The 33rd Arizona State Legislature, consisting of the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives, was constituted in Phoenix from January 1, 1977, to December 31, 1978. The legislature met during the terms of three Arizona Governors. When it was constituted, Raúl Héctor Castro still had two years remaining on his only term in office as Governor of Arizona. When Castro left the office to become Ambassador to Argentina in October 1977, he was succeeded by Wesley Bolin, Arizona's Secretary of State. Arizona's constitution mandates that the Secretary of State is first in line of succession to the office of Governor. However, Bolin died in office five months later, on March 4, 1978, and was succeeded by Bruce Babbitt, who was then the Attorney General. Bolin was not succeeded by his replacement, Rose Mofford, because she had been appointed, not elected to the office. Succession fell to the next in line, Babbitt. Both the Senate and the House membership remained constant at 30 and 60, respectively. The Republicans made inroads into the Democrat lead in the Senate, picking up two seats, although the Democrats maintained a 16–14 edge in the upper house. In the lower chamber, the Republicans increased their majority by 5 seats, giving them a 38–22 margin.
