Two Republicans are fighting for Legislative District 9 and the future of the GOP

In the competitive Legislative District 9, where Democrats hold all of the state's legislative seats, two Republican candidates represent different approaches and a battle for the soul of their party.

They face two Democratic incumbents in the House of Representatives who are seeking a second term. The Democratic duo's 2022 victories ensured their party held all three of the district's seats at a time when both chambers had a one-seat Republican majority.

Reps. Lorena Austin, D-Mesa, and Seth Blattman, D-Mesa, will face Republicans Mary Ann Mendoza and Kylie Barber this November.

Tyler Montague, a Republican consultant from East Valley, said he believes Barber's candidacy style appeals more to swing voters in the district than Republican candidates who have run in the district since state redistricting.

“If Republicans have a chance in this district, it’s Kylie Barber,” Montague said.

Barber is endorsed by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and is running as a nonpartisan candidate. Her campaign website features photos of her with Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) and Sen. TJ Shope (R-Coolidge), two lawmakers who also voted in swing districts to repeal the state's 1864 abortion ban.

“People are looking for a type of leadership that is positive, is a kind of happy warrior, and is not polarizing but unifying,” Barber said. “People are tired of polarization.”

Mendoza has received controversial attention in recent years. She was removed as a speaker from a 2020 Republican National Convention event after sharing anti-Semitic conspiracy posts. Medoza apologized and said she did not read every post in the Twitter thread at the time before sharing it.

Shortly before the 2022 election, photos of Mendoza surfaced, apparently in black letters from 2011 and 2012.

Although Mendoza and Barber are running for Republicans in the district, the two are not campaigning together. Mendoza appeared in a Rumble video shortly after the July 30 primary in which he called Barber a “Democratic plant” and criticized former GOP gubernatorial candidate Karrin Robson Taylor's support for Barber.

“(Robson Taylor) is helping a candidate who knows nothing, who is nothing, who is a Democratic plant,” Mendoza said.

While Barber is more closely aligned with bipartisan Republicans, Mendoza is supported by Freedom Caucus Rep. Barbara Parker, R-Mesa. Parker advised voters to cast their ballot only for Mendoza, as this would be a one-time attempt to fill a seat in the district.

“We have to do this! Democrats hold both seats in the House of Representatives. We won't be able to turn both seats around. MENDOZA is the leading candidate with experience and name recognition and the best candidate ready on day one,” Parker wrote in a May 9 Facebook post.

According to the Secretary of State's most recent voter registration report from July, Republicans have a lead of 34,000 to 31,000 registered voters in LD9. However, another 39,000 votes were labeled “other.”

“Republicans will vote for the Republican ticket. (Barber) gains nothing by aligning with future members of the Arizona Freedom Caucus if they were elected,” Montague said.

In 2022, Blattman and Austin defeated Mendoza and Kathy Pearce, the sister of former Senate President and SB1070 architect Russell Pearce.

Mendoza received the fewest votes in the LD9 2022 House race, falling behind Blattman with about 1.4% of the vote. Blattman beat Pearce with 0.7% of the vote, while Austin received the most votes in the district, finishing about 1.3% more than Blattman.

In most of the state's swing districts, both parties have bipartisan representation. LD9 is the only district where Democrats won all three House seats in 2022.

Both Blattman and Austin told it the Arizona Capitol Times that her priority in office was to represent all of her constituents, regardless of party affiliation.

“It’s a purple district,” Blattman said. “It rejects extremism on both sides of the aisle.”

The two Democratic incumbents also pointed to their record during their first terms in office, despite belonging to the minority party in the House. Austin said she was proud to help fund the Arizona Promise Program in the 2023 state budget.

Gov. Katie Hobbs also considered the program a priority and allocated $40 million to help cover tuition and fees for qualified students. Austin said she was able to secure half of the program funding in her first session in budget negotiations.

In Blattman's first year, he secured funding for the Micro-Business Loan program, which supports businesses with five or fewer employees.

“We all got something pretty significant in our first year as a minority,” Austin said.

Barber and Mendoza have also taken a different stance toward their opponents. Barber said she entered the race because she wanted a “more complete” representation of the district, but had high praise for Blattman and Austin.

“(Austin) has great energy and I say that sincerely. I just didn’t see how their voices reflected what I thought Mesa was,” Barber said.

Other Republicans, including Mendoza, have targeted Austin as a more progressive candidate.

Austin revealed that she is non-binary during a committee. House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, revoked Democrats' privileges to use House conference rooms after Austin hosted a “drag story hour.”

Mendoza called Austin a “pro-Hamas nanny” in the July 30 Rumble video.

Despite this rhetoric from some opponents, Austin still prioritizes ensuring representation for all of his constituents.

“My door is always open and I meet everyone. We are here for everyone in this district, no matter what party you are,” Austin said.