Arizona Corporation Commission

Arizona Corporation Commission
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$79,500
2025 FY Budget:	$36,193,400
Total Seats:	5
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Arizona Constitution, Article 15, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Rene Lopez, Lea Marquez Peterson, Nick Myers, Kevin Thompson, Rachel Walden
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Other Arizona Executive Offices
Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Superintendent of Public Instruction • Auditor • Agriculture Director • Insurance and Financial Institutions Director • Lands Commissioner • Labor Director • Corporation Commission• State Mine Inspector

The Arizona Corporation Commission is a quasi-executive regulatory agency in the Arizona state government. The commission is Arizona's state regulatory body for non-municipal utility companies, including energy, heat, trash, water, and communications firms. It also oversees the incorporation of businesses, securities regulation and railroad/pipeline safety.

Current officeholders

The current officeholders are:

• Rene Lopez (R)
• Lea Marquez Peterson (R)
• Nick Myers (R)
• Kevin Thompson (R)
• Rachel Walden (R)

Authority

The commission's authority stems from the Arizona Constitution.

Arizona Constitution, Article 15, Section 1

B. A corporation commission is hereby created to be composed of five persons who shall be elected at the general election, and whose term of office shall be four years, and who shall maintain their chief office at the state capital.

Qualifications

Commissioners must only satisfy the standard requirements for all Arizona state officers, who must be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the United States, and able to speak English.

Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 38, Chapter 2, Article 2, Section 211

A. Every officer shall be not less than eighteen years of age, a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state. B. No person is eligible to any office, employment or service in any public institution in the state, or in any of the several counties thereof, of any kind or character, whether by election, appointment or contract, unless he is a citizen of the United States, but the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the employment of any teacher, instructor or professor authorized to teach in the United States under the teacher exchange program as provided by federal statutes or the employment of university or college faculty members. C. A person who is unable to speak, write and read the English language is not eligible to hold a state, county, city, town or precinct office in the state, whether elective or appointive, and no certificate of election or commission shall issue to a person so disqualified. D. Except as provided in subsection E, a person is not eligible for employment by or service for the state or a political subdivision of the state, including all boards and commissions of the state or political subdivision, all multimember governing bodies of departments, agencies, institutions and instrumentalities of the state or political subdivisions unless the person has registered with the selective service system if required by the federal military selective service act (62 Stat. 604; 50 United States Code App. section 453).

Elections

Arizona state government organizational chart

The Arizona Constitution requires that commissioners be elected in statewide contests to four-year terms. Three commissioners are elected during federal presidential election years. The two remaining commissioners are elected during gubernatorial election years. Commissioners' terms begin on the first Monday in January after the year they are elected.

Arizona Constitution, Article 15, Section 1

B. A corporation commission is hereby created to be composed of five persons who shall be elected at the general election, and whose term of office shall be four years, and who shall maintain their chief office at the state capital. The two additional commission members shall be elected at the 2002 general election for initial two-year terms beginning on the first Monday in January, 2003. Thereafter, all terms shall be four-year terms.

2024

See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2024

General election candidates

• Lea Marquez Peterson  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Ylenia Aguilar  (Democratic Party)
• Jonathon Hill  (Democratic Party) 
• Joshua Polacheck  (Democratic Party) 
• Rene Lopez  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Rachel Walden  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Mike Cease  (Green Party)
• Nina Luxenberg  (Green Party) 
• Frank Bertone  (Democratic Party) (Write-in)

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 Democratic primary candidates

• Ylenia Aguilar ✔
• Jonathon Hill ✔ 
• Joshua Polacheck ✔ 

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 Republican primary candidates

• Lea Marquez Peterson (Incumbent) ✔ 
• Rene Lopez ✔ 
• Rachel Walden ✔ 

Did not make the ballot:

• Christy Kelly

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Minor Party primary candidates

Green Party

• Mike Cease (Write-in) ✔
• Nina Luxenberg (Write-in) ✔ 

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2022

See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2022

General election candidates

• Sandra D. Kennedy  (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
• Lauren Kuby  (Democratic Party) 
• Nick Myers  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Kevin Thompson  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Christina Gibson  (Independent) (Write-in) 

Did not make the ballot:

• Nathan Madden (Libertarian Party)

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 Democratic primary candidates

• Sandra D. Kennedy (Incumbent) ✔
• Lauren Kuby ✔ 

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 Republican primary candidates

• Nick Myers ✔ 
• Kim Owens
• Kevin Thompson ✔ 

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Minor Party primary candidates

Libertarian Party

• Nathan Madden (Write-in) ✔

2020

See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2020

General election candidates

• Lea Marquez Peterson  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔ 
• William Mundell  (Democratic Party)
• Shea Stanfield  (Democratic Party) 
• Anna Tovar  (Democratic Party) ✔
• James O'Connor  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Eric Sloan  (Republican Party)
• Patrick Finerd  (Republican Party) (Write-in)
• Christina Gibson  (Independent) (Write-in)

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 Democratic primary candidates

• William Mundell ✔
• Shea Stanfield ✔ 
• Anna Tovar ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Bridget Bellavigna 
• John Dougherty III
• Paul Newman

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 Republican primary candidates

• Lea Marquez Peterson (Incumbent) ✔ 
• Eric Sloan ✔
• James O'Connor (Write-in) ✔ 

