Emilia Cortez

Emilia Cortez works in economic development and community planning with the Quechan Indian Tribe and is running this fall to flip a seat in the Arizona House. Emilia is deeply rooted in her community, and her career focuses on securing funding for infrastructure, housing, transportation, tourism, workforce development, and support for small businesses. She is a member of numerous local organizations, including the Yuma County Library Board of Trustees and the Yuma Rotary Club. Emilia’s connection to the community drives her campaign, and if elected, she will be a powerful voice for working families in Phoenix.

District 23 will likely be a true toss-up this year, and the outcome could come down to just a handful of votes. Emilia is well-positioned with the support of the DLCC to flip a seat blue and help Democrats win a majority in the Arizona House.

After decades of GOP control, 2026 is a historic opportunity to flip the Arizona legislature from red to blue, and Democrats could gain full control of state government..

Arizona is one of our best opportunities in 2026 to flip chambers, and we could gain full control of state government for the first time in Arizona in 60 years. After years of steady gains and holding our ground, the favorable midterm environment in 2026 can be the year that puts us over the top into new majorities and unlocks significant progress for more than 7.5 million Arizonans.

GOP majorities in both chambers have rubber-stamped Trump’s disastrous agenda and pushed the limits of MAGA extremism – the stakes couldn’t be higher to capitalize on the historic opportunity to flip control of both chambers for the first time in decades.