LD9

Gov. Jane NapolitanoGov. Janet Napolitano will be hitting the streets in the Phoenix area on Saturday to knock doors and promote Democratic candidates in state legislative races.

The Arizona Democratic Party announced the series of events Wednesday as part of their effort to retake control of one or both houses of the state Legislature for the first time in over 40 years.

"Arizonans are independent thinkers, and they want elected officials who will put their shoulder to the wheel, work together and address our problems," Napolitano said in the announcement. "It's about time that we have a state Legislature that will focus on solving problems instead of partisan games."

As the great Jimi Hendrix once sang:

"If six turned out to be nine/I don't mind"

In this case it's 7, as in LD7, where a Democrat is gearing up to take on Republicans Nancy Barto and Ray Barnes. That is the race to which House Minority Leader Phil Lopes (D-Tucson) was referring when he told PolitickerAZ that a "very qualified candidate" was considering a run in the Phoenix district.

However, don't count out LD9 for the Dems just yet. It appears there may still be a late entry into that race as well.

At the Arizona Democratic Party Convention two weekends ago, Gov. Janet Napolitano declared that the Democrats had their sights set on capturing the Arizona House this fall. Today, State House Minority Leader Phil Lopes (D-Tucson) told PolitickerAZ that the focus is as much on protecting seats as picking them up, but that the outlook is good for the Democrats to have a fighting chance at reaching their goal.

That may be bolstered by news that, in LD9, a "high quality candidate" may be preparing to jump into the fray, further shifting an already uncertain electoral landscape.