State Representative
State House District 23; Arizona
My vote power
Above average
Election date
July 21, 2026 · Primary election
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.
Representation: Above average · 65 out of 100
This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 241,104 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(7,378,838 ÷ 241,104) ÷ ln(50,000) = 65.81, measured against a statewide vote in AZ (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Above average representation → My vote power: Above average.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
About this office
- Voting on how much you pay in state taxes
- Voting on how much money your local public schools get
- Voting on which roads and highways get built or repaired
Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,
Candidates
Emilia Cortez
AdvancedDemocratic · advanced
Yuma County native and bilingual public affairs professional who works in economic development for the Quechan Indian Tribe and holds an MBA. Priorities are infrastructure and small-business investment and workforce development.
Gary Garcia Snyder
AdvancedRepublican · advanced
Gary Garcia Snyder is a Republican candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 23 in 2026.
Juan Guerrero
Did not advanceDemocratic · lost
Juan Guerrero is a Democratic candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 23 in 2026.
Mariana Sandoval
AdvancedDemocratic · Incumbent · advanced
Mariana Sandoval serves in the Arizona House and worked as a paralegal in legal aid offices and for 12 years at the Arizona Attorney General's office. She served on the Agua Fria school district board.
Records: Environment and Public Health 2 for, Housing Affordability 2 for, Corporate Accountability 1 for,
Michele Pena
AdvancedRepublican · Incumbent · advanced
Michele Pena serves in the Arizona House and is an agricultural professional who works for ALCO Harvesting and volunteers in schools.
Records: Civil Rights 3 for, 9 against, Public Safety and Crime Control 9 for, 3 against, Election Integrity 8 for, 1 against,
Naomi Miguel
Did not advanceDemocratic · lost
Naomi Miguel is a Democratic candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 23 in 2026.
Results
Advanced · Certified
Winners: Mariana Sandoval (Democratic), Emilia Cortez (Democratic), Michele Pena (Republican), Gary Garcia Snyder (Republican)
Source: cdn1.arizona.vote · researched September 12, 2026
Sources: ballotpedia.org · en.wikipedia.org