De Los Santos, a former teacher and Rhodes scholar who has led the House Democratic caucus since last year, will become Arizona's first openly LGBTQ+ speaker of the House. He represents a Phoenix district.

"We will work with anybody of any party and any chamber at any time to get good things done and to deliver for the people," De Los Santos told reporters, promising his caucus would "govern like adults."

He declined to say whether Democrats would retain the majority-of-the-majority rule, under which the speaker will not schedule a floor vote unless a bill is supported by a majority of the majority party. "We'll get to an answer on that," he said.

Sundareshan, a Tucson senator who became Senate minority leader last year, will oversee a Democratic supermajority in the Senate. "We heard you loud and clear," she said in a statement. "Arizonans have rejected partisan extremism and chose a new direction."

De Los Santos said he expects a productive relationship with Senate Democrats and Hobbs. "I am confident we will find solutions that advance affordability for the people," he said. He added that Democrats will invest in public schools and work to end waste, fraud, and abuse in the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts school voucher program.

"We are focused on protecting our wallets, protecting our water and building our workforce, and that includes investing in our public schools," he said.

Incoming House Majority Leader Nancy Gutierrez, a longtime public school teacher from Tucson, said the ESA reform plan starts with the measure that failed to make the November ballot. "We're going to move forward the way we should, which is not quick and not without thought," she said, adding that they will talk with families and other stakeholders.

Tax hikes appear off the table, as lawmakers cannot pass them without a supermajority, which Democrats do not have in the House. De Los Santos pointed to his support for individual income tax cuts congressional Republicans passed last year that state lawmakers mirrored in this year's budget: no tax on tips and overtime, plus an additional deduction for seniors. "And how do we pay for it?" he said. "By cutting tax giveaways to billion-dollar corporate data centers."

Lawmakers included a three-year freeze on sales-tax exemptions for data centers in this year's budget, but the state has approved 107 new applications for the incentives, making it unclear how much money would actually be saved. De Los Santos said Democrats are working on a plan to address data centers.

House Republicans, now in the minority, elected outgoing House Speaker Steve Montenegro as minority leader. "We understand that the voters have made their decision," Montenegro told reporters. "Our principles have not changed." He said his caucus would oppose tax increases, support ways to lower costs for Arizonans, and back school choice and the state's school voucher system. "We want to make sure that we're fighting and standing for parental rights," he said. "Parents should have the rights to raise their families and their children in the way they choose."

Montenegro said Republicans want to protect public dollars and ensure accountability, but their top priority is "standing with parents and their choices." "Republicans are united, we're organized, and we're ready to get to work in January," he said.

Other House Democratic leaders include state Reps. Brian Garcia of Tempe and Kevin Volk of Tucson as majority whips and state Rep. Quantá Crews of Phoenix as speaker pro tempore. On the Republican side, state Rep. Michael Carbone, the outgoing majority leader, will be assistant minority leader, and state Rep. Lupe Diaz will be minority whip.

In the Senate, Democrats elected state Sen.-Elect Christine Marsh of Phoenix as majority leader. She is a public school teacher who previously served as a state senator from 2021 to 2025. State Sen. Analise Ortiz of Phoenix will be majority whip. Sundareshan appointed state Sens.-Elect Alma Hernandez of Tucson and Edgar Soto as president pro tempore, and named state Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón and Aaron Lieberman as Democratic majority chairs. Senate Republicans have not yet elected new leadership.

The next legislative session begins in January.