On July 24 the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission hosted a debate between the two Democratic candidates seeking the LD 3 Senate seat. The two contenders are LD 27 State Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford and former LD 27 State Senator Maria Garcia, who had been appointed for a few months to the seat of her late husband LD 27 State Senator Jorge Luis Garcia.

View the online debate which was held at Pima Community College West campus (click here), moderated by C. J. Karamargin, Vice Chancellor for Public Information & Governmental Relations.

Ms. Cajero Bedford served in the Arizona state house from LD 27 for 4 terms, and was elected to the State Senate in Nov. 2010.

I also reported on Maria de la Luz Garcia’s appointment to that Senate seat in Nov. 2010:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2010/11/02/supervisors-appoint-maria-garcia-widow-of-jorge-luis-garcia-to-the-ld-27-state-senate-seat/. Ms. Garcia was only able to serve for about two months before Ms. Cajero Bedord took over that seat.

Watch the online video and decide how to vote in the August 28 Democratic primary. Both candidates are participating in the Clean Elections program.

State Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford

Maria de la Luz Garcia

Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission has scheduled 3 debates in Tucson for the upcoming primary:

— District 9 – June 25, 2012

House of Representatives Democrats

6:00 pm

Pima Community College Downtown Campus

1255 N Stone Ave

Tucson, Az 85709

District 9 Democrats seeking 2 House seats: Dustin Cox (former candidate LD 27 House), Mohur Sidhwa (former candidate LD 28 House), Victoria Steele, political newcomer.

— District 10 – July 10, 2012

House of Representatives Democrats

6:00 pm

Pima Community College District Office

4905 E Broadway Blvd

Tucson, AZ 85709

District 10 Democrats seeking 2 House seats: Stefanie Mach and Brandon Patrick, both political newcomers; Bruce Wheeler, current LD 28 House Rep. & former Tucson City Councilmember.

— District 3 – July 24, 2012

Senate Democrats

6:00 pm

Pima Community College West Campus

2202 W Anklam Rd

Tucson, AZ 85709

District 3 Democrats seeking one Senate seat: current LD 27 Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford vs. former LD 27 Senator Maria Garcia (widow appointed to the seat of the late LD 27 State Senator Jorge Luis Garcia).

For more info on these candidates, go to Pima County Democratic Party website (click here).

And as in the past, most of these debates are video recorded and a copy can be viewed a few days after the debate online at the CCEC website.

Independents & Democrats –attend these debates to decide whom to vote for in the upcoming Arizona primary on August 28.

At today’s Pima County Board of Supervisors’ meeting District 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson moved to appoint State Senator Jorge Luis Garcia’s widow Maria De La Luz Garcia to fulfill his unexpired term in the Arizona state senate in LD 27. The motion was seconded by District 5 Supervisor Richard Elias, who said that Maria was “well-versed in legislative issues.” The vote was 5-0 for Maria Garcia’s appointment.

Mrs. Garcia said she was “honored to fill her husband’s seat” and that Jorge “loved serving”, and that she would “do her best to represent the constituents” of LD 27.

Senator Garcia died on October 15, 2010 from a heart attack at age 57 (click here for my blog in memory of Jorge). He was running for one of 2 seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission and his name remains on today’s ballot.

Other nominees submitted by the 39 District 27 precinct committeepersons were two House primary candidates- High School math teacher Bob Gilby (husband of Donna Branch-Gilby who challenged Supervisor Sharon Bronson in the September, 2008 primary) and Sami Hamed, an aide to Congressman Raul Grijalva. Both Gilby and Hamed lost their races in the Democratic primary for 2 seats in the LD 27 House on August 24, 2010, to fellow Democrats Sally Ann Gonzales and Dr. Macario Saldate. (Gonzales and Saldate face opposition from a Republican, a Green, and an Independent candidate in today’s General Election.)

LD 27 House Rep. Olivia Cajero Bedford is running for this State Senate seat and will likely be elected in today’s General Election, as she faces only write-in opposition. She will then be sworn in to this office in January, 2011.

Maria Garcia is a manufacturing manager at Raytheon, and was married to Jorge for 37 years. They had three children and four grandchildren.

Maria and Jorge Luis Garcia, courtesy of the Garcia family