Hatathlie won’t seek another term, but says her work isn’t done
Courtesy photo | Brenda Hatathlie
Arizona Sen. Theresa Hatathlie smiles after her swearing-in ceremony at the Senate Jan. 10, 2022, in this file photo. Hatathlie represents Legislative District 7 comprising eight counties.
TUBA CITY
After nearly six years representing one of Arizona’s most rural and heavily Native legislative districts, state Sen. Theresa Hatathlie is not seeking another term.
On Saturday, during an interview with the Navajo Times, she reflected on what she could and could not accomplish from inside a Republican-controlled Legislature.
A Democrat from Coalmine Mesa, Hatathlie was appointed to the Senate in 2022 to fill a vacancy, won the redrawn District 6 seat that November and was re-elected in 2024 to a term that ends in January 2027. She described a job in which writing laws was rarely the point, because, as a member of the minority, her bills were seldom heard at all.
“The Republicans have been the majority for more than 60 years,” Hatathlie said.
Democrats hold 13 of the Senate’s 30 seats, and Hatathlie said the rural, tribal communities she represents are routinely treated as an afterthought.
“We tend to be the ugly stepchild for the state of Arizona when it comes to rural matters,” she said.
To read the full article, please see the July 2, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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