnard said he'll look to decrease the regulatory burden on small businesses and cut red tape.
Mesnard said he's still proud of his 2.5% flat tax bill that the state's Joint Legislative Budget Committee said was a major contributor to the state's $1.3 billion budget deficit earlier this year.
He added that the impact of the tax cuts was more dynamic than one number, saying that it was more conducive to job growth as Arizona competes with other states to attract businesses.
According to the Grand Canyon Institute, went to people who earn over $200,000 per year.
Winters, a former small business owner, has said that she will fight for fair wages for all workers.
Aside from reproductive rights, another top concern for Winters is public education.
"A lot of people are concerned about our education system," she said, adding that half of public school teachers in the state are not properly certified for their positions.
As a former special education teacher, Winters added that it's especially important for special education and teachers in areas like science, technology and math have the proper certifications, so that they're effective teachers.
"Special education is so important, and a lot of our kids have special needs and they aren't being met," she said.
She attributed the lack of certified teachers in part to low pay, when young people can obtain a degree in another area and make a much better living.
If elected, Winters said she'd like to see an adjustment to Arizona's universal school voucher program, with fewer tax dollars going toward it.
The program originally provided tuition payments for private and parochial schools to a tiny subset of Arizona's K-12 students who met certain criteria, but was expanded in 2022 to being available to all of the state's K-12 students. It also provides parents with reimbursement for homeschooling supplies.
Public school advocates say the program takes money away from the district schools that educate 90% of Arizona's K-12 students and that universal vouchers are essentially a subsidy for wealthy parents who were already sending their children to private schools before vouchers were available to them.
Mesnard supported the universal expansion of the voucher program and said that, as someone whose oldest child just started kindergarten, it was "exciting to have choices."
While critics of the voucher program say there should be more accountability for the quality of the schools that receive voucher payments and homeschooling parents' purchases, Mesnard said that accountability should be in the hands of the parents.
"Empowering parents really should be the focus," he said.
Mesnard said he's open to taking a look into those who are abusing the program, but that he thinks there is a double standard, where no one bats an eye when a public school purchases musical instruments, but ESA parents are ridiculed for doing the same for their children.
The program came under fire last year when it was discovered that some parents had used voucher funds to buy pianos for their homes and luxury car driving lessons
