Mae Peshlakai
Candidate for Arizona State House – District 6
Arizona · Legislative District 6
Mae Peshlakai won the primary and is the party's nominee for the general election. Finished first of three in the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary for two LD6 House seats, with about 42% of the vote. Faces Green Party nominee Brendan Trachsel, alongside fellow Democrat Ian Teller, in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Source: trailblazers4az.net · Last verified: October 23, 2026
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Statement
Representative Mae Peshlakai is Diné - Tangle People Clan and born for the Deer Water Clan, maternal grandfathers are of the Salt clan and paternal grandfathers are of the Rock Gap clan. She is a boarding school survivor. Mae attended a U.S. Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Boarding School in Tolani Lake, Arizona, 100 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona.. Mae was married to James Peshlakai, an accomplished silver and goldsmith. She took up silversmithing and, to this day, makes jewelry every day as well as weaves. She and her husband worked with prestigious colleges and universities across the nation sharing the Navajo culture and assisting scholarly research. Mae knows the issues and challenges of District 6 and has worked tirelessly for two terms representing all the communities of District 6. In 2025, Representative Peshlakai fought and voted for a budget that made historic investments in Indigenous Tribal healthcare and traditional healing practices. Rep. Peshlakai was elated to support an opportunity to leverage $100,000 from the state to secure more than $220 million in federal matching funds to cover culturally relevant traditional healing practices that are vital to our way of life and well-being.
Biography
Mae Peshlakai is a Democratic member of the Arizona House of Representatives for Legislative District 6, seeking a third term. She is Diné and a survivor of the federal boarding school system, and is an internationally recognized silversmith and weaver who, with her late husband James Peshlakai, shared Navajo culture with colleges and universities across the country. In the Legislature she co-sponsored Emily's Law, which created the Turquoise Alert system for missing Indigenous people, and supported a 2025 budget that included funding for tribal healthcare and traditional healing practices. She is running on a joint slate with former Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai. She finished first in the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary with about 42% of the vote and, with fellow Democrat Ian Teller, faces Green Party nominee Brendan Trachsel in the November 3, 2026 general election for the district's two House seats.
Positions
Issue Stances
Water Policy
SupportsSponsored or co-sponsored water conservation instruction legislation; represents a rural district where resource policy is central.
Education Funding
SupportsSponsored preschool and scholarship related legislation and emphasizes rural and tribal representation.
Border Security & Immigration
OpposesHer joint slate's policy page calls for abolishing ICE and creating a humane immigration policy.
"We must completely abolish ICE and create a humane immigration policy."
Housing Affordability
SupportsStates shelter security is a basic foundation and homes remain out of reach for many working families.
Election Integrity
SupportsStates voting is fundamental and should not be hindered.
Healthcare Access
SupportsStates healthcare is fundamental and people should not be forced into bankruptcy by health insurance costs.
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
SupportsLegislative record includes Arizona community impact statement legislation; campaign highlights missing and murdered peoples issue.
Energy Policy
SupportsSponsored electric vehicle charging pilot legislation, signaling support for clean transportation infrastructure.
Economic Development & Jobs
SupportsSupports tourism, small businesses, and transportation infrastructure as growth components for rural and tribal Arizona.
Reproductive Rights
No official stance on record.
Transportation & Infrastructure
SupportsSupports improving transportation infrastructure as an essential part of rural and tribal economic growth.
Government Spending & Taxation
No official stance on record.
Legislature
Legislative Voting Record
No voting record on file.
If this candidate holds a legislative seat, visit the Arizona Legislature at azleg.gov for voting records.
Ballot
Ballot Measure Stances
No ballot measure stances on file yet.
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