What we’re about
New to the area and looking for other Democrats? Lived here for a while and thought you were the only Democrat? You've found your people!
Arizona went through redistricting in January 2022. The new AZ Legislative District 12 [formerly LD 18] now includes Southeast Phoenix [Ahwatukee], Northwest Chandler, South Tempe, and Lone Butte precinct in the Gila River Indian Community. Located in Maricopa County, LD 12 is mostly in Congressional District 4, with Lone Butte precinct located in CD 2. Our district is also part of Maricopa County Supervisorial District 1.
The AzLD 12 Democrats are part of the Maricopa County Democratic Party and the Arizona Democratic Party. As Democrats who are proud of our values, we work to:
- guarantee human and civil rights for all through excellent public schools, women’s healthcare autonomy, and workers’ rights;
- promote and represent justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity in our community;
- leave our state and world a better place by addressing the climate crisis and stewardship of Arizona's water resources;
- move forward with immigration reform, campaign finance reform, and separation of church and state;
- achieve economic security through equal opportunity, a livable minimum wage, and a strong middle class;
- honor and serve our military service members and veterans; and
- protect and expand Social Security and Medicare.
As one of the strongest and most innovative legislative districts in the state, we strive to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. We fulfilled our 2024 strategic election plan by re-electing Mitzi Epstein to the AZ Senate, and Patty Contreras and Stacey Travers to the AZ House. AzLD12 continues as a blue district, with all three of the legislative seats held by Democrats since 2018, and we are going to keep it that way in 2026. #KeepItBlue
We have multiple meetings, social gatherings, and activities each month; join us at our next event. Our hybrid monthly meeting is the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 pm. Find out how to register for meetings and everything else about us on our website, Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, Threads, and X [Twitter]. If you want more information about our group, sign up for our newsletters. Visit our Linktree for current meetings and all the social media links.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- 📚 AZ Dems Readers & Leaders Book ClubLink visible for attendees
Selection for September 16: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's Open AI, by Karen Hao - first session of a two-part discussion. The second will be held at the October 21 book club meeting.
Register for Zoom link: https://secure.ngpvan.com/7cTbZ9ks6Eal_zJJ4q707Q2.
Expect a Zoom meeting link email within 5-10 minutes of registering. If you don't see it, check your Spam folder and Gmail's Promotions, Social, or Updates tabs.When AI expert and investigative journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, the organization was meant, its leader Sam Altman told us, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong?
Over time, Hao began to wrestle ever more deeply with that question. Increasingly, she realized that the core truth of this massively disruptive sector is that its vision of success requires an almost unprecedented amount of resources: the “compute” power of high-end chips and the processing capacity to create massive large language models, the sheer volume of data that needs to be amassed at scale, the humans “cleaning up” that data for sweatshop wages throughout the Global South, and a truly alarming spike in the usage of energy and water underlying it all. The truth is that we have entered a new and ominous age of empire: only a small handful of globally scaled companies can even enter the field of play. At the head of the pack with its ChatGPT breakthrough, how would OpenAI resist such temptations?
Please Note: You must register through VAN to receive a Zoom link. Joining the Meetup event alone is not enough. RSVP here: https://secure.ngpvan.com/7cTbZ9ks6Eal_zJJ4q707Q2
Hosted by LD12 Dems, this is a book club for Democrats throughout the state who want to read and discuss relevant, thought-provoking books with other Democrats. They focus on books that encourage lively discussion and help us to better understand, protect and defend our democratic values. Meetings are virtual, on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7 - 8:00pm
- 🥞 LD12 Dems & DonutsDennys, Chandler, AZ
On September 17, we are honored to host two dedicated public servants: Bridget Bellavigna, Constable in the Kyrene Justice Precinct, and Karyn Lathan, Constable in the University Lakes Justice Precinct. Both are seeking re-election in 2026 and are working hard to secure their places on the primary ballot.
They will be collecting signatures at our meeting but will also be available on E-Qual starting September 26, when a new statute goes into effect.
Join us to learn what an Arizona Constable does, and why it's so important to keep Democrats in this vital down-ballot office. Bridget and Karyn will share their unique insights and answer all your questions, giving you a fresh perspective on their essential role in our community. We look forward to seeing you there!
LD12 Democrats & Donuts meets at 8 am on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at Denny’s, 7400 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85226. You'll find exciting speakers, camaraderie with like-minded people, and fabulous Bada Bing Raffle baskets by Judy Wade. The official start time is 8:00, but please arrive a little earlier to get seated and to get your breakfast order in before 8. The hosts will be there by 7:30. For questions, email Julia Fleeman at juliafleeman@cox.net.