Did not make the ballot:

• Boyd Dunn (Incumbent)
• Avery Block
• Neil DeSanti
• David Farnsworth
• Nick Myers
• Kim Owens
• Patrick Tucker 
• Roger Pencek (Write-in)

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2018

See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2018

General election

General election for Arizona Corporation Commission (2 seats)

Sandra D. Kennedy and incumbent Justin Olson defeated Rodney Glassman and Kiana Sears in the general election for Arizona Corporation Commission on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sandra D. Kennedy (D)	25.7	1,076,800
✔		Justin Olson (R)	25.2	1,053,862
		Rodney Glassman (R)	25.1	1,049,394
		Kiana Sears (D)	24.0	1,006,654
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	232

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,186,942
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (2 seats)

Sandra D. Kennedy and Kiana Sears defeated William Mundell in the Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sandra D. Kennedy	45.1	351,561
✔		Kiana Sears	28.1	219,011
		William Mundell	26.8	208,941

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 779,513 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (2 seats)

Incumbent Justin Olson and Rodney Glassman defeated James O'Connor, incumbent Tom Forese, and Eric Sloan in the Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Justin Olson	25.2	240,825
✔		Rodney Glassman	22.8	218,130
		James O'Connor	21.6	206,929
		Tom Forese	15.9	152,395
	Submit photo	Eric Sloan	14.4	138,051

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 956,330 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2016

See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2016

The general election for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission was held on November 8, 2016.

Incumbent Robert Burns, incumbent Andy Tobin, and Boyd Dunn defeated William Mundell and Tom Chabin in the Arizona corporation commission election.

Arizona Corporation Commission, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Robert Burns Incumbent	22.28%	806,047
	Republican	Andy Tobin Incumbent	20.61%	745,843
	Republican	Boyd Dunn	19.43%	703,160
	Democratic	William Mundell	19.12%	691,831
	Democratic	Tom Chabin	18.56%	671,374
Total Votes				3,618,255
Source: KNXV

2014

See also: Arizona down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Arizona Corporation Commission, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Doug Little	28.8%	766,864
	Republican	Tom Forese	28.6%	761,915
	Democratic	Sandra Kennedy	21.6%	576,482
	Democratic	Jim Holway	20.9%	557,963
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0%	529
Total Votes				2,663,753
Election results via Arizona Secretary of State

2012

See also: Arizona state executive official elections, 2012

Incumbents Paul Newman (D), Sandra Kennedy (D) and Bob Stump (R) all ran for re-election. Stump won re-election, and Republican candidates Robert Burns and Susan Bitter Smith edged out Newman and Kennedy for their seats in the general election on November 6, 2012.

Arizona Corporation Commission General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Paul Newman Incumbent	15.5%	868,726
	Democratic	Sandra Kennedy Incumbent	15.4%	862,876
	Democratic	Marcia Busching	13.8%	776,472
	Republican	Bob Stump Incumbent	17.5%	979,034
	Republican	Robert Burns	16.8%	943,157
	Republican	Susan Bitter Smith	16.7%	935,575
	Libertarian	Christopher Gohl	2%	112,490
	Green	Daniel Pout	1%	58,607
	Green	Thomas Meadows	1.2%	67,950
	Write-in	Various	0.1%	3,784
Total Votes				5,608,671
Election results via Arizona Secretary of State

Term limits

A corporation commissioner may not hold office for more than two consecutive terms.

Vacancy

Arizona law does not prescribe any particular procedures for dealing with a vacancy in the office.

Duties

The corporation commission adopts rules and regulations covering the state's public utility companies. The commission is also responsible for incorporating businesses and organizations, regulating securities, and ensuring the safety of railroads and pipelines.

Divisions

As of January 7, 2021, divisions within the Corporation Commission included:

• Administration
• Corporations
• Hearing
• Information Technology
• Legal
• Safety
• Securities
• Utilities

State budget

See also: Arizona state budget and finances

The budget for the Arizona Corporation Commission in Fiscal Year 2025 was $36,193,400.

Compensation

The salaries of the commissioners and other elected executives in Arizona is determined by the Arizona Commission on Salaries for Elective State Officers. This five-member committee is sanctioned by Article 5, Section 12 of the Arizona Constitution. Two members are appointed by the governor and one member each is appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Commission members meet prior to June 1 of each even-numbered year to produce salary recommendations for the governor. The governor may accept, reject or modify recommendations prior to delivery to state legislators. The legislature has 90 days following the governor's transmission of the recommendations to reject or modify salary proposals. If no changes are made, the commission's recommendations take effect following the next election for applicable offices.

2023

In 2023, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500, according to GovSalaries.

2022

In 2022, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500, according to GovSalaries.

2021

In 2021, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500, according to GovSalaries.

2020

In 2020, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500, according to GovSalaries.

2019

In 2019, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500, according to GovSalaries.

2018

In 2018, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

2017

In 2017, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

2016

In 2016, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

2015

In 2015, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

2014

In 2014, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

2013

In 2013, each commissioner received a salary of $79,500.

Historical officeholders

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Arizona Corporation Commission has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona Corporation Commission. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Arizona Corporation Commission - Google News

Contact info

Physical address:
1200 West Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Arizona Corporation Commission