Arizona's US Senate candidates: Where Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego stand on issues

The Arizona Republic sent a brief questionnaire to the candidates in Arizona's U.S. Senate race.

For the fifth straight election cycle, Arizonans will vote for a U.S. senator. This time the race is for the successor to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who announced in March she would not seek a second six-year term.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is the only Democrat running. Former TV broadcaster and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is running against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and Elizabeth Reye for the Republican nomination.

Two Green Party candidates, Arturo Hernandez and Mike Norton, are on the ballot, with Eduardo Quintana running as a Green Party write-in.

Their responses are below.

The candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party.

Republican Kari Lake and Green Party candidate Arturo Hernandez did not return responses to the Q&A.

Democratic candidate

Ruben Gallego

Name two big problems facing the state and how you would address them if elected.

Arizona is at a crossroads. We’re facing very real problems that impact everyday families, and we need a Senator who can bring Democrats, Independents, and Republicans together to solve them. Between cutting costs on everyday essentials, defending abortion rights, protecting our water future, securing the border, delivering comprehensive immigration reform, taking care of our veterans, protecting Social Security and Medicare for our seniors, and building a brighter future for our children, I am committed to fighting tirelessly for Arizonans. Two problems in particular are urgent, and I will tackle them head-on as Arizona’s next senator:

• Abortion: An overwhelming majority of Arizonans across all political parties support the right to an abortion. Women should be able to make their own health care decisions without politicians getting involved. Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned and extreme abortion bans — including a Civil War-Era ban that outlaws abortion even in cases of rape or incest — were enforced in Arizona, women have lost the right to control their own bodies. Their lives are in danger. Their freedom was taken away. It is infuriating to me that my one-year-old baby girl Isla will grow up with fewer rights than her grandmother. As your next U.S. Senator, I will continue to fight to protect reproductive rights and ensure that abortion remains a decision — a deeply personal one — made by a woman and her doctor. And that’s why I won’t stop fighting until we pass a federal law protecting the right to an abortion.

• Border: Living in a border state, Arizonans understand the impacts of the border crisis better than anyone. For too long, gridlock in Washington by power-hungry politicians has gotten in the way of solutions. Just look at how politics got in the way of passing the bipartisan border deal from earlier this year that Senator Sinema brokered. I supported it because Arizona needs action to keep our communities safe. That’s why I’ve spent so much time on the border speaking with leaders who deal with the realities of the crisis, day in and day out. They agree we need solutions — more asylum judges, more resources, more border patrol agents, modernized ports, advanced technology to keep out fentanyl — and we need it now. While we take immediate steps to address the crisis, we also need to address the root cause and fix our broken immigration system. In the Senate, I’ll fight to get the job done.

What specific legislation, if any, should Congress pass to make life more affordable for ordinary Arizonans?

Arizonans are working incredibly hard, but they are still feeling the squeeze. On gas, groceries, rent, and car payments, Arizonans are struggling to afford the basic necessities, and I remember what that’s like. My mom did the best she could to raise me and my three sisters alone on a secretary’s salary.

That’s why I’m pushing to lower the cost of gas, groceries, and energy costs for Arizona families. Tax credits for working families with kids (known as the Child Tax Credit) are also a game changer – they would have been a godsend to my mom as she tried to put dinner on the table every night. I’ll keep fighting to expand the Child Tax Credit in the U.S. Senate, which would benefit 424,000 Arizona children in its first year.

But we also need to hold big corporations accountable and put Arizonans first. That’s why I already helped pass a law to lower drug prices for Arizona’s seniors and cap the price of insulin. I also passed legislation to scrap junk fees and put more than $10 billion back into the pockets of American families. I’ll continue to take on Big Oil and Big Pharma (with legislation like my Lower Drug Costs for Families Act) to lower the cost of gas and prescription drugs – they should not be making record profits on the backs of everyday Arizonans.

Apart from politics, what experience in your life most prepared you to be a U.S. senator?

My whole life, I’ve been driven by service. To my family. To my country. To Arizona. I worked whatever job I could find growing up — at a hot dog joint, a meatpacking plant, construction sites — to help my family make ends meet.

