Currently holds the office of Arizona State Senate - District 13 until January 6, 2025.
Candidate for Arizona State Senate - District 13 in 2024 Arizona General Election.
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Get StartedThere is no greater responsibility of government than keeping people safe, whether in their homes, at their workplaces, at school or out in the community. We should do everything in our power to keep violent criminals off our streets. I have the utmost respect for our law enforcement and first responders who face exceedingly difficult situations where split second decisions must be made that can be a matter of life or death. While we should not tolerate bad actors or unjust decisions, we also should not attack all of law enforcement because of the bad actions of a few. Dialoguing about race-related challenges is perfectly reasonable but defunding our police is not. The vast majority of law enforcement are good and noble people who run toward danger in order to protect us. As with all our first responders, they should be praised, not denigrated. Our communities are safer when we appreciate and show respect for each other. Finally, public safety must include combatting human, drug and weapons trafficking by securing our border. Learn more
I believe in helping and protecting the vulnerable in our society, whether its women who’ve faced domestic violence, children who’ve been abused, veterans who are trying to return to the workforce, seniors who’ve been exploited or animals who’ve been mistreated. I will continue to take on the challenge of tackling these and other issues as long as I serve in the Legislature. Learn more
The best way government can help create jobs is to stop strangling employers. Small businesses cannot be taxed and regulated with ever-increasing intensity without the inevitable consequences that follow: increased prices for the consumer, reduced wages for employees, and, worst of all, job losses for the community. This is especially true with the challenges brought on by COVID-19. I will continue to look for ways to cut the tax and regulatory burden on our small businesses while investing in workforce development to help those trying to navigate a constantly changing economic and technological environment learn the skills they need to succeed. And I will continue to oppose “special deals” or “carve-outs” for big corporations. They need to follow the rules like everybody else. We just need to make sure those rules are fair and not overly burdensome so that they can focus their energy on providing high-wage jobs and quality products. Learn more
I teach political science at Mesa Community College and Arizona State University and have been teaching for 14 years. Suffice it to say, education is a top priority for me. I believe the three keys to ensuring a quality education system in Arizona are: school resources, teacher pay and parental choices. These fundamental principles, which involve ensuring funding and resources get into the classroom, investing more to boost career and technical education and help students with special needs, compensating hardworking educators appropriately, and empowering parents to choose which schools best meet their kids’ needs, are the key elements to good education policy. That’s why I personally sponsored the largest education investment in state history, which restored funding for school supplies and capital, provided the money needed to build new schools in Chandler, and dramatically boosted teacher pay by 20%. In fact, as the Chandler Unified School District website shows: teacher salaries now average more than 63,000. Learn more
There’s always room for improvement, especially when it comes to government management. That’s why I’m constantly looking for ways to reform how government operates, whether it involves protecting your wallet, safeguarding your rights, or simply making the state government work better for you. This can mean scaling back big government to improve efficiency and allow people more freedom. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” Government should act for the people, not be a burden to them. And government should be fully transparent and accountable for its actions. There should be no special treatment for elected officials or bureaucrats. We’re here to serve you. Learn more
Rising health care costs and access to care continue to be a top concern for many people, especially those who face chronic or acute health conditions. Being married to a nurse who’s spent years working in Chandler’s hospitals, I’m particularly mindful of this issue. Obamacare promised to reduce costs and improve access to care, and yet premiums have continued to increase (hardly living up to its name as the “Affordable Care Act”), and many providers have pulled out of markets altogether because the numbers just don’t add up, leaving people with fewer choices. Now some want to double down on this failed strategy by pushing a complete government takeover of health care—often referred to as Medicare for All. This extreme policy would be a financial and health care catastrophe. When has government-run anything actually reduced costs, let alone increased quality? I support implementing measures that will truly drive down costs, such as improving price transparency, expanding choices and competition, and advancing tort reform, while ensuring that those with preexisting conditions can get coverage. A consumer-centric model that protects the doctor (and nurse!)-patient relationship is the only way to achieving quality and affordable health care. Learn more
I support keeping taxes as low as possible, and we can’t have low taxes with reckless government spending. The fact is, the more government spends, the more we pay for it in higher taxes and/or saddle future generations with unsustainable debt. That doesn’t mean that all government spending is bad. For instance, funding public safety, a quality education system and infrastructure are all necessary public goods. But I also believe that state government should follow the same financial guidelines that any responsible individual or family would follow: spend only what’s necessary, don’t rack up debt, invest in your learning, save for the future, and when times get tough, find responsible ways to trim. Learn more
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