De Los Santos named Arizona’s first Democratic house speaker in 60 years

Democrats will soon control the Arizona legislature for the first time in 60 years and have chosen Rep. Oscar De Los Santos to lead them at the Arizona House of Representatives come January. 

De Los Santos, D-Phoenix, was elected by the House Democratic Caucus Friday to be the first Democratic speaker since 1966. 

“It took a lot of hard work to get here, but we have much more to do,” De Los Santos said in a statement. “Our priorities have been consistently focused on bringing down costs for housing, childcare and healthcare for working people and middle-class Arizonans. Now we have a mandate, a moral obligation and a historic opportunity to deliver an Arizona we can afford.”   

De Los Santos will lead Democrats whose caucus is expected to be 37 members when all the votes are finally tallied and the election is certified. Democrats previously held 27 of 60 seats and flipped a number of them this election cycle. 

Joining De Los Santos on the leadership team will be Majority Leader Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson, and Majority Whips Rep. Brian Garcia, D-Tempe, and Rep. Kevin Volk, D-Tucson. Rep. Quantá Crews, D-Phoenix, will serve as the speaker pro tem. 

De Los Santos was an instrumental part of local Democratic efforts to flip the legislature as he co-chaired the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. 

Republicans in the House, who will now be in the minority, also chose their leaders on Friday. 

Current Speaker of the House of Representatives Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, will be the minority leader when lawmakers return to the Capitol in January. Rep. Michael Carbone, R-Buckeye, will be assistant minority Leader with Rep. Lupe Diaz, R-Benson, serving as minority whip. 

“Our role in the House is changing, but our principles and our responsibility to Arizona families are not,” Montenegro said in a statement. “Our vision for Arizona has always been grounded in three commitments: preserving the American Dream, promoting public safety, and protecting individual rights and liberties. Those principles shaped how we led in the majority, and they will continue to guide our work in the upcoming session.”

In the Republican leadership announcement, Montenegro said that Democrats can “expect a fight” if they seek to make changes to GOP policies created in the state the past 60 years but said if there are chances they can work together “in the best interests of our state, we will” 

“We didn’t enter public service simply to occupy seats in the Legislature,” Montenegro said. “We’re here to stand up for the people we represent, hold the majority accountable, defend the principles we believe in, and do everything we can to keep Arizona moving in the right direction.”