Gerry Whipple

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors named Sylvia Allen to the state Senate, to fill out the remainder of late Sen. Jake Flake (R-Snowflake)'s term.

“I will fight for our County,” said Allen in a statement from Navajo County. “I will fight for our rural issues. I will move forward to work as well as I can. I will do everything in my power to ensure you do not lose faith in me.”

Allen was chosen over Snowflake councilman Charlie Hendrickson and former Show Low mayor Gerry Whipple by the Board. The three were selected Thursday by a citizens panel comprised of prominent members of Najavo County.

A citizens panel of Navajo County luminaries has selected three candidates to fill the seat of state Sen. Jake Flake (R-Snowflake), who died Saturday of a heart attack at age 72. Topping the list is Sylvia Tenney Allen, who is also running for the state House.

"That's just so humbling," Allen told PolitickerAZ.com of her nomination. "I'm so filled with pride and humbled. [Sen. Flake] was a great friend and a great senator." 

Allen, however, still plans to go up against state Rep. Bill Konopnicki (R-Safford) at a meeting of Republican precinct committeemen on Saturday, in hopes of being selected to replace Flake on the Republican primary ballot. Republican insiders have related that both Allen and Konopnicki have been gathering support behind them since the beginning of the week.