Arizona Legislature Snapshot
The State of Arizona held its elections for a new state house and senate on November 4th 2024. On January 13th 60 state house members and 30 state senators were sworn into office by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and began the currently active 57th legislative session of the Arizona Legislature. Among the members elected 9 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Arizona Legislature.
Arizona Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates provided from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote, including over 8 million young voters who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms. According to the CIRCLE institutes – Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), Arizona was Ranked 4th in nation given the importance of young voters in the states 2024 election. In fact 22% of the state’s residents are young, a third are Latino, and 7% are enrolled in college, all among the highest in the country.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Arizona’s unique status as a battleground state, voters elected 9 members to the Arizona Legislature, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Arizona state legislature.
The 57th Arizona House of Representatives
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Arizona House of Representatives.
- the average age of Arizona House members is 51.77 years
- the youngest Representative was born in 1995
- the oldest Representative was born in 1941
- 5 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the 57th Arizona House, the vast majority (nearly 2/3rds) of Representatives come from Generation X or the Millennial generation. Baby Boomer and Silent generation members roughly account for the remaining 1/3rd of Representatives in the Arizona House. Significantly, following the 2024 Election in Arizona, no members have been elected from Generation Z or younger generations.
Partisanship in the 57th Arizona House
Partisan dynamics in the 57th Arizona House reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Democratic members of the House are, on average, younger than their Republican counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 57th Arizona House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, showing how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Young Elected Representatives – Arizona House
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Arizona, eight members aged 35 or under were elected to the 57th Arizona House of Representatives. Below are all eight of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Arizona House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Anna Abeytia (D) | 24th District -Phoenix, AZ | 1995 (Age 28) | 2024 |
 |
Oscar De Los Santos (D) | 11th District – Phoenix, AZ | 1994 (Age 30) | 2022 |
 |
Brian Garcia (D) | 8th District – Tempe, AZ | 1993 (Age 31) | 2024 |
 |
Alma Hernandez (D) | 20th District – Tucson, AZ | 1993 (Age 31) | 2022 |
 |
Consuelo Hernandez (D) | 21st District – Tucson, AZ | 1992 (Age 32) | 2022 |
 |
Cesar Aguilar (D) | 26th District – Phoenix, AZ | 1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Michael Way (R) | 15th District – Phoenix, AZ | 1990 (Age 34) | 2024 |
 |
Lorena Austin (D) | 9th District – Mesa, AZ | 1989 (Age 35) | 2022 |
Photos courtesy of Arizona State Legislature member roster
Gender in the 57th Arizona House of Representatives
The 57th Arizona House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Just over 43% of members are women, while men make up the remaining 57%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female Representatives had an average age of 51.82 at the time of the election, compared to 47.95 for their male colleagues.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Arizona House. On average, Republican women are the oldest group of legislators, with a mean age of 59.17 years. In contrast, Democratic men are the youngest, averaging 41.26 years. Democratic women and Republican men fall between these extremes, averaging 47.92 and 50.74 years respectively. These patterns show that age representation in the Arizona Legislature is varied by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting varying pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the 57th Arizona House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the 57th Arizona House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. While White legislators make up just over half of the chamber overall, younger generations show greater racial and ethnic diversity than older cohorts. Among Millennials and Generation X, Hispanic/Latino legislators account for a substantial share, while Black, Asian American, and Native American members are also represented in small numbers. In contrast, the Baby Boomer and Silent Generation legislators are overwhelmingly White, reflecting generational shifts in Arizona’s elected leadership. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 57th Arizona House
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Caucasian | – | 10
(43.48%) |
13
(52%) |
7
(63.64%) |
1
(100%) |
31
(51.67%) |
| Black/African American | – | 1
(4.35%) |
2
(8%) |
– | – | 3
(5%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | – | 10
(43.48%) |
8
(32%) |
3
(27.27%) |
– | 21
(35%) |
| Asian/Pacific American | – | – | 1
(4%) |
1
(9.09%) |
– | 2
(3.33%) |
| Indian/Native American | – | 2
(8.7%) |
1
(4%) |
1
(0.59%) |
– | 2
(0.46%) |
| Other | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Two or More Ethnicities | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total (Precent of Congress) | – | 23
(38.33%) |
25
(41.67%) |
11
(18.33%) |
1
(1.67%) |
60
(100%) |
The 57th Arizona Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Arizona Senate.
• the youngest Senator Flavio Bravo who was born in 1994
• the oldest Senator Lela Alston who was born in 1942
• 2 Senators are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the 57th Arizona Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Arizona, two members aged 35 or under were elected to the 57th Arizona Senate. Below are both of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year
(Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Flavio Bravo (D) | 24th District
– Phoenix, AZ |
1994 (Age 30) |
*2024 |
 |
Analise Ortiz (D) | 26th District
– Phoenix, AZ |
1993 (Age 31) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of Arizona State Legislature member roster
* Falvio Bravo was appointed to the senate in May of 2023 and first won election in November 2024.
Partisanship in the 57th Arizona Senate
In the 57th Arizona Senate, 17 Senators belong to the Republican Party, and 13 Senators are Democrats. The median age of Republican State Senators after the 2024 election was 58.15. The median age of Democratic State Senators after the 2024 election was 53.27. Each generation had different a partisan makeup, below is the breakdown of the party composition for each generation within the 57th Arizona Senate.
Gender in the 57th Arizona Senate
Race and Ethnicity in the 57th Arizona Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the 57th Arizona Senate reveals generational variation in representation. While two-thirds of the chamber identifies as White overall, younger generations—especially Millennials—reflect greater diversity. Half of Millennial senators identify as Hispanic/Latino, and this generation also includes members who identify as Native American and Other. In contrast, Generation X and the Boomer Generation are predominantly White, and the sole Silent Generation senator is also White. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the 57th Arizona Senate
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the 57th Arizona Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic / Latino | 3 (50%) | 2 (18.18%) | 2 (16.67%) | – | 7 (23.33%) |
| Indian / Native American | 1 (16.67%) | – | 1 (8.33%) | – | 2 (6.67%) |
| Other | 1 (16.67%) | – | – | – | 1 (3.33%) |
| White | 1 (16.67%) | 9 (81.92%) | 9 (75%) | 1 (100%) | 20 (66.67%) |
| Total | 6 (20%) | 11 (36.67%) | 12 (40%) | 1 (3.33%) | 30 (100%) |
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Arizona which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 57th Arizona State Legislature