PHOENIX — Arizona Senate President Karen Fann announced Monday that she will not seek re-election after her term ends in January 2023, and plans to retire from the state Legislature.
"It has been a privilege to advocate on behalf of Arizona citizens in my twelve years at the State Legislature and the honor of a lifetime to serve as Senate President," she said in a statement. "I look forward to a successful session in 2022 advancing policies that benefit all Arizonans, and then enjoying the life my husband and I have built for ourselves in retirement with our family."
As the leader of the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate, Fann most recently served as the leader of the highly scrutinized audit of Maricopa County's election protocols and practices following the results of the 2020 election.
The results of that audit — which often pitted the Maricopa County GOP leaders against Fann and fellow Republican lawmakers — found that the county's election results were accurate and that Joe Biden did, in fact, win Maricopa County.
The report also debunked conspiracy claims made by some audit members that bamboo paper was imported from China and used in the election.
That audit also cost nearly $9 million, according to a recent public records request, most of it funded through private donations.
Can confirm. The operation expense doc was in the latest public records drop for the #azaudit.
— The AZ - abc15 - Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) November 1, 2021
total operating expenses: $8,875,060 pic.twitter.com/LdT05gINVx
According to her online biography, Fann served as a state representative from 2011 to 2016 and was then elected to the state senate in 2017. She served as president of the state Senate in 2019, becoming the second female to lead the legislative body, her bio said.
