Katherine Weasel is the only Republican candidate in Legislative District 20, running as a write-in in a district that has voted predominantly Democratic.

Weasel will face the two Democrats who advance from the July 21 primary in the November general election. Democratic candidates include incumbent Betty Villegas, Genoveva Diaz, Sally Ann Gonzales and Ben Koehler.

Weasel's website describes her as an archetypical Republican and a Christian Conservative.

Legislative District 20 covers parts of Tucson's south and west sides and is a majority Latino district, with 53% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino.

Tucson Spotlight asked all candidates their positions on water policy, school vouchers and affordable housing.

The state's Empowerment Scholarship Account voucher program, which allows parents to redirect per-student funding that would otherwise go to their local public school and use it for tuition and resources at private or alternative schools, has drawn criticism since its expansion, with many citing a lack of transparency and high potential for misuse of funds.

Weasel takes a different stance.

"I do not believe (the) school voucher system is being drained by private education," Weasel said. "It's being questioned because of the low performance of the public schools. Why are they getting more money?"

Weasel argued that public schools' underperformance is intentional, saying she believes administrators and teachers unions exist only to enrich themselves rather than provide a quality education.

"TUSD (is the) lowest performer in the public schools. Students that graduate from there cannot read, write, (and) comprehension is ridiculous," Weasel said. "They can't count back change, tell time on a regular clock. That's a total waste of taxpayers' money."

Weasel said she has worked for the Amphitheater, Tucson Unified and Henry County school districts, as well as in private education.

On water, Weasel said Arizona has significant challenges but disagreed that the situation is dire.

"Arizona has many basins, and they appear to be doing quite well," Weasel said. "The biggest problem is with growth abuse. Too many areas withdrawing the water to build too fast, too many all at once."

Weasel suggested bringing back recirculating water towers, structures that were largely decommissioned due to rising maintenance costs and the increasing reliability of ground pumps.

She also said residents should be collecting and treating more rainwater for personal use.

"I believe that (through) the management of maintained washes and rivers properly, (we) would help the water get to the underground basins with the least resistance," Weasel said.

Poor management of Colorado River contracts is another reason Arizona is struggling with water, Weasel said.

Affordable housing is another concern for Tucsonans. Without stable shelter, Tucson's summer heat poses a serious risk of heat-related injury or death for those who cannot avoid it.

Weasel called the idea of a housing crisis "ridiculous," attributing it instead to a crisis of "non-compliance of laws."

Weasel argued that there are "no jobs coming to Pima County," saying that undocumented individuals and people with substance use issues are provided with housing but choose not to use it.

She suggested that current programs meant to alleviate the housing crisis have very low turnover rates and that the solution should be to bolster local police forces.

"I think we need more cops, more money for their tools of the trade, a new (county) attorney (and) consequences for bad behavior," Weasel said. "Consequences for bad behavior, stop the free crime buses and cashless bails."

Quentin Agnello is a University of Arizona alum and freelance journalist in Tucson. Contact him at qsagnello@gmail.com.

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