Pima County Supes candidates Heinz & Backer to debate Tuesday

Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz is facing Republican challenger John Backer in a debate this week.

The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson forum will be 5:30-7 p.m. at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library, 4350 E. 22nd St.

Heinz, an emergency-room physician, said he wants a second term to continue his work on issues such as housing, transportation, climate change and criminal-justice reform, where he sees areas of “deep, long-standing inequities.”

“As a county, we continue to need a strong progressive voice advocating for those who historically have not had a seat at the table,” said Heinz. “My job as supervisor is to center those concerns and make sure the county does everything it can to actually move the needle.”

Backer said he wanted to use his experience in the Air Force and information technology field to “help solve the problems we have been facing for far too long.”

“Our current District 2 supervisor has a track record of not consistently attending the Board of Supervisor meetings, showing up late, stepping away and avoiding the call to the public to hear from his constituents,” Backer said. “He has said he has multiple jobs in addition to working as a doctor. To be successful in any position, everyone needs to show up and listen to your ‘customers.’”

Backer, who won roughly 62 percent of the vote in the July 30 primary against Beatrice Cory Stephens, is at a disadvantage in District 2, which stretches from Midtown Tucson through South Tucson to Sahaurita. Democrats account for 41 percent of voters, while 22 percent are registered Republicans and 37 percent are not registered with either major party.

Backer previously ran unsuccessful campaigns for the Board of Supervisors in 2016 and 2020 in GOP primaries against District 4 incumbent Steve Christy, but redistricting put him in District 2.

Backer has lived in Pima County for most of his adult life, having landed here on July 4, 1984, as an Air Force electrician who worked on the A-10 Thunderbolt II. After completing his first enlistment, he continued serving in the Arizona National Guard and attended Pima College and the University of Arizona.

Heinz grew up in Michigan and moved to Tucson for his medical residency. He first ran for the Arizona Legislature in 2006 and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2008. He served two terms and then made unsuccessful runs for Congress in 2012, 2016 and 2018.

Heinz said he first decided to run for office because he was concerned about the inequities he saw in the healthcare system, especially before the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

Heinz won his seat on the Board of Supervisors in 2020, defeating incumbent Ramon Valadez in the Democratic primary.

Heinz said serving on the Board of Supervisors has been “the best experience I’ve had in my political life. You can see the tangible results of the actions you take on this five-member board sometimes within days, certainly within months.”

The debate can be viewed on the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson’s Facebook page.

Thursday, Sept. 19: Candidates for House and Senate seats in Legislative District 17, which includes precincts in the Saddlebrooke, Marana, Oro Valley, eastside Tucson and Vail will meet for a forum. Republican Vince Leach, fresh from dispatching incumbent Sen. Justine Wadsack in the GOP primary, is facing Democrat John McLean in the race for an open Senate seat, while in the House race, incumbent Republicans Reps. Cory McGarr and Rachel Jones are facing Democrat Kevin Volk. So far, only the Democratic candidates have agreed to appear. Democrats are hoping for upset victories in this heavily Republican district.  The forum is sponsored by Clean Elections, and begins at 6 p.m. via the their YouTube channel.

Thursday, Sept. 26: Candidates for Catalina Foothills Unified School Board are scheduled to meet in a forum. Four candidates—Jacquelyn Davoli, Tom Logue, Bart Pemberton and Jennifer Repscher—are running for two opens seats with four-year terms, while two candidates—appointed incumbent Eileen Jackson and challenger Brooke Arispe—are running in a special election for a single seat with a two-year term. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, the forum begins at 5:30 p.m. at Junior League of Tucson, 2099 E. River Rd.

Saturday, Sept. 28: Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat seeking her second full term in District 5, is scheduled to meet her independent challenger, Tucson Unified School Board member Val Romero. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson, the event will take place at Quincie-Douglas Library, 1585 E. 36th St., from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 7: U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani and his Democratic challenger, former state lawmaker Kirsten Engel, are scheduled to meet for a one-hour debate on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. This is a rematch of the 2022 race for the CD2 seat, when Engel lost by fewer than 2 percentage points in this GOP-leaning district. The Clean Elections/Arizona Media Association forum will be aired on select televised and radio stations and streamed live on various news websites, including TucsonSentinel.com.

Monday, Oct. 7: Last day to register to vote for general election

Wednesday, Oct. 9: Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego, who are facing each other in one of the most-watched Senate races in the nation, are scheduled to meet in a televised debate. The matchup, hosted by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Media Association, is set for 6 p.m. and will air on select TV and radio stations as well as online news platforms, including TucsonSentinel.com.

Wednesday, Oct. 9: Pima County mails early ballots to voters

Friday, Oct. 25: Deadline to request an early ballot from the Pima County Recorder’s Office

Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election Day