State House and Senate: Meet the Candidates!

Senate Democrats

Edgar F. Soto is a proud Tucson native and Tucson High School graduate whose life has been defined by service, leadership, and a deep commitment to helping others reach their potential. Edgar has spent decades giving back to the same community that helped shape him.

After graduating from Tucson High, Edgar continued his education and athletic career before answering a call to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps. That commitment to service carried into his professional life as an educator, coach, and community leader. Edgar worked as a middle school teacher and later joined Pima Community College, where he has served the institution and its students for more than 30 years and currently serves as a campus vice president.

Throughout his career, Edgar has remained deeply committed to students. He is known for being accessible and willing to help anyone who walks through his door, believing that education can change a person’s life trajectory. His passion for athletics and mentorship has also impacted countless young people. As a baseball coach, he helped develop student-athletes on and off the field and had the honor of coaching with USA Baseball, guiding elite young players on the international stage.

Edgar continues to stay active in the Tucson community, participating in local baseball and softball leagues and serving on several community boards focused on expanding opportunities for young people and underserved populations. He is also a Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Fellow and an Aspen Rising Presidents Fellow, leadership programs that reflect his dedication to thoughtful public service.

Even today, as he runs for the Arizona State Senate, Edgar remains grounded in the same principle that has guided his life: true success is measured by how much you help others succeed.

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House Democrats

Kevin Volk was born and raised in Southern Arizona. He attended public elementary and middle schools in northeastern Tucson, then followed family tradition by attending Salpointe High School. Go Lancers!

After graduation, he moved to Rhode Island to attend Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Economics.

Following college, he served as a 5th-grade public school teacher in the East Side of San Jose, California; interned for Representative Gabby Giffords, helping with constituent communication in Congress; worked as an English language educator in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on a Fulbright scholarship; and helped former Governor Tim Kaine’s campaign for Senate in Virginia.

After his time out of state, Kevin moved back home to Southern Arizona, where he became the general manager of a local retail business. Then he joined the family firm, Volk Company, as a real estate agent focused on bringing people together for win-win deals with small businesses.

Now Kevin is dedicated to the development and redevelopment of commercial and housing properties, and has founded a small business to create affordable housing.

Kevin is a graduate of Greater Tucson Leadership and was selected as one of the Southern Arizona recipients of the Flinn-Brown Fellowship for civic leadership in Arizona. In 2022, he received the inaugural Business Champion for Early Education Award from United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Kevin currently serves as a Democratic member of the Arizona House of Representatives, representing the 17th district.

Holly Lyon is an Air Force veteran, former educator, and proven leader running for the Arizona State House in Legislative District 17 to put service, accountability, and common-sense leadership back at the center of government.

Holly began her career as a 7th-grade math teacher before serving 26 years in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of Colonel. During her service, she commanded twice, taught future military leaders, and helped oversee education, training, and strategic planning for tens of thousands of service members.

After retiring from the Air Force, Holly continued her work solving complex problems and delivering results. She’s running for State House because LD17 deserves experienced leadership that listens, works through differences, and focuses on practical solutions that put families and communities first.

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House Republicans

John Winchester is the Senior Director of Government & Community Engagement for Arizona State University, serving Southern Arizona in Pima, Cochise, and Santa Cruz Counties. John is a native of Tucson, where he lives with his wife Fernanda and four beautiful children, and where they are engaged members of their community and volunteer regularly. John serves on the Board of Directors of The Chamber of Southern Arizona, serves on the Public Policy Councils for The Chamber of Southern Arizona, Greater Vail Area Chamber, and Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC), volunteers with Greater Tucson Leadership to plan Government Issue Day, and participates as a mentor for the Emerging Leaders Council and Tucson Young Professionals.

John has received several recognitions for his work in the community: He is a Flinn-Brown Fellow in the Arizona Civic Leadership Academy and Fellow of the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy, offered by the Center for the Future of Arizona and the Aspen Institute. He is an alumni of both the Honorary Commander program at Davis Monthan Airforce Base and the Greater Tucson Leadership, was elected Chair of the Emerging Leaders Council of The Chamber of Southern Arizona, served as Chair of the Advocacy Committee for Tucson Young Professionals, was named one of Tucson’s 40 under 40 by the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2016, recognized as a NextGen Leader in 2024 by BizTucson, received the “People’s Choice Award” in the Arizona Diaper Bank’s 2024 “Dancing with the Stars,” and awarded the Signal Lantern Award by the Greater Vail Area Chamber as an emerging leader in the region. John holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration and a Graduate Certification in Nonprofit Leadership Management from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Arts in Classic Liberal Education and Leadership from Arizona State University.

