A Democratic state House of Representatives member who just won his primary election for the state Senate declared his resignation on Friday, removing himself from the ballot in his southwest Phoenix district, Fox News informed.
For the Senate position representing District 22, Diego Espinoza defeated Richard Andrade, a fellow House member, in the primary held in August.
There were no Republicans in the predominantly Democratic district, which includes portions of Glendale, Phoenix, Avondale, and Tolleson.
Espinoza declared that he had accepted a position in community and government relations with the Salt River Project.
He has four terms in the House and operates a restaurant in Tolleson.
Due to the sudden resignation, the only viable option to fill the seat until the election is a write-in candidate.
Andrade stated that he was “extremely sad” to learn that Espinoza had resigned. During the primary, he had heard that Espinoza was considering accepting the position.
Andrade claimed he is still weighing his choices and isn’t sure if he’ll run as a write-in candidate.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will appoint a temporary successor to serve out the balance of Espinoza’s tenure, which expires in early January when the next legislature is inaugurated in even though the legislature is not in session.
That successor has to be a Democrat by law.
Espinoza was a member of the Tolleson City Council for 14 years before seeking election to the House.
Andrade is an Engineer for locomotives.
Both were required to leave the House due to term restrictions after being initially elected in 2014.
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