Candidate for Arizona Governor Office visits Yuma

Bryan Masche tours Yuma County with Gary Garcia Snyder who is also running for office - News 11's Arlette Yousif reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Two candidates running for two separate offices make their rounds in Yuma County.

Candidate for Arizona Governor Bryan Masche is traveling the state, campaigning for a future election in 2022. Well-known local Gary Garcia Snyder, who is running for State Senate for Legislative District 4, shows Masche around his hometown while they connect with the community.

While they are running for different offices, they have some of the same goals.

Bryan Masche, who announced his candidacy in August, says he wants to help Yuma thrive.

"Yuma produces, you know, an exorbitant amount of the produce that goes all over the country, and feeds people all over the country. It is critical that Yuma has the support and the resources that it needs from the state to be able to continue to do that," says 2022 Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Bryan Masche.

They both say they want to help our local community.

"My love is my people. My people is everyone in San Luis, Arizona, Somerton, Gadsden, Yuma, Arizona, the whole United States," explains State Senate Legislative District 4 Candidate Gary Garcia Snyder.

As a veteran of the United States Air Force and an operating room nurse, Masche says he has what it takes to lead Arizona out of the pandemic. He says changes will happen right away if he’s elected, including when it comes to COVID.

Something he says has been taken out of proportion from the very beginning.

"From day one, literally, everything stops. COVID stops in the state of Arizona. So no more propaganda, no more using, you know, the taxpayer's money to fund the overhead signs. No more, you know multiple television commercials coming at you every day, billboards," says Masche.

Even though, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been over 19,000 COVID-related deaths and over one million positive COVID cases in the entire state. Most recently, 117 deaths since the last daily report.

For Yuma County, over 875 COVID-related deaths and over 40,000 positive COVID cases.

"Unfortunately, these past two years we’ve seen what's been happening in our area. Not just Yuma County, not just south county, but yet, in the whole area of Arizona and the United States. Our elected officials haven’t been held accountable," explains Garcia Snyder.

There are currently 30 gubernatorial candidates in the race for Arizona's next governor. Masche is among the first to visit Yuma County.

Garcia Snyder is running against the current Legislative District 4 Senator Lisa Otondo.

Masche and Garcia Snyder made their way through the Department of Veteran Affairs, Yuma Armed Forces Park, the border, and many cities within the county.