Democratic Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez to resign from Arizona House of Representatives

PHOENIX — Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez, a Democrat, will officially leave the Arizona House of Representatives, according to a Thursday announcement from Arizona House Democrats.

House Democratic Leader Lupe Contreras wished Quiñonez well in a brief statement.

“Representative Quiñonez has served our caucus with class and eloquence,” Contreras said. “He has played a vital and impactful role as a member of leadership and a ranking member on the Appropriations Committee.”

Why is Rep. Marcelino Quiñonez resigning from the Arizona House?

The Thursday announcement from the Arizona House Democrats didn’t explain why Quiñonez was stepping down.

In fact, the news was a sharp pivot from Quiñonez’s previous statements.

Quiñonez posted a March 18 letter on social media said he would not seek reelection in 2024.

However, he didn’t insinuate any desire to resign — only a lack of desire to run for office again.

“As I reflect on my time in office, I am proud of many things, but especially the work I did to pass two bipartisan budgets that allocated more money to our public schools, the Arizona Housing Trust Fund and the arts,” his statement said.

Tons of recent shakeups in Arizona legislature

Quiñonez is the latest in a string of Democrats who have taken off from their offices in the first few months of 2024.

The most recent was LD8 Rep. Jevin Hodge, who left his seat after old sexual assault allegations resurfaced in March.

Before that, LD22 Rep. Leezah Sun resigned in late January after being accused of making violent threats to West Valley officials.

Not all of the recent resignations came after scandals, however.

Jennifer Longdon, who represented LD5, stepped down in late January to pursue a “new career opportunity.”

The other LD5 representative, Amish Shah, resigned on Feb. 1 to focus on his run for Republican U.S. Rep. David Schweikert’s 1st Congressional District seat.

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