Cano wants D5 seat; Hernandez raises $300K while Grijalva lands Giffords endorsement in CD7

Cano wants Board of Supes seat; Hernandez raises $300K in CD7 special election while Giffords and Kelly endorse Grijalva, RTA election unlikely in November, & more.

Former state lawmaker Andres Cano jumped into the pool of applicants for the vacant seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

Cano has plenty of experience in the District 5 office. He started interning under the late supervisor Richard Elias in 2007 when he was still in high school. Cano went to work full-time in the office in 2012 and left after he won election to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2018.

Cano left the Legislature in 2023 to attend Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration.

“District 5 is where I was born and raised. It’s where I learned the values of community, compassion, and effective leadership,” Cano said in a prepared statement. “My public service began through a deeply personal experience—the loss of my grandmother, Rosa, to prolonged beryllium exposure at the manufacturing plant where she worked a minimum-wage job. Her death and the ensuing advocacy from community members lit a fire in me to create change—to safeguard workers, protect our schools and families, and build a future where we can all afford to live.”

Cano currently works as a government lobbyist for the city of Tucson.

Applicants have until 5 p.m. Monday, April 7, to apply for the job.

Pima County Clerk Melissa Manriquez did not respond to questions from the Sentinel but during the application process for the replacement of Democrat Sharon Bronson in District 3 in 2023, Manriquez did not release information about the candidates until after the application deadline had passed.

County spokesperson Mark Evans said the full list of names would likely be released at 5 p.m. Monday.

The League of Women Voters will host an online forum with all applicants on Wednesday, April 9.

Supervisors are expected to select the new District 5 supervisor at their April 15 board meeting.

Hernandez raises $300K for CD7 campaign

Former state lawmaker Daniel Hernandez, who entered the Congressional District 7 race on March 24, announced he had raised more than $300,000 for the campaign in the first eight days of his campaign.

“Our campaign is about fighting back against the MAGA extremists who are threatening health care, Social Security, and civil rights,” Hernandez said. “But more than that, it’s about delivering lower costs, better education, and more opportunities for families across our communities. Democrats know the old ways can’t continue.”

Hernandez was first in the political spotlight when he applied pressure to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ wound after she was shot through the head in an attempted assassination on Jan. 8, 2011, at a Congress on Your Corner event. Six people were killed and 13 more were wounded, including Giffords.

In this CD & special election Giffords – and her husband, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly – are endorsing another candidate: Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late congressman, who announced she would be seeking the seat on Monday, March 31.

It was Grijalva’s resignation last week — required under Arizona’s “resign to run” law — that created the D5 vacancy on the Board of Supervisors.

Giffords said in a prepared statement that Grijalva was “the right person to carry on her father’s legacy, and we are proud to endorse her for Congress. Mark and I have seen her commitment to serving our city and state firsthand, both as a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and as a member of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board. In Congress, I know she will continue to be a strong voice for gun safety and fierce advocate for Arizona, while breaking barriers as the first Latina to represent our great state at the federal level.”

Kelly added that Grijalva was “was Southern Arizona as it gets. She grew up here, she went to public school and the UofA here, and she’s spent her career helping Tucson kids and working families get ahead. With Donald Trump and Elon Musk going after services like Social Security that folks depend on and undermining the rule of law, we need bold leaders who understand what matters to our community and are willing to fight for it.”

RTA vote not likely in 2024

Southern Arizona Leadership Council President and CEO Ted Maxwell told listeners of the Buckmaster Show that placing an extension of the Regional Transportation Authority’s half-cent sales on the November ballot faces a rough patch of road.

Maxwell, who chairs the RTA board, said he “wasn’t giving up hope” but it appeared likely that the RTA would have to punt to next year.

The current half-cent sales tax, passed in 2006, is set to expire in 2026. Supporters had been angling to ask voters to renew it in November, partially because that gives them a chance to return with an alternative proposal in spring 2026 if it gets rejected by voters.

