Tucson Spotlight and the Arizona Luminaria are bringing candidates and community together again this June, this time for the state house and senate races that will shape Arizona's legislative agenda for the next two years.

The two newsrooms are co-hosting a nonpartisan state house and senate candidate meet and greet on Wednesday, June 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona campus at 5409 E. Broadway Blvd. The event is supported by Press Forward Southern Arizona, a program at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

Every candidate on the primary ballot for legislative districts 17 and 20 has been invited to attend. Check the event page for the most up-to-date information on confirmed participants.

The format is designed to move past the limitations of traditional candidate forums. Attendees will be grouped by legislative district — 17 or 20 — for brief candidate introductions followed by informal small-group discussions. No panels, no moderators, no rehearsed statements. Just voters and candidates at the same table.

The event builds on a model the two newsrooms piloted last summer. In July 2025, Tucson Spotlight and the Arizona Luminaria hosted a city council candidate meet and greet at the same venue, drawing more than 60 community members for ward-by-ward conversations with candidates from Wards 3, 5 and 6.

Attendees said the informal format — small groups, no panels, no time limits — made it easier to press candidates on the issues that mattered most to them. Several conversations spilled into the lobby and parking lot after the event's scheduled end time.

Both districts cover parts of Tucson and Pima County. LD17 includes Oro Valley, Marana and Tucson's East Side and Vail. LD20 covers Tucson's West Side and Downtown.

Admission is free, but space is limited and an RSVP is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Register here.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.