2026 Election: Marlene Galán-Woods launches new campaign for AZ congressional seat

Marlene Galán-Woods running for Congress again

Marlene Galán-Woods, who is the widow of former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, is making a second run for political office in Arizona.

PHOENIX - The widow of former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods is mounting another run for Congress.

What we know:

Per a statement released on Mar. 4, Marlene Galán-Woods announced she will run for Congress in Arizona's 1st Congressional District as a Democrat.

"She is running for Congress to stand up against extremists like David Schweikert who are enabling Republicans’ extreme agenda in Washington, reform our government, and make it easier for hard-working Arizonans to not just get by, but get ahead," read a portion of her campaign launch statement.

In the statement, Galán-Woods said she has the endorsement of incumbent Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.

New campaign marks 2nd attempt to win public office

This is not the first time Galán-Woods has run for political office.

The backstory:

In May 2023, the Associated Press reported that Galán-Woods launched a campaign for the same congressional seat. At the time, the AP noted that Galán-Woods, along with her late husband, are former Republicans who switched parties after President Trump took office for his first term in 2017.

Galán-Woods ultimately ran in a field of six Democratic candidates during the primary, according to voting information from the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. She ultimately came in third in the vote, and Amish Shah later ran against incumbent Republican David Schweikert.

Schweikert ultimately won re-election, according to election results.