Montenegro resigns from state Senate
Says he will focus on race for Franks’ Congressional seat
Republican State Sen. Steve Montenegro, whose district includes northern Yuma County, has resigned his seat to focus on a run for the seat in Congress vacated when U.S. Rep. Trent Franks stepped down earlier this month.
Montenegro said Tuesday, “Trent asked me to run, and I have a lot of other conservative leaders who have asked me to please consider that. I know we’re running for Secretary of State, but we need someone in Washington who understands the issues and is going to stand for our constitutional, conservative principles.”
He had been campaigning for the Arizona secretary of state job against incumbent Michele Reagan next fall, but is stepping out of that race to concentrate on the special primary and general elections for the congressional vacancy, which are set for Feb. 27 and April 24.
Franks’ former congressional district covers the Phoenix area’s West Valley and does not include any part of Yuma County. Montenegro, who resigned on Friday, lives in Litchfield Park, and his former Legislative District 13 includes eastern Yuma, the Foothills, Wellton and areas to the north.
“I think the people have elected me to fight for our constitutional principles, fight for our conservative principles. The reason I did not want to wait is so that our district is well-represented and our district has somebody there full time in the Legislature,” he said.
He and other state legislators pursuing Franks’ seat have been getting conflicting information on whether they would be required to step down from their own seats first.
Montenegro served in the state House of Representatives for eight years, rising to the majority leader position, before hitting the term limit in 2016, when he ran for and won his Senate seat. He said he’s gotten support for his decision to step down now from many constituents.
“After talking to many folks in our district who support me and want me to continue to stand for our principles. No one was expecting this to happen, with the resignation of Congressman Trent Franks, but because it is our district we need somebody there who knows the issues, and won these battles at the state level,” he said.
Under state law Montenegro’s replacement in the state Senate must be from the same county and political party, so the District 13 GOP precinct committeemen from Maricopa County will meet Dec. 28 to select three candidates.
The nominees will be sent to the county’s Board of Supervisors, which will make the final selection shortly after. The next legislative session begins Jan. 8.
South Yuma County’s Legislative District 4 underwent the same process this summer when Rep. Jesus Rubalcava, D-Gila Bend, resigned, while under investigation for alleged campaign finance violations by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
District 13’s two representatives in the state House are Republicans Darin Mitchell of Avondale and Don Shooter of Yuma. Shooter is currently under investigation by the Legislature for sexual harassment allegations, and has been temporarily removed as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee.
Franks resigned because he was facing a congressional ethics committee inves- tigation after he reportedly asked two female employees to act as a surrogate mother for him and his wife, offering one of them $5 million to do so.