{"id":1670,"date":"2026-11-05T21:09:55","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T21:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/waterfront\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2026-11-05T21:09:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T21:09:57","slug":"water-became-arizonas-top-electoral-issue-for-the-first-time-what-does-that-mean-for-our-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/waterfront\/2026\/11\/05\/water-became-arizonas-top-electoral-issue-for-the-first-time-what-does-that-mean-for-our-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Water became Arizona\u2019s top electoral issue for the first time. What does that mean for our future?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to believe this. I\u2019m going to be on TV in France!\u201d Mark Spencer, a homeowner from southern Arizona, told me. If you live in Arizona, you might assume this was a recent conversation. For the last couple of months, many of us have seen political ads or news stories about water almost every day. But Mark\u2019s surprise interview with French journalists was in 2023, when polling showed water just starting to emerge as a prominent issue<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years later, in the wake of the midterm elections, pundits are debating what political shifts mean around the world, across the U.S. and here in Arizona. One fascinating thing stands out: For the first time, water is the top issue with voters<\/a> in the Grand Canyon State. How did that happen? And what does that mean for our future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water on the campaign trail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWater is life\u201d became a major campaign slogan<\/a> around my hometown, Flagstaff. Gov. Katie Hobbs\u2019 commercial about water featuring Cochise County farmer Ed Curry<\/a> attracted nearly 5 million views on YouTube. Attorney General Kris Mayes ran a commercial <\/a>entirely <\/em>about out-of-state corporate farms pumping groundwater without restrictions. Experts don\u2019t remember<\/a> statewide candidates even talking about water in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tanking Colorado River loomed large<\/a> this year. Even groundwater, which years ago was often overlooked in public discourse, became a major electoral focal point.<\/a> Mark\u2019s neighbor, Melanie Lawrence, found herself in the Washington Post <\/em>alongside both candidates for Arizona governor and attorney general, sharing her concerns <\/a>about wells going dry. The headline: In a thirsty swing state, \u2018panic\u2019 over water shapes the election.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London think tank Chatham House<\/a> also took notice of water becoming a top electoral issue, echoing what local communities have said for years,<\/a> “governments should take note\u2026Water security is increasingly\u2026about economic and political security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Closeup
Arizona residents Ed Curry and Stefanie and Mark Spencer at the Arizona Capitol, where they advocated for stronger groundwater policy. Curry was featured in an ad about water produced by Gov. Katie Hobbs, and Mark Spencer was interviewed about groundwater depletion by a French journalist.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From obscurity to the mainstream<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Water wasn\u2019t always a major issue with the public. I noticed that starting to shift during Arizona\u2019s Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan<\/a> process. Its passage in 2019 drew new public attention to water<\/a>. Later that year, award-winning journalism<\/a> from Ian James, Rob O\u2019Dell and Mark Henle shone new light on what rural communities were experiencing as their groundwater supplies vanished. As water gained more attention, community leaders closest to insecurity found more opportunities to share their experiences<\/a> with broader audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, Lake Powell fell so low that the cracked dirt where my parents had honeymooned on a houseboat<\/a> became a symbol of the West\u2019s water crises<\/a>. While the Colorado River was shrinking, residents in the Douglas area in southern Arizona passed new regional groundwater protections by a vote of the people for the first time in state history. Their groundbreaking campaign often talked about water in relation to quality of life, fairness and even survival.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local community leaders now regularly appear in public meetings and in news coverage alongside experts, traditional water stakeholders, and decision-makers. This relatively new phenomenon wasn\u2019t an accident. Communities organized across regions of the state<\/a>. They welcomed reporters into their homes<\/a>, convened community dialogues<\/a>, drove hours to testify at public hearings, and even took the governor on tours<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their efforts helped establish new groundwater protections in four additional regions<\/a> of Arizona within only three years, a historic feat. If that weren\u2019t enough, in recent months, residents in western Arizona\u2019s McMullen Valley launched an effort<\/a> to put new regional groundwater protections on a special election ballot in the spring \u2014 another first. Communities across the state are expanding what many of us thought to be possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lake
Lake Powell water levels at Glen Canyon Dam have reached record low levels, as evidenced by the \u201cbathtub rings\u201d of lighter rock where the water used to be.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From a good story to a kitchen table issue <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How did water make the jump from a rising story to a major electoral issue? What community leaders have been saying might offer some insight: <\/p>\n\n\n\n