At the age of 20, I enlisted in the Marine Corps as an infantryman and deployed to Iraq, where my unit saw some of the worst combat of the war.

Both experiences taught me the true meaning of service and sacrifice. The importance of doing whatever it takes to get the job done. That if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. That we cannot send our men and women into harm's way without a plan to get them home, and the resources to readjust to civilian life once they make it back — all of which I will carry with me into the U.S. Senate.

Which recent political figure do you most admire, and why?

Congressman Harry Mitchell represents the epitome of public service. Born and raised in Arizona, he spent decades serving our state and always coming back to the core question: “How can I best help Arizonans?”. He worked with anyone to get the job done and passed some of the most meaningful laws in the last century. He put his political career on the line and voted for the Affordable Care Act, which protects the health care coverage of 1.1 million Arizonans with pre-existing conditions — even though extremists promised to run him out of Congress for it. His 21st Century GI Bill, the largest expansion of education benefits for veterans since WWII, was a game-changer for young veterans like those I served with. To this day, it helps brave men and women readjust to civilian life and find success after serving our nation. All along, Rep. Mitchell put country — and Arizona — over his party, and that’s exactly what I will do in the U.S. Senate.

Would you vote to eliminate the legislative filibuster or waive it under certain circumstances?

The filibuster is a procedural rule that is too often used to obstruct good legislation that Americans support. We already make exceptions for a variety of things: the debt ceiling, judicial confirmations, the budget.

I would also support waiving the filibuster in select instances to protect American civil rights. For example: to codify Roe v. Wade and protect abortion rights at the federal level. It’s also why I support an exception to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to make sure that everyone can cast their ballot and exercise their civil rights.

Are you confident the 2024 elections will be held securely and fairly? If not, what are your concerns?

Fair and free elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and I strongly believe that Arizona knows how to run elections. Democrats and Republicans, including Governor Ducey, said as much when election deniers claimed the 2020 election was stolen. I know the 2020 and 2022 elections were fairly decided and have no reason to expect this year’s elections will be any different.

Power-hungry politicians who sow doubt in our elections for personal gain do nothing but undermine our democracy and Arizonans’ right to vote. Their rhetoric is dangerous and un-American. I saw it firsthand on the House floor on January 6th. Traitors stormed the Capitol, assaulted our police, and tried to suppress the will of millions of voters — including Arizonans. Our democracy is sacred, and I will do everything I can to protect it.

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Green Party candidates

Arturo Hernandez

Arturo Hernandez did not provide a photograph or return Q&A responses.

Mike Norton

Name two big problems facing the state and how you would address them if elected.

I’m going to cheat and name four.

BIG PROBLEM ONE: Arizona used to be a great place to start and raise a family. Those days are gone. We suffer from skyrocketing costs of family-friendly homes, childcare costs are beyond the financial means of far too many (ifit’s even available), our K-12 schools are preposterously under-funded, and a college education now creates massive life-long debt for far too many. We should not be surprised to learn that birth rates have dropped so low that for the first time in our state’s history, there have been fewer school and preschool age children in this state each yearin this decade. Our population is rapidly expanding, at the same time that the number of children in this state is shrinking. That bodes poorly for our economic future. Super-Aging nations struggle badly. There are not nearly enough young people in the workforce to care for the needs of elder citizens. We already see evidence of that strain. There is a growing shortage of health-care workers as one prime example. Each year we do nothing about the problem, the problem intensifies and becomes harder to fix.

Multi-Pronged Solutions: A comprehensive plan must be implemented. It’s not possible to reverse this trend unless we solve each problem that stops young families from moving here or stops young adults from being able to start a family.

Homes: Free up all city- or county-owned land that is now frozen from development. Cities, counties and states hoard massive amounts of dormant land for no purpose. As just one example, the City of Phoenix has 5,500 dormant parcels. An Arizona Republic study of that dormant land found that just 1,500 of those parcels amounted to more than 2.3 Square Miles of vacant land. That land must be activated.

Enable Rapid Development: Remove unnecessary restrictions that delay or impede development.

Target Those Most In Need: Those who most badly require lower cost homes include young families and our senior citizens. Rapid-Development opportunities on free land must come with a requirement that developers target the markets most in need of the lower cost homes.

