This post has been updated with results.

Thanks to the fossil-fuel industry, Arizona’s record-shattering heat this summer and fall has been “ridiculous,” “unprecedented,” “staggering,” “hellish.” Phoenix had 113 consecutive days of over 100° temperatures, including 31 consecutive days over 110°. Hundreds of people are known to have died from the heat, broiling inside their homes whenever there is a power outage. The conditions are particularly deadly for the migrants trying to cross the border to escape the dire conditions throughout Latin America caused by the fossil-fueled American empire.

Under the leadership of Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.), the state has been committing to climate pollution targets, rolling out extreme heat plans and investing over $150 million in energy efficiency. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego (D) has released a climate action plan with federal funding.

The Arizona Public Service, overseen by the elected officials running the Arizona Corporation Commission, has been making significant gains in transforming its formerly coal-powered electricity model to cleaner generation—50 percent non-fossil-fuel last year if you count energy efficiency gains, 40 percent otherwise. But Republicans took control of the commission in 2022, pushing through new fracked-gas plants and killing just-transition programs.

The Arizona state legislature has one senator and two representatives for each of its 30 legislative districts. Republicans currently control both the State Senate and House by two seats. Not only do Democrats have a strong shot at taking back the legislature, they may do so with strong climate candidates.

The state’s fragile water supply is managed by a thicket of federal, state, and regional authorities, many of which are run by directly elected officials, including those running the Salt River Project, the water and electric utility for central Arizona, and the Pima County Board of Supervisors, in charge of Tucson’s planning boards and environmental quality oversight. Four clean-energy candidates won Salt River Project seats in April elections.

Here are the climate hawks running for key seats, as endorsed by Climate Cabinet (CC), Lead Locally (LL), and the Jane Fonda Climate PAC (Jane PAC). The Sierra Club Grand Canyon chapter has a longer list of endorsements.

The nine candidates listed below include four safe progressive climate champions, four candidates hoping to flip a GOP seat, and one incumbent in a battleground district.

Fourteen candidates, including three vulnerable incumbents, six safe climate champions, and five candidates running to flip toss-up GOP seats.

“Since Republicans took four of the commission’s five seats in 2022,” Inside Climate News’ Wyatt Maskow explains, “they have consistently approved new natural gas plants and are attempting to roll back what standards for renewable electricity still exist, though the state’s largest utilities have implemented their own clean energy goals.”

These three Democratic climate hawks are looking to restore the state’s clean-energy future.

WIN Jen Allen is running for Pima County Board of Supervisors in the Tucson region, which has a strong movement of climate activists and policymakers. As Senior VP of Community and Civic Engagement at the League of Conservation Voters, Jen founded the Chispa and Democracy for All initiatives. CC, LL, Jane PAC