Valenzuela faces another outgoing city council member, Kate Gallego, in the November special election to replace former Greg Stanton, who resigned in May to run for Congress. Gallego's campaign declined to comment on Valenzuela's financial situation.
Valenzuela and Gallego are both Democrats, although the city ballot is nonpartisan. A pair of city hall outsiders, Republican Moses Sanchez https://www.mosessanchez.com/ and libertarian Nicholas Sarwark, are also competing for the mayor's office. https://phoenixmayorcandidates.com/
Last October, Stanton announced that he planned to step down to run in Congressional District 9. Hours later, Valenzuela declared that he would run for mayor. Stanton resigned on May 29, and Valenzuela followed suit on July 18.
Valenzuela, 43, works as a firefighter in Glendale.