Dargon, Christine Ellen

Meet the Candidate

Running For:

State Senate

District:

1

Political Affiliation:

Democrat

Age:

55

Occupation:

Associate Faculty and Self-Employed

Education:

2 master's and a doctoral degree in psychology

Family:

Husband Tim, Mother Ellen

Religion:

None

Biographical Info:

Dr. Christine Dargon is a community organizer, grassroots Democrat and candidate for Arizona State Senate in LD 1. A former resident of Prescott and 15+ years in Rimrock, she is the co-founder of Indivisible Rimrock, has served as a Yavapai County precinct committeewoman. With deep roots in the Prescott and Verde Valley area, she has built relationships with tribal nations, veterans, small business owners, neighbors across party lines and collected signatures to put reproductive rights on Arizona’s ballot. She owns her own business and works as Associate Faculty for two AZ universities. Christine will listen and answer to the people of LD1.

Statement:

I’m running because LD1 deserves a senator whose first loyalty is to the people who live here. Our wells are failing while unregulated corporate pumping drains aquifers that took thousands of years to fill and our current senator has done nothing. Our schools are among the most underfunded in the nation, our teachers are buying their own classroom supplies, and public dollars are being diverted to private programs with no accountability. Families are driving two hours for basic medical care because rural healthcare infrastructure has been allowed to collapse. Working people, nurses, teachers, ranch hands, first responders, are being priced out of the communities they serve because housing costs have outpaced wages for years with no meaningful policy response. Tribal communities whose water rights predate statehood are watching those rights be systematically deprioritized. Since Dobbs, Arizona women have lived through a whipsaw of abortion restrictions, including the near reinstatement of an 1864 total ban, while our senator voted for bans with no exceptions for rape or incest and has consistently worked to defund family planning services.
These are not unsolvable problems. They are the result of a senator whose priorities have nothing to do with the people he represents, a man who parachuted into this district after losing a statewide race, stood outside the Capitol on January 6th, and has spent his time denying elections and chasing culture war headlines instead of doing the work.
I’m running because working families, tribal communities, rural seniors, young people, and neighbors across party lines deserve a senator who fights for water security, fully funded schools, accessible healthcare, affordable housing, reproductive freedom, and honest government.
I’m running because these fights are winnable and because nobody else was going to take them on.

Survey

Response Legend

SSupports
OOpposes
*Comment
−Declined to respond
†Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question	Response	Comments/Notes
1. Enacting state-level restrictions on firearm ownership beyond current Arizona law.	S*	I support the Second Amendment and the rights of responsible gun owners, and I believe commonsense measures like universal background checks, including screening for serious mental illness, red flag laws that keep firearms out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves or others. are fully consistent with that right and with keeping our communities safe.
2. Adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in Arizona nondiscrimination statutes.	S*	Every Arizonan deserves to be judged by their character and their work, not who they love or who they are. I support adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in Arizona's nondiscrimination statutes.
3. Expanding state-level enforcement efforts to deter illegal border crossings.	S*	Border security is a federal responsibility, but Arizona has a legitimate role in supporting enforcement efforts through state and local cooperation with federal agencies. I support well-coordinated, lawful state-level efforts that help deter illegal crossings while treating all people with dignity and due process.
4. Prohibiting taxpayer funds from directly or indirectly funding abortion services, except where required by federal law.	S*	Arizona law already prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion services except where required by federal law. I support maintaining that standard, and I oppose efforts to expand these restrictions in ways that would defund organizations providing essential reproductive and preventive healthcare to Arizonans.
5. Maintaining the universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program without limiting eligibility.	O*	I support school choice options for families who need them, but the universal ESA program lacks the accountability and income-based guardrails necessary to ensure public dollars serve public interests. Taxpayer funds should prioritize students who need the most support, not subsidize private schooling for wealthy families who don't or the unchecked spending seen in the program.
6. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide for individuals seeking end-of-life assistance, regardless of terminal illness.	O*	I support the right of terminally ill Arizonans who are suffering to make their own end-of-life decisions with the guidance of their physician, with appropriate medical safeguards in place. Dignity in dying should be a choice, not a privilege denied by law.
7. Allowing licensed counselors to provide therapy to minors seeking to reduce or manage same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, with parental consent.	O*	I oppose allowing licensed counselors to practice conversion therapy on minors under any circumstances. The research is unambiguous: these practices cause serious psychological harm, including increased rates of depression, trauma, and suicide. Parental consent does not make a harmful practice safe; it makes a licensed professional complicit in that harm.
8. Increasing criminal penalties for the sale and distribution of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.	S*	I support stronger criminal penalties for the sale and distribution of fentanyl, which is killing Arizonans at alarming rates. For other substances, I believe penalties should be proportional to harm and quantity, focused on traffickers and distributors, not on criminalizing addiction or imposing mandatory minimums that have failed to reduce drug use while overwhelming our courts and prisons.
9. Requiring stronger age verification and parental consent protections for minors accessing social media platforms and downloading mobile applications.	S*	The evidence is clear that unregulated social media access harms children's mental health and development. I support requiring strong age verification and parental consent protections for minors; platforms that profit from children's attention should be held accountable for who they're reaching.
10. Increasing criminal penalties for individuals who purchase sex.	S*	I support stronger criminal penalties for those who purchase sex from minors or from individuals who are trafficked or exploited, full stop. For other situations, I believe policy should prioritize protecting vulnerable people from exploitation without driving activity further underground in ways that increase danger and reduce access to services.
11. Requiring election procedures that ensure voter identification verification and ballot security.	S*	Arizona already has some of the strongest voter identification and ballot security measures in the nation, and our elections have withstood unprecedented scrutiny and repeated audits. I support maintaining these robust safeguards while vigorously opposing any measures that would suppress the votes of eligible Arizonans. What I oppose is using manufactured doubt about election security to justify restrictions that make it harder for eligible Arizonans to vote. Every legitimate vote should be counted, and every eligible voter should be able to cast one.
12. Enacting a legislative referral that would ask voters to repeal Arizona Proposition 139, the constitutional right to abortion.	O*	I worked to pass Proposition 139, and Arizona voters spoke clearly, enshrining reproductive rights in our state constitution with a decisive majority. Attempting to legislatively refer a repeal is a direct disregard for the democratic process and the will of the people. In addition, it is a violation of the oath legislators take to uphold the Arizona Constitution. I oppose this effort unequivocally.
13. Expanding current marijuana laws to increase accessibility to recreational marijuana for adults.	S*	Arizona voters legalized recreational marijuana, and the market is broadly accessible; the framework is largely working. Where expansion is still needed, I support completing the unfinished work: ensuring timely expungement of prior marijuana convictions, exploring social consumption regulations, and honoring tribal sovereignty in cannabis compacting agreements with Native nations.