Senate Democrats

Alma Hernandez is a Tucson native and a proud product of the Sunnyside School District. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arizona and a Master of Public Health from the UA, with additional training from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A longtime activist and public health professional, Alma has worked on issues ranging from criminal justice reform and women’s rights to healthcare access and education. She led Arizonans United for Healthcare in the fight to preserve the Affordable Care Act and has spent more than a decade working to elect progressive candidates throughout Southern Arizona.

Rocque Perez is the oldest brother of sons raised by a working-class single mother who immigrated from Mexico. His call to service was shaped by political violence against our most vulnerable communities. Committed to their defense, he was appointed to the Tucson City Council in 2025. As Arizona’s first Gen Z official to serve in city or county government, Rocque brought a fresh voice to the Tucson City Council.

During his short tenure, he directed over half a million dollars into small businesses, nonprofits, schools, and neighborhood projects; supported low-barrier and affordable housing; and preserved critical investments in early childhood education for Sunnyside and
Flowing Wells families; and said no to the large-scale data center development and Tucson Electric Power’s attempt to yield more profits from Tucson residents.

As a State Senator, Rocque would take his service to the Capitol to defend our rights—from freedom from discrimination, to the right to organize, earn a fair living, and afford housing, to a quality public education, fair and accessible elections, and systems that keep families healthy, safe, and whole.

Senate Republicans

*There are no Republicans running for Senate in LD20.

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House Democrats

Ben Koehler came to Tucson in 2020 to attend the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. After earning his J.D., he made a choice that surprised many: instead of practicing law at a firm, he became a freshman math teacher at Pueblo High School.
That choice was not accidental. In his final semester of law school, a professor challenged the class: How many people in all of Arizona understand election law better than you do right now? The answer was maybe 500. His point was clear: knowledge like that is a civic obligation to share. Ben went into teaching to learn how to teach, so that when the time came to engage in public life, he would know how to communicate complex ideas to real people.

Betty Villegas, a native of Pima County and a third-generation Tucsonan, is not just a political candidate but a member of your community. She is a devoted wife to Juan Villegas, a retired school teacher, and a proud mother of two daughters and two sons. As a loving grandmother to six grandchildren, she understands the importance of a safe and prosperous community for future generations. Betty was appointed to the Pima County Board of Supervisors on April 7, 2020, at the start of the pandemic.  She completed the term as Supervisor Richard Elias’s successor after his unexpected passing. After completing her term at Pima County, Betty was named the South Tucson Housing Authority Community Housing Director, where she stayed until her appointment to the Arizona State Legislature on July 31, 2023. Betty has worked for the community and been a part of it, making her candidacy a natural extension of her commitment to the people of LD 20.

Genoveva Diaz is a dedicated community leader and mother who has spent years serving the people of Tucson. As a lifelong Arizona resident, she understands firsthand the challenges facing working families, students, and small business owners in District 20. Her campaign is rooted in a simple belief: government should work for the people — every single one of them. From improving public education to supporting local economic growth, Genoveva is committed to showing up, listening, and delivering real results.

Sally Ann Gonzales is a 20-year representative of Legislative District 20 whose career has centered on advocating for Arizona’s most vulnerable residents, including children and elders. She has been a consistent voice for fully funding public schools, improving teacher working conditions, and expanding vocational opportunities through programs like JTED. Gonzales supports treating the state’s universities and community colleges as engines of economic development and has pushed back against Arizona’s Universal Voucher Program, which she argues is draining public school funding. She is also committed to strengthening environmental protections to ensure clean air and water for all Arizonans. Gonzales is seeking another term in the July 21st primary.

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House Republicans

Katherine Weasel is running for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 20. Weasel declared candidacy as a write-in for the Republican primary.