SAFFORD — Now that the new legislative district for Graham and Greenlee counties has been set, would-be candidates are starting to meet with voters.
The first was Sanda Clark, who held a meet-and-greet at the Graham County Democratic Headquarters on Saturday.
Legislative District 19 — which includes all of Greenlee County, most of Graham County except for the San Carlos Apache Reservation, all of Cochise County except Bisbee and Douglas, the southeastern portion of Pima County and northeastern portion of Santa Cruz County — has a 22 percent vote spread in favor of Republicans.
Clark acknowledged that a Democratic win in the district will be difficult, but said she will not be deterred.
“When you see all those people in Ukraine stand in front of tanks to defend democracy; we have no right to roll over and play dead just because we don’t think we can win,” Clark said.
Clark said the top issue for her campaign is the environment.
“This county that we are in right now, in 20 years, will not be inhabitable if we do nothing,” she said. “If we don’t have a place to live, nothing else matters, does it? That, to me, seems like a no-brainer.”
Clark has not yet qualified for the ballot, and is still collecting signatures at Democratic Headquarters in Safford.
Clark is the only Democrat to declare intent on running for one of the two House seats up for election.
The only candidate for state House who has turned in nominating petitions is Republican Lupe Diaz, of Benson, who was appointed by the Cochise County Board of Supervisors to fill the remainder of Becky Nutt’s term, following Nutt’s resignation last year. Diaz turned in 643 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office for verification on March 18.
The other incumbent, Republican Gail Griffin, of Hereford, has not yet turned in her nominating petitions.