Child Care: Lower the cost of child-care by providing free or nearly free land and buildings. The same properties that local governments hold out of the new-home market can also be released for the purpose of providingfacilities for child care. Increased Tax Credits for Children: The amount of credits for children must be increased. Those eligible for credits must be expanded beyond the age of 18.

Education: Arizona should be ashamed of our miserly funding of schools. K-12 funding must be immediately restored to the levels that existed before 2010 with inflation adjustments added to that base.College in this State is supposed to be “free or as free as is possible.” We lost sight of that constitutional mandate long ago. Every student in this Nation should be able to attend a college in their own state wheretuition and books are free.

BIG PROBLEM TWO: Immigration, Our Border and International andDomestic Terrorists. I have a deeper understanding of international security and border issues than any other candidate for the Senate. Hardening our border must be accomplished. But a secure border is not even close to the conclusion of this project. Itis just one element of a comprehensive security network.

From the 1990s through the last decade, my companies frequently transported thousands of shipments of explosives and weapons systems in a single month. An enormous portion of those loads crossed international borders, including trips across the most dangerous border towns in Mexico and deep into areas that are well known for cartel violence.

Never in those 30+ years was a load hijacked. Never did we lose a load. Never did we suffer from any terrorist action. That was not just coincidence or sheer luck. It took an enormous, vibrant network of security and safety protocols to pull that record off. International security involves hardened borders, but that’s just one page in a very large book. I’ve written those books. And wrote them again — and again and again. I know that a great security network is only great for the moment. If it is not evolving and improving, it’s failing.

Because of our industry-leading reputation for security, I was invited to serve on a working committee for the Under Secretary of Defense focused solely on hardening the Department of Defense supply chain against terrorism. I was also one of the first members of DSAC (the Domestic Security Alliance Council — a public/private collaboration between the FBI, DHS and private industry). My invitation was special. I was the only DSAC member below $1 billion annual revenue. I was sought out and given an exemption from the minimum annual revenue rule solely because the DSAC leadership respected and sought my input on explosives transport security issues.

One final thing I learned. You cannot operate an effective international security network without partners on each side of every border. You will also soon learn that sometimes your partner is your ally. And sometimes your partner is your threat. The threat from within your own network is the most dangerous threat.

Solution: Post 9-11, those charged with securing our nation have done a remarkably good job. That does not mean we cannot improve our security and safety systems. Those now responsible would be the first tospeak up on that topic. We are never done. We can always get better. If we’re not getting better every day, someone will eventually exploit a vulnerability.We already have intelligence operatives working in the regions where terrorists thrive. Those operations cannot possibly be strong enough. We need to know what terrorists are thinking as soon as the terrorists havea new diabolical thought.There are already terrorists inside our borders. No, they did not necessarily sneak across the border. Many arrived here by airplane and simply stayed.While far more than these items are required, we must harden our borders (relying heavily on technology for surveillance), expand our foreign and domestic intelligence networks, and authorize those performingintelligence services in foreign countries to establish intelligence networks within the ranks of the terrorists.

BIG PROBLEM THREE: WOMEN’S RIGHTS I started law school with the first group of women allowed to become lawyers thanks to Title IX. I saw firsthand what an amazingly talented, educated and intelligent group of human beings had been blocked from practicing law before Title IX. That first group of 33 women attending Utah Law School absolutely set the world on fire aftergraduating.Over the last decade, the Republican Party that I left has done everything it could to reverse all of the progress made by advocates for women’s rights. They topped that off with their decades-long goal - to reverse Roe v. Wade. My position on women’s rights and women’s health is as simple and blunt as it gets: No person other than a woman should be allowed to make decisions about how or when or why that woman chooses to become pregnant (or not) or how, when or why she believes she should either complete or terminate herpregnancy; andWe must close the earnings gap between men and women.

BIG PROBLEM FOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE We have reached the “Life and Death” Point. Last summer was the hottest Arizona summer on record. Simultaneously we were stunned into recognizing that we’re on the verge of draining the reservoirs on the Colorado River. This summer has already broken the 2023 records. Yet one more year of “hotter than last year” events, which we gladly ignore once November cools us off.

