Oct. 3--With term limits forcing the departure of Rep. Eddie Farnsworth from the state House, Gilbert-based Legislative District 22 is assured new representation after the November general election. What is undecided at this point is whether the district will continue its long tradition of sending a Republicanonly slate to the Capitol, or split its representation by adding a Democrat.

Two Republicans and one Democrat are running for the pair of House seats for the district that covers Gilbert, southeast Mesa and a small part of Pinal County.

Rep. Andy Biggs is the incumbent Republican who has held one of the district's two House seat since he was elected in 2002. Biggs and business owner Laurin Hendrix emerged from the four-man field in the Republican primary, defeating Bob Brown and Adam Armer to proceed to the general election.

Glenn Ray, meanwhile, cruised into the upcoming election as a Democratic candidate who ran alone in his party's primary.

Given the voter demographics in the district, it's apparent why the field has been controlled and crowded by Republicans.

Of the 122,365 registered voters in the district, nearly 48 percent are Republicans, 24 percent are Democrats and about 28 percent are independents or affiliated with smaller parties, according to statistics of the Maricopa County elections department.

ANDY BIGGS

Biggs says his conservative message has always lined up with his voting record -- he's preached a balanced budget and school choice for parents, and has a voting record to prove it.

A few years ago, when the state had a surplus of money, Biggs said he was able to steer millions of dollars into funding transportation projects -- with the help of fellow Republican lawmakers. Biggs is chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The move to fund transportation was better than creating ongoing government programs that couldn't be sustained once the economy experienced a downturn, as it has now, he said. "We knew two years ago that we were going to have problems," Biggs said. "Some of us fought the spending increases that were being proposed."

Biggs, a former lawyer, said he is a crucial player in trying to tame the state's "horrible" financial situation. The state was running a deficit of $180 million in the first two months of this budget year, which started in July.

He said guaranteed spending increases for programs like state welfare and some school funding give lawmakers few choices when looking for cuts to the budget.

"The solution, of course, is that you have to reduce spending. You can't keep spending," he said.