By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
For the past few election cycles, Arizona Democrats have talked a big game about winning control of one of the state’s legislative chambers before falling short of the majorities that have eluded them through decades of Republican control.
Things could be different this year.
Democrats had a historic year in 2018, winning 29 of the 60 seats in the House of Representatives, the most seats they’ve held since Republicans won control of the chamber in 1966. In the Senate, which Democrats haven’t won since 1990 — there was a 15-15 split in 2001-02 — they have held the GOP to a 17-13 lead for the past few years.
But 2020 could be the year that pushes Arizona’s longtime minority party over the top. President Donald Trump is struggling to win a state that Republicans have won in every presidential election except once since 1952 — he trails former VP Joe Biden in most polls — and demographic shifts this decade have fueled Democratic victories in Maricopa County, statewide offices and previously out-of-reach legislative seats.
