GOVERNMENT
Above: State Rep. Teresa Martinez participates in a legislative meeting March 4. Right: Martinez debriefs with Rep. Chris Lopez in her office at the State Capitol.
District diaries We followed our representatives around the Capitol. This is what we learned about them, Democrats and inside politics BY MONICA D. SPENCER A
with a robust middle child and a younger brother just learning his role in the process. “I’m comfortable with the fact that Teresa is a great person to rally the troops, so to speak,” he said, “because it’s authentic. If I were to do something like that, it just comes off as inauthentic because it’s just not my personality, not my style. The way I operate — as an institutionalist and a lover of the process — is working, and Chris is going to find his style as well.” Keith Seaman did not caucus with Republicans. Strategists during the election cycle said that was detrimental to Seaman, the lone Democrat in a reliably red, largely rural district. “Keith is a very nice man, and he tried super hard,” Martinez said. “But I couldn’t help Keith with his bills ... I couldn’t help him with his priorities because we had different priorities.” Shope shared similar views. “I don’t have anything negative to say personally of Keith. We just had ideological differences to the extent that we weren’t able to help each other,” he said. It could have been his voting record — or the fact that Seaman failed to pass a single bill during his two years in the House, something
They move to the floor, and I head to the gallery to watch the lawmakers vote mostly in silence for nearly two hours. Now, it’s Lopez’s turn. Lopez, who was sworn into office for the first time in January — after ousting the only Democrat in Legislative District 16 — talks about the statistics, Martinez mentions all the emails and Rep. Quantá Crews (D-Phoenix) testifies about her own travels on SR 347. It is truly a bipartisan affair. We watch the screen light up green for a unanimous vote in favor of the funding and LD16 seatmate Sen. T.J. Shope sends a text message from a Committee on Natural Resources meeting. Pling! Martinez’s cellular lights up. Shope is At the same time Republicans were winning a trifecta in the federal government in November, members of that party were putting together a trifecta of their own in Maricopa’s district. Lopez, Martinez and Shope ran on a ticket together, a cohesive red-wave team that proved impossible for the Democrats to topple in the 2024 general election. celebrating the legislative victory. A loud, mad, curly-haired Virgo Latina
Shope was leading challenger Stacey Seaman by 12% on election night. Her father, Rep. Keith Seaman (D-Casa Grande), narrowly lost re-election by 3 points to newcomer Lopez. And since then, they’ve created a little Pinal County dream team. Shope said the trio was “a breath of fresh air,” while Lopez likened it to a sibling relationship. “We communicate a lot; there’s a lot of texting. It feels a lot like being a younger brother,” Lopez said. “I couldn’t ask for better mentors.” Martinez accepted that role, saying, “Sometimes you need somebody, a loud, mad, curly-haired, Virgo Latina yelling at somebody as to why in the world things aren’t done yet.” With 13 years under his belt, Shope accepted his role as the quiet older brother We communicate a lot; there’s a lot of texting. It feels a lot like being a younger brother.” STATE REP. CHRIS LOPEZ
like, ‘What is going on?’” Abeytia says. “I was googling it, wondering where is this highway even at?” The emails about State Route 347 were a conversation on repeat until we caught up with Maricopa’s other state representative, Chris Lopez, in the minutes before members assembled for a third reading of bills. One of his first pieces of legislation is up for a vote today, House Bill 2557, which would bring an additional $16.2 million to help fund widening the cursed highway. “That’s how important those emails are; everyone knows about it now,” Martinez says. “Just this morning there was another accident, so I shared with all the members the [InMariopa.com] article and headline,” Lopez adds.
How a walk so brief could be so chaotic is beyond me. As is how the sophomore representative for Maricopa has the energy for all of it every day. “It’s the Coke Zero,” she insists. We take a beat in her office, and she points to a mini fridge filled with soda cans before we leave for the House floor. “I’m going to take you the long way up,” Martinez says. But before we make it off the elevator, she’s introducing me to Rep. Anna Abeytia, a West Phoenix Democrat who you might not imagine rolling with the likes of Martinez. “You know all those emails on the 347? She’s been covering that,” Martinez tells her colleague. “Is that your district? I actually had no idea of that highway until I got here. I was
CCOMPANYING REP. TERESA Martinez through the hallways of the Arizona State Capitol feels a lot like walking through Copacabana
with Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. She’s rattling off what’s behind the doors of an underground passageway leading into the Senate chambers. That one’s the back entrance to a committee room, she says. She’s rifling through her to-do list — Oh! She had to write that speech today. And in between pointing out her favorite photos, like a 1917 monochrome print of the Capitol, are the constant salutations and “Did you get my memo?” and handshakes and times hallways become impromptu meeting rooms to quiz staffers about what’s on the agenda or whether they had a slice of king cake yet.
InMaricopa.com | April 2025
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