(Photo via Eva for Arizona, Campaign Website)
By AZ Capitol Times
Sen. Eva Burch, D-Mesa, has resigned from the Arizona Senate, citing concerns about legislator pay and accomplishing her goals as a member of the minority party.
Burch represented Legislative District 9, which mostly spans west Mesa and a portion of Tempe in one of the most highly-competitive districts in the state. She was first elected in 2022 and won her reelection in November, defeating Republican Robert Scantlebury both times.
Burch is the first lawmaker to resign this session. Her last day is March 14.
Burch campaigned on a platform prioritizing health care access and affordability, and gained national attention for pushing for the repeal of the state’s 1864 abortion ban. Last year on the Senate floor, she told of her own non-viable pregnancy and her plan to seek an abortion.
She also prioritized public education funding, affordable housing and reigning in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program by way of an enrollment cap.
In a statement announcing her resignation, Burch touted her accomplishments in working collaboratively to make health care more accessible and affordable, improve funding for fire districts, extend housing affordability and uplift public education.
However, Burch didn’t believe she was in the best position to work on issues she cared about the most and get the results she desired, she said.
