At least 30 African-Americans are running for local, state and federal office in Arizona this year. Some political observers say the milestone is a result of increased engagement and a new pipeline of leadership.
State Rep. Reginald Bolding is one of two African-American state lawmakers currently serving in Arizona's 90-person state Legislature. He and other political watchers say more African-American candidates are running compared to past cycles. There are five other African-Americans running for the Legislature this year.
Data from the American Community Survey in 2016 show Arizona is home to around 270,000 black residents, or 4 percent of the state's overall population. That's about the same size as the state's Native American population, which is around 266,000 people.
Around 2 million residents, or 30.5 percent, are Hispanic. Almost 3.8 million residents are white.
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