Until we stop setting one new record after another, we have to assume that each year we’ll set another heat record. We can’t take much more. Our state will become uninhabitable in the summer if we wait much longer to act.At some point, we will suffer a massive failure of our electrical transmission grid. Whether demand causes the failure or terrorists cause the failure, the failure is going to happen. If our power system fails for more than a day, incredible levels of death will result. We can’t evacuate this state fast enough to avoid those deaths.

What specific legislation, if any, should Congress pass to make life more affordable forordinary Arizonans?

I will propose “Family Affordability” legislation. It will follow the discussion I offered tothe first question about problems facing our state.

Apart from politics, what experience in your life most prepared you to be a U.S. senator?

No Candidate for Federal Office Matches My Family’s Arizona Legacy.

My family members don’t just understand this state. We were instrumental in creating it. My ancestors were leaders of the brigade of 500 soldiers who won the Mexican American War in the Arizona Territory and in California. They literally created the “Santa Fe Trail” that took their brigade across the desert of Southern Arizona and on to Coronado Island where their mission was completed.My family members then built and operated the Ferry at Lee’s Crossing, which opened northern Arizona for pioneers for the first time. My ancestors settled many of the first Arizona towns. They built roads and dams necessary to settle them. Their many descendants still live here.

We didn’t just help create and settle this state. We helped create our state’s Constitution, then govern and lead it. The first governor of Arizona is a distant relative. Dozens of members of Congress have been and are my relatives. They include Democrats and Republicans.

(For example, the Udall family and the Lees are all my direct relations. They include Senator Mike Lee from Utah and his father, former U.S. solicitor general Rex Lee. When I include more distant relatives, other senators like Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake join the list.)

My favorite personal story about governing the often-wild West was told by my great-grandfather. Like his father, he served as the justice of the peace and school superintendent for Circleville, Utah. He talked about Robert LeRoy Parker — his family’s neighbor, whose cabin was just down the lane from theirs.

You know that guy as Butch Cassidy. My ancestors knew him as a former neighbor who always brought a small bag of silver coins to help fund the school whenever he made a brief visit with his family.

I Am Uniquely Qualified to Serve In Washington, D.C.

I’m an attorney with great experience on Capitol Hill. I spent most of two decades advocating on behalf of the mining explosives and defense industries and, in particular, those who transport the explosives and weapons systems this nation requires.

I have already written or co-written statutes, regulations and guidelines which became the law of the land – in the United States, Canada, Australia and Mexico. In every instance I successfully worked both sides of the political aisle.

I know the Senate Building inside out. I can walk the halls of the Rayburn Building without a map — something only a local will appreciate. I’m always well received. I left no enemies behind me. I maintained working relations with those who opposed my work. With the sole exception of Ruben Gallego, I’m the only Senate candidate already comfortable on the Hill and completely prepared to work on day one.

Which recent political figure do you most admire, and why?

Sandra Day O’Connor. Despite graduating third in her Stanford Law School class, she wasoffered no job by any firm. Rather than put up with a misogynist private sector, she moved toGermany to serve as an attorney for the U.S. Army during the post-WW II decade. Serving nearthe wall dividing East from West Germany and East from West Berlin. having been born in ElPaso and then lived on her family’s ranch in Southern Arizona, I can’t think of a more brilliantand solid thinker to call on to instill sense into our overly emotional border problems.

Would you vote to eliminate the legislative filibuster or waive it under certaincircumstances?

Waive under certain circumstances.

Are you confident the 2024 elections will be held securely and fairly? If not, what are yourconcerns?

I am concerned about our ability to conduct an efficient and secure election in 2024. Butmy concern is not for the reasons my Senate opponent Lake spews forth. Quite the opposite.I believe that Lake the Election Deniers have purposefully wreaked havoc on our electionworkers. They’ve driven so many qualified and experienced workers away that at some pointtheir bellowing about screwed up elections could actually become true (which is their specificgoal).

Eduardo Quintana (write-in)

Name the two biggest problems facing the state and how would you address them ifelected.