The RTA board is now reviewing a draft of the plan that was put out for public comment.

Maxwell said it was not impossible to finalize a proposal by June in time for the Board of Supervisors to call a November election. But it won’t be easy, partially because the RTA board has seen several changes, including new mayors in Marana and South Tucson and a new leader of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. 

Plus, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva replaced Supervisor Rex Scott on the board at the start of the year, but the county will have to name a new representative with Grijavla’s resignation from the board to run for Congress. (The supervisors are expected to take up that question at their April 15 meeting when they will also name Grijalva’s replacement.)

Maxwell said that building political unity for the RTA proposal is proving more challenging than it was in 2006.

“Ultimately, when you ask the question of all the elected leaders, “Was (the first) RTA beneficial for your community?’ their answers have all been yes,” Maxwell said. “But then they say, I don’t know if I like RTA Next as well.”

Maxwell also discussed the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs, the future of the Interstate 10 widening between Casa Grande and Phoenix, the dangers of federal cuts to Medicaid, and childcare funding during the show.

Dahl & Rockafellow file Council nominating papers

Two more candidates for Tucson City Council filed their nominating petitions on Friday, April 4, ahead of the April 7 deadline.

Democrat Kevin Dahl, who is wrapping up his first term representing Ward 3 on the North Side, filed the maximum 780 signatures, according to a press release from his campaign.

“This campaign isn’t built on shortcuts —it’s built on real conversations with the people of Ward 3,” said Dahl. “Every signature we collected represents a Tucsonan who believes in strong neighborhoods, real leadership, and a city that works for everyone. I’m so proud of the grassroots movement we’ve built.”

Dahl also filed his application for matching funds under the city’s publicly financed campaign program. Candidates who qualify get a dollar-for-dollar match of contributions from individuals after they qualify by raising a minimum of 200 contributions of at least $10 from city residents.

Dahl is facing an Aug. 5 primary challenge from TUSD Governing Board member Sadie Shaw, with the winner of the primary advancing to face Republican Janet “JL” Wittenbraker in the Nov. 4 general election. Both Shaw and Wittenbraker have April 7 appointments to turn in their nominating petitions.

Ward 3 Dems need 391 signatures on nominating petitions, with Republicans needing 114.

In Ward 6, in Midtown attorney Leighton Rockafellow Jr. turned in his nominating petitions on April 4.

The Democratic candidate said he was “deeply encouraged by the conversations I have had with Ward 6 residents.”

“Ward 6 residents are looking for a representative who offers fresh perspectives and asks the difficult questions, even if doing so challenges the status quo,” Rockafellow said in a prepared statement.

Rockafellow is among four Democrats and one Republican seeking the Midtown seat.

Democrat Miranda Schubert turned in her nominating petitions on March 10 while the other two Democrats – Pima Community College Boardmember Theresa Riel and retired science teacher Jim Sinex – are set to turn in their petitions on Monday, April 7, as is Republican Jay Tolkoff.

In Ward 6, Democrats need 576 signatures to make the primary ballot, while GOP candidates need 145 and Libertarians need five valid signers.There is no incumbent in the race because Ward 6 Councilmember Karin Uhlich is not running for the seat.

In Ward 5, which is also an open seat because Democrat Richard Fimbres is not seeking a fifth term, two Democrats filed to run last week: Selina Barajas and Jesse Lugo.

Two other candidates, Chris Elsner and Fabian Danobeytia, have April 7 appointments to submit their paperwork.

A Democratic candidate in Ward 5 needs to collect a minimum of 252 valid signatures from voters in the ward (as long as they are not registered Republicans or Libertarians) by April 7 to qualify for the ballot.

No Republican filed paperwork to run in Ward 5. No Libertarian candidates filed paperwork to run in any of the races this year and the Green Party is not recognized to run in Tucson City elections, due to not having sufficient numbers of voters.

No Libertarian or independent candidates have filed statements of interest in City Council races this year.

More details on the Council races here.