Another newbie: For the sixth time in a year, a new lawmaker is appointed to the Capitol

Jevin Hodge is the newest member of the Arizona House of Representatives, filling a vacancy in the Tempe-based Legislative District 8.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday chose Hodge from a list of three nominees. He replaces Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, who resigned at the end of 2023 to take a job working to promote reproductive freedom. State law requires replacements to be from the same political party as the departing lawmaker.

Hodge will fill out the remainder of Salman's term. He is the chief executive of the Booker T. Washington Child Development Center, the longest-running Head Start program for early education in the state.

Hodge was the Democratic nominee for Congressional District 1 in 2022, losing by a narrow margin to incumbent U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz. In 2020, Hodge lost a close race to county supervisor Jack Sellers, who on Wednesday joined his colleagues in a unanimous vote to send Hodge to the state House of Representatives.

Supervisor Tom Galvin, who made the motion to appoint Hodge, said he believes Hodge will avoid the "toxic partisanship" that has marked some of the relations at the state Capitol.

"He has pledged to work with everyone there, on both sides of the aisle," Galvin said.

Supervisor Steve Gallardo said Hodge's experience means he should be able to jump quickly into work at the Legislature, which is in its fourth week of work. Democrats in the Arizona House said details are still being worked out for when Hodge will be sworn into office.

Sellers praised the three candidates who were nominated by precinct committee members in LD 8. The other nominees were Deborah Nardozzi and Jacob Raiford.

This is the sixth appointment the county supervisors have made this legislative cycle, as resignations and, in one case, expulsion, have caused churn in the lawmaker ranks.

The work is not over. Soon, the process will start to find a replacement for Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix. She resigned Jan. 26 to take a post with the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers.

The precinct committee members in Legislative District 5 will screen candidates and forward three names to the supervisors. LD5 covers a large swath of central Phoenix, from near downtown north to the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Democrat Jevin Hodge appointed to Arizona House of Representatives