Two residents ask attorney general to remove Sen. Janae Shamp over residency; she denies the claim
Based on reporting by Camryn Sanchez for KJZZ, published September 19, 2026.
Two West Valley residents have asked Attorney General Kris Mayes to remove Republican state Sen. Janae Shamp from office, alleging she does not live in the district she was elected to represent, KJZZ reported.
Shamp is running for reelection in Legislative District 29 and calls Surprise home. The two residents, Jim Ashurst and Bob Walling, argue that she actually lives in Wickenburg, outside the district. Their filing, known as a quo warranto action, cites a private investigator who claimed her Surprise property is vacant, and asks that her seat be declared vacant. KJZZ reported that Ashurst and Walling appear to be Democratic precinct committeemen.
KJZZ reported that Shamp's campaign committee lists a Wickenburg post office box, which falls in Legislative District 30. Maricopa County records show that Shamp Investments LLC, run by her husband, Archie, who goes by Skip, has had a house in Wickenburg since 2018. A sign on the property calls the home Shamp's Hideout and names Skip and Janae.
Shamp denied the claim, saying she lives in the district, has been at the same address for years and faces these questions every two years shortly before ballots go out. "It is obviously political, which we all get, and each time the matter is resolved in my favor," she said in a text.
State law requires legislators to live in the county they are elected to represent, and both Surprise and most of Wickenburg are in Maricopa County. But state law also says officials vacate their seats if they stop living in the district for which they were elected.
A spokesperson for Mayes said her staff is reviewing the action and has not made any determinations.