Those considering Arizona government jobs can look forward to serving in a challenging and changing political arena.
Phoenix serves as the state capital and home of the state legislative branch. That branch is made up of the state House of Representatives, which has 60 members, and the state Senate, which has 30 members. Arizona is split into 30 legislative districts, each of which elects one senator and two representatives.
According to Wikipedia, all legislators are elected to two-year terms and are limited to serving four consecutive terms, although there are no limits on the total number of terms a legislator can serve. Republicans currently hold the majority of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
The state executive branch is run by a governor, who is elected to a four-year term and can serve no more than two terms in a row, but can serve any number of total terms. Jan Brewer, who currently serves as the governor of Arizona, accounts for the state’s fourth female governor, which is more than any other state has had. Janet Napolitano, the previous governor, now serves as the secretary of Homeland Security.
Other elected officials in the executive branch and the people currently serving in those seats include:
- Secretary of State – Ken Bennett
- Attorney General – Terry Goddard
- State Treasurer – Dean Martin
- Superintendent of Public Instruction – Tom Horne
- State Mine Inspector – Joe Hart
- Corporation Commission – Gary Pierce, Kristin Mayes, Bob Stump, Sandra D. Kennedy and Paul Newman
All of these officials are elected to a four-year term and can only serve two consecutive terms, except for the state mine inspector, who is exempt from term limits.
Arizona is one of only eight states that does not elect a lieutenant governor. The secretary of state is first in line to succeed the governor, followed by the attorney general, state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction.
The state judicial branch is headed by the Arizona Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the state. The court has appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, original jurisdiction in some other circumstances, and has the power to declare laws unconstitutional.
The court is made up of a chief justice, a vice chief justice and three associate justices. All justices are appointed by the governor from a list recommended by a bi-partisan commission and are re-elected after the first two years, with subsequent re-elections occurring every six years.
The Arizona Court of Appeals, which serves as the intermediate court in the state, handles most other appellate cases. The court is divided into two divisions: Division One, which is based in Phoenix, and Division Two, which is based in Tucson.
Division One consists of 16 judges and has jurisdiction in the western and northern regions of the state, as well as the greater Phoenix area. Division Two consists of six judges and has jurisdiction over the southern regions of the state and the Tucson area.
In addition, each county in Arizona has a superior court, with the state currently having 16 counties. The size and organization of those courts are varied depending on the size of the county.
When it comes to federal government, Arizona is represented by two senators and eight representatives. The state was granted two extra seats in the House of Representatives following the 2000 Census.
The Senate seats are currently filled by Republican John McCain and Republican Jon Kyl. The House of Representative seats are currently filled by: Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, Republican Trent Franks, Republican John Shadegg, Democrat Ed Pastor, Democrat Harry Mitchell, Republican Jeff Flake, Democrat Raul Grijalva and Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.
As for political affiliation, the state went from being dominated by the Democratic Party from statehood through the late 1940s to consistently voting for Republicans since 1952, with the only exception being Bill Clinton during the 1996 presidential election.
At the state level, there is a political rivalry between Maricopa County and Pima County, the state’s two largest counties. Maricopa County – which is home to Phoenix, about 60 percent of the state’s population and most of the state’s elected officials – has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1948. Pima County – which is home to Tucson – is considered to be more Democratic.
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