In fourth appointment of the year, county officials send Elda Luna-Nájera to AZ Legislature

Elda Luna-Nájera was appointed Monday by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors as the newest member of the Arizona Legislature.

The unanimous vote sends Luna-Nájera, a Democrat, to the House of Representatives to fill the seat vacated last month by former state Rep. Leezah Sun. She will represent Legislative District 22, which spans parts of the southwest Valley.

Sun resigned last month in the wake of a damning ethics report that was likely to lead to expulsion. The House Ethics Committee found she engaged in "disorderly conduct" in various interactions, including a threat to throw a city lobbyist off a balcony.

Luna-Nájera will fill out the rest of Sun's term, serving until January 2025. She said she plans to run for the seat in the July 30 statewide primary.

County supervisors' decision comes after they rejected a slate that the district's precinct committee members created on Feb. 12 in an effort to find a replacement for Sun.

They said the district precinct committee members missed a deadline in state law, and the state Democratic Party did not promptly notify them of the nominees — although the party denied its notice came late.

Instead, supervisors' Monday selection came from a set of three people nominated by a citizen committee. By law, Sun's replacement had to be a Democrat. Luna-Nájera was among the candidates included in both slates of nominations.

The drama led to a rebuke from Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the board's lone Democrat. His supervisory district includes Legislative District 22. He said district leaders made "unfair," "misguided" and "false" statements that played to "conspiracies" amid the nomination deadline confusion.

"There was a lot of finger-pointing. Nobody wanted to really step up and take responsibility," Gallardo said. "We are not at fault when it comes to blowing the deadline. We are not."

Tina Gamez, Democratic chair of Legislative District 22, said she can accept there's debate over the nomination deadline.

"Nobody agrees," she said. "And that happens."

But she told The Republic she was upset the board made her and other legislative district leaders look "inept." She said the district worked diligently to put together a list of nominees for supervisors to choose from, sending out a questionnaire to potential candidates and carefully reviewing their responses.

"That does not sit too well with me," she said. "The lone Democrat on the Board of Supervisors who represents our district did nothing to defend us or the party chair. He didn't do anything to set the record straight."

Who is Luna-Nájera?

Luna-Nájera is the president of the Tolleson Union High School District. She's also an educator, working on high school programs aimed at foster and homeless youth.

She is a first-generation Mexican American and holds a doctorate in social work. She promised to bring respect and decorum to the seat, a reference to Sun's disruptive behavior.

Gallardo said picking Luna-Nájera for the vacant seat was "somewhat easy," noting that she was nominated by both the legislative district precinct committee members and the citizens' commission.

He and other supervisors expressed confidence in her ability to immediately wade into a busy legislative session.

"This is a tough environment to go to, especially with all the work that's happening in short order with the budget and other issues that are going on in the Legislature," said Supervisor Clint Hickman, who represents a district that spans much of the West Valley. "I think she's probably going to just do a great job down there. It feels like she's already waiting to not get too much sleep during this time period."

Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Elda Luna-Nájera to replace Rep. Leezah Sun in Arizona Legislature