New Arizona Senate Republicans Appointed to Serve as Majority Caucus Leaders

Neil Jones

The Arizona State Senate Republicans have announced new leaders who will serve the majority caucus in the next legislative session, with State Senator Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) taking the reigns as State Senate President.

“Senator Petersen is a third-generation Arizonan and has worked in the real estate industry for more than two decades. His duties as Senate President will include being the primary leader of the Senate, presiding over legislative sessions and ensuring senators abide by procedural rules,” as stated in a press release from the Senate Republicans.

The Arizona Sun Times reached out to the Senate Republican Caucus for additional comments but did not hear back before publishing.

Petersen first began service in the Arizona Legislature in 2012 as a representative. After six years in the Arizona House, he moved to the Senate and was appointed as Judiciary Committee Chair and member of the Government, Ethics, and Finance Committees during his four years there.

As reported by The Sun Times, Petersen has scored big on the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC) of Arizona Legislator ranking. He took the highest score of any Senator, not only in 2022 but in 2021 as well. The RLC scores Legislators based on their voting record, so the higher a member scores, the more they voted in line with the RLC views on individual liberty, limited government, and the free market. Petersen received a perfect score in both years.

Moreover, Petersen was not the only appointee by the Republican Caucus; joining him in leadership roles will be Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu) as the next Senate Majority Leader and State Sen. Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye) as Majority Whip.

Marine Corps veteran Borrelli began his service in the State Senate in 2016 following four years in the House. He has served two terms as Majority Whip, as the Government Committee Vice Chair, and as a member of the Rules, Appropriations, Commerce, and Judiciary Committees. As the majority leader, Borrelli is tasked with serving as the principal leader for Senate Republicans, lead speaker during floor debates, scheduling the daily calendar, and promoting the legislative priorities of Senate Republicans.

As for Kerr, she has worked in the Senate since 2018. In those four years, she has served as a chair for the Natural Resources Water and Energy Committee and Senate Ethics Committee, along with being a member of the Appropriations and Transportation and Technology Committees. As Majority Whip, it will be Kerr’s duty to assist the Majority Leader in securing votes on legislation.

Furthermore, the Democrat side of the Senate has also released its list of leadership roles for the upcoming session. Senator Raquel Terán (D-Maricopa) will serve as the Democrat Leader, with State Senator-Elect Mitzi Epstein (D-Maricopa) serving as Democrat Assistant Leader by her side. State Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón (D-Sahuarita) will serve as the minority whip.

The next session of the Arizona Legislature will begin on January 9th, 2023.

As of writing, several State Senate seats have yet to be called in the 2022 General Election. Republicans currently lead 16 out of the 30 Legislative Districts (LD). LD 22 is the issuing district as former Rep. Diego Espinoza (D-Tolleson) dropped out of the race, leaving it up to a write-in candidate to take the seat. Although, as of Wednesday, Arizona Capitol Times reported that Democrat Eva Diaz has the lead in LD 22 with 44 percent of the votes.

Keep track of Legislative and other election results here.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Warren Petersen” by Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus. Photo “Sonny Borrelli” by Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus. Photo “Sine Kerr” by Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Pima County Public Library.

 

 

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