​Democrat Martín Quezada is running for state treasurer because he sees an opportunity to improve a statewide office that, in his words, is too often used as a "steppingstone" for politicians.
The Phoenix lawyer has served in the Arizona Legislature for the past decade and is running for statewide office for the first time. He has no primary opponent.
“I don’t think this office has really been used to serve as a true treasurer. I believe this office has been used as a parking place or a steppingstone for something else," he said, "whether it was running for governor or whether it was serving in a presidential administration or setting something else up politically."
​He took an internship at the state Legislature, thanks to a professor’s recommendation. That lead to a full-time job there after graduating. He left to go into law school at ASU and after earning his degree he clerked one year at the Arizona Court of Appeals for Judge Patricia Orozco, who is now retired.
He said that experience would help him as treasurer because it required him to put politics aside, something he advocates for the statewide office.

Rent control is a divisive topic with very strong opinions on both sides.
State Senator Martin Quezada hopes this year things change. "We proposed a bill that would limit the amount of rent increases," he stated.
Quezada represents the Arizona's Legislative District 29.
While he says his previous rent control bills have gone nowhere, he hopes this year the timing is right.
​"I'm having person after person telling me they can't afford their rent and they have no other place to go," Quezada said.

Arizona residents have had to grapple with skyrocketing rents for the past two years, leaving many with few affordable housing options. Now, one senator is proposing a bill to change that by introducing statewide "rent control" measures that would cap annual rent increases.​
It's no secret that Arizona renters have been struggling to find affordable housing lately. Some local tenants in the Scottsdale area reported that their rent went up by as much as $800 this year when it was time to renew their lease.

That's an increase that most people just cannot afford, especially as the price of food, gas, and utilities see record highs due to inflation.

Arizona has seen some of the biggest rent increases in the nation since 2021. Currently, there isn't much that tenants can do about it. In fact, Arizona has a law that specifically prevents cities or towns from controlling rent prices.

However, State Senator Martin Quezada does not agree that landlords and property management companies should be allowed to raise rents to the excessive levels that many tenants have experienced this year.

​Yee will now face off against current Democratic state Sen. Martín Quezada; there were no other competitors in his primary. 
Yee says she stands for funding for roads, education, law enforcement, and helping rural Arizonans. Quezada says he stands for funding education, affordable housing, environmental health, and to create transparency within the Office.

Whichever Republican advances from the primary will face four-term Democratic State Sen. Martín J. Quezada in November. Quezada has a background as an attorney and owns a law firm in Phoenix. He also served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2012-2015 after being appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
 Quezada claimed that CFO is where the office has been lacking the most because previous treasurers haven’t advocated for good use of taxpayer money and policy proposals that are going to improve the state’s financial stability and economy.
Quezada said that he would rectify this by keeping politics out of any financial decisions that he makes. Contrary to his Republican opponents, he acknowledged ESGs as legitimate measures but reaffirmed that protecting the state’s economy was his foremost priority. He also cited repercussions from Covid, as well as oil and gas companies and energy sanctions from the Russian invasion of Ukraine as the primary causes of today’s inflation crises.