Arizona governor candidate visits Yuma

YUMA, Ariz. (KECY, KYMA) - Republican gubernatorial candidate, Matt Salmon, visited Yuma to learn about issues affecting our rural community.

With election season coming up, Arizona candidates are visiting cities across the state.

News 11's Samantha Byrd brings us this interview with the candidate.

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon, visited Yuma to learn about issues affecting our rural community.

Matt Salmon is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017.

Salmon has visited Yuma seven times and toured the Southern Border as well as learned about agriculture and other industries in yuma.

“The leaders of our state have always focused on economic development in Maricopa county, well there’s a great big state outside of Maricopa county and I wanna focus on job development in Yuma,” said Salmon.

This visit, he focused on the Colorado River water shortage and how it affects the Yuma AG industry.

“Yuma is a really really important part of our economy here in Arizona and a lot of the agriculture, if not most of it, in Arizona is happening in yuma and I want to get a better understanding of what the issues are for the agriculture community, especially in water,” said Salmon.

Salmon spoke with local water attorney, Wade Noble, as well as several business leaders in Yuma.

“I’m going to spend some time with wade. He’s probably as knowledgeable as anybody when it comes to these issues and he’s a good friend, somebody I really respect and so I want to sit down with him and get some ideas and later on I’m going to be sitting down with folks in the business community,” said Salmon.

The 2022 Arizona primary election will take place on August second, to elect the next governor of Arizona, among other positions at the local, state and federal level.

Incumbent governor Doug Ducey is not eligible to run for a third consecutive term.