Kaely Monahan/KJZZ

Steve Farley in the KJZZ studio in 2018.

As we head toward Arizona’s August primary elections, we’re inviting in the candidates running in contested races, to talk about why they’re running and some of the key issues in their contests.

Steve Farley is running in the Democratic primary in the race for governor, and he brings with him more than a decade of experience in the Arizona Legislature, where he now serves as assistant minority leader in the Senate.

But before his experience in politics, he began as an artist.

Farley is, perhaps, best known in his hometown of Tucson for his ceramic tile mural on the Broadway underpass, but he’s been an integral part of Democratic leadership at the state Capitol since he was first elected in 2006.

Now, Farley is facing Democratic candidates Kelly Fryer and David Garcia in the Democratic primary and, he hopes, Gov. Doug Ducey in November.

When he announced his candidacy, he said he was running because "we need somebody who’s going to govern for Arizona who doesn’t really have any interest at all in national office."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include Kelly Fryer in the list of candidates for the Democratic primary.