Al Melvin is a Republican politician from the US state of Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. He has served in the Arizona State Senate since 2008, representing the 26th legislative district.

Melvin graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy

United States Merchant Marine Academy

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...

 in 1969 and served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserves until 1999, attaining the rank of Captain; during this time he also worked in international trade and shipping. In 2006, he ran unsuccessfully for the 26th District Senate Seat against Democrat Charlene Pesquiera

Charlene Pesquiera

Charlene Pesquiera is a Democratic politician from the US state of Arizona. She served as Arizona State Senator for District 26 from 2006 until 2008, when she declined to run for re-election.-External links:* official State Senate website...

 (Melvin defeated the previous incumbent, Toni Hellon, in a primary election

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

). In 2008, Pesquiera did not run for re-election and Melvin narrowly defeated Democrat Cheryl Cage; Cage ran again in 2010, but received only 46% of the vote to Melvin's 54%.

External links

• Al Melvin's member page at Arizona Senate