Two big problems facing the state are the climate crisis and related to that is the question of water. Arizona is running out of water, but the mining industry can pump unlimited amounts and foreign alfalfa farmers can pump or destroy as much as they want. This is not sustainable.

Both issues can be resolved by implementing the Green New Deal. “The Green New Deal will convert the decaying fossil fuel economy into a new, green economy that is environmentally sustainable, economically secure and socially just. The Green New Deal will guarantee full employment and generate up to 20 million new, living-wage jobs, as well as make the government the employer of last resort with a much-needed major public jobs program.”

What specific legislation, if any, should Congress pass to make life more affordable forordinary Arizonans?

Congress needs a complete do-over to take away the power from the corporations and the billionaires in this country and put it into the hands of the public.

Apart from politics, what experience in your life most prepared you to be a U.S. senator?

My life prepared me to represent the poor, the houseless, the hungry, the evicted, the hungry, the students indebted for life, lovers of peace not permanent war.

Since my days in college, organizing to end apartheid in South Africa and police brutality, followed by work to end the illegal wars in Central America in the 1980s to opposing Phelps Dodge Union-busting during the copper strike in the mid-'80s, then supporting working people for safety on the job at Hughes Aircraft, eventually becoming president of the Machinist Union Local #933, helping to organize unions in the Midwest turkey farms, organizing a neighborhood group under assault by TCE contamination from Hughes, the airport Authority, supporting the lawsuit, which eventually succeeded in winning over $120 million from the polluters for some of the victims.

I witnessed grinding poverty in Mexico where I was born and resisted returning even for a visit because it pained me to see desperately poor people begging to feed their children. Now, I see similar need increasing every day in this country moving to look like Calcutta, not Norway or Sweden.

I want to continue my lifelong project to make things better for people, for the planet, and for peace. My life and experience has provided me with a sensitivity to empathize with people to continue that work in the Senate.

Which recent political figure do you most admire and why?

I admire Jill Stein and Cornell West.

Would you vote to eliminate the legislative filibuster or waive it under certaincircumstances?

No answer.

Are you confident the 2024 elections will be held securely and fairly? It not, what are yourconcerns?

Whether the Republicans or the Democrats win the elections, the billionaires will win. We can vote them out of office, but we cannot vote them out of power.

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Republican candidates

Kari Lake

Kari Lake, who ran for Arizona governor in 2022 and is a former TV broadcaster, did not return Q&A responses.

Mark Lamb

Name the two biggest problems facing the state and how would you address them ifelected.

Two major issues facing Arizona are border security and the failed Biden economic policieswhich have destroyed family budgets.

To secure our border, we need to restore President Trump’s immigration and border policies.That involves completing the border wall, enforcing Title 8, reinstating the Remain in Mexicopolicy for asylum seekers, and empowering the Border Patrol to do their job effectively by givingthem the ability and tools necessary to shut down illegal immigration and control the border.Congress needs to do its part by passing a single issue border bill that provides the resourcesnecessary to secure our border. A high priority of mine would be to ensure that federal agenciesare working in close coordination with state and local law enforcement to present a united frontto fight the fentanyl and drug trade and human trafficking.

President Biden’s policies have destroyed our economy and made us more reliant on others,both friends and foe alike. We need to prioritize energy and economic independence bystimulating growth and by removing burdensome government regulations on businesses. Wecan't tax our way out of a poor economy and we can’t spend our way out of one either. I will domy part to insist the federal government lives within its means by slashing government spendingand balancing its budget. Lower taxes mean less money in the pockets of governmentbureaucrats and more in the family budgets of hardworking Arizonans. Reducing governmentoverreach in all areas of our lives will empower businesses to thrive and create jobs, ultimatelyleading to a stronger, more resilient economy.

What specific legislation, if any, should Congress pass to make life more affordable forordinary Arizonans?

We don’t need more laws, we need less government. There isn’t a single act of Congress thatcan unleash the power of individuals and our economy more than the simple act of limitinggovernment overreach and interference in our lives and businesses. We must demand that thefederal government balance its budget just as American families must do at the kitchen table.By reducing government regulation and corralling the federal bureaucracy we will power oureconomy and improve the daily lives of Arizonans and all