Aaron Lieberman pitches pragmatism in bid to unseat Carine Werner in pivotal Senate race

Democrat Aaron Lieberman is challenging Republican Sen. Carine Werner in Arizona's Legislative District 4, a competitive but Republican-leaning seat covering parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Lieberman, a former state representative, is campaigning on pragmatism, citing past bipartisan wins like COVID-era small business grants and tax credits that helped bring Taiwan Semiconductor to Arizona.

Lieberman points to Werner's hot-mic comment calling a district employee 'morbidly obese,' which drew a resignation petition with over 1,500 signatures, and her support for putting PragerU lessons in public schools, as evidence she's too extreme for the district. Werner, meanwhile, has sponsored 21 bipartisan bills signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, many focused on Medicaid fraud and Department of Child Safety reforms following the murder of 14-year-old Emily Pike.

The race is one of 17 the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is funding as Democrats hope to flip legislative control for the first time since 1966. Lieberman says he'd push for a temporary pause on the state gas tax and more local regulation of short-term rentals like Airbnb.

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