Arizona’s Senate flipped red to blue.
On Tuesday, members elected Priya Sundareshan, 42, as Senate president, delivering Democrats control of both chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in six decades.
Born in Tucson to an Indian‑American family, Sundareshan taught natural‑resources law at the University of Arizona before joining the Environmental Defence Fund—where she championed sustainable resource management.
She earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from MIT in 2006, then a J.D. and a master’s in natural‑resource economics from the University of Arizona in 2011.
“Wherever you live and whoever you voted for, we're here to work for you,” Sundareshan told reporters.
“Voters have opened the door to historic change. Our responsibility is to make sure they feel that change in their daily lives. Let's get to work,” she added.
She called the result a rebuke of what she labeled “MAGA extremism” driving Arizona’s Republican agenda.
The new leadership will convene its first session next week, assigning chairmanships and setting a calendar that could reshape policy for the state’s 7 million residents.