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With the Senate almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats at last count, the winners of any one of these races could end up as a deciding vote on new state laws over the next two years.

All six candidates agree on one thing: the need to address the state’s water crisis. Beyond that, they have little in common.

The general election is Nov. 8. Early voting is underway.

District 17

A ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ realtor favored by fans of the QAnon conspiracy is running against a retired United Methodist pastor in the new district that covers Marana, Oro Valley, Rita Ranch, Vail, SaddleBrooke and part of southern Pinal County.

MAGA Republican is making her second try for a senate seat after losing in the 2020 election in a different voting district. Her Democratic opponent is a former Republican who has not run for public office before.

Wadsack, 48, who describes herself as a “Pro Trump America First conservativeâ€� declined to be interviewed for this story, claiming the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is biased against her because it has published comments from those critical of her candidacy. She also declined to take part in a debate hosted by the Star’s editorial department.

But her views are documented on her and current election websites and at a recent , where Wadsack described herself as a “fighter� motivated by a 2016 run-in with state child protection authorities.

The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Department of Child Safety “came to my household and tried to take my kids,â€� said Wadsack, who did not elaborate except to say it was in retaliation because she questioned the amount of respite care one of her children, who has disabilities, was supposed to receive. The department declined comment on her allegations.

Wadsack has proposed defunding the child safety agency she clashed with and also wants to defund Planned Parenthood and the U.S. Department of Education. She has pledged to “stop all stages of abortion� and opposes gun safety measures such as red flag laws. She supports using public funds for private school vouchers and last year took part in storming a Vail school board meeting to protest mask requirements for students during the pandemic.

Her endorsers include a local Republican group called which repeatedly posted QAnon content on its Facebook page last year. Wadsack posted a popular QAnon slogan on her own Twitter account twice in 2020 but recently disavowed QAnon as “crapâ€� in an with the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Republic.

Nickerson, 72, a Democrat who once interned for a Republican congressman in Washington, D.C., he said in a reader chat with the Star he’s running because ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ politics has become “poisoned by a lack of integrityâ€� and by the influence of money and extreme partisanship.

He and Wadsack disagree on almost every issue. He supports increased funding for public schools and opposes private school vouchers. A longtime gun owner, he supports firearms safety measures such as tighter background checks and safe storage laws.

Having counseled many women with troubled or unwanted pregnancies as a pastor, Nickerson said he supports the right to abortion.

Nickerson said while he holds strong views, he’s a problem-solver who believes “politics is about compromise. When you bring people together you find the best solution for the whole group, not just one group.�

District 18

A retired U.S. Defense Department employee and a professor of natural resources law at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ are competing in the district that includes the Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes and a swath of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ north of Broadway, east of Country Club Road and west of Camino Seco.

Republican , 59, is a first-time candidate, as is his opponent, , 37.

Caine’s campaign website says he spent 33 years with DOD and retired as head of quality for the U.S. Navy’s Tomahawk missile system, a job that sharpened his problem-solving skills. He now works as a substitute teacher.

Caine owns firearms and opposes restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, his website said. He supports private school vouchers and tax breaks for teachers who buy school supplies with their own money. He also favors the completion of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and a new law to force “able-bodied� voters to cast votes in person instead of by mail.

In a reader chat hosted by the Star, Caine said women who fail to use birth control should not be able to have abortions “out of convenience.� The procedure should be limited to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, though rare exceptions may be warranted if the mother’s life is in danger, he said.

Sundareshan, who recently bore her second child, said protecting abortion access at the state level is a critical priority after federal protections recently were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Her website calls for “more science-based decision making in politics�; new gun laws such as safety training and safe storage; and measures to make voting easier such as restoring and improving the permanent early voter list. She opposes using public funds for private school vouchers.

Her other top concerns include global warming and the state’s dwindling water supply and increased public funding for green energy. Sundareshan joined the UA law school in 2019 and before that was an attorney with the national Environmental Defense Fund in Washington. D.C.

District 21

A longtime state lawmaker is running against a political novice in the far-flung district that includes western Pima County, about half of Santa Cruz county and the city of Bisbee in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County.

Democrat has served in the Legislature since 2013, first in the House, and now seeks a second term in the senate. Her opponent, Jim Cleveland, won the Republican nomination by default as a write-in candidate when a second write-in candidate quit the primary race.

Galbadón, 57, of Sahuarita, supports unfettered access to abortion. Politicians “are not physicians. We should not be making those decisions,� she said in a recent .

She opposes private school vouchers and favors increased funding for the public education system, roads and infrastructure and addiction treatment.

Cleveland, 60, of Bisbee, is a retired chief petty officer who spent four years in the U.S. Navy and 18 in the naval reserve. He does not have a campaign website, having only taken in about , but described his views to the Star in a candidate questionnaire.

His top priority is stemming “the epidemic of drugs flooding our streets and the crime it creates,� he said. He favors publicly-funded addiction treatment centers, full funding for law enforcement and border protection.

In the area of education, Cleveland supports private school vouchers and supports banning transgender female students born biological males from taking part in girls sports.

In the recent ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Clean Elections debate, Cleveland said he opposes abortion except when a mother’s life is threatened, but is willing to support legislation that includes exceptions for rape and incest victims.

Uncontested districts

Voters in two other ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area districts already know who their next state senators are because no other candidates signed up to run for the jobs.

Republican David Gowan of Sierra Vista will continue to represent District 19 and Democrat Sally Gonzales will occupy the Senate seat in District 20. Both are unopposed in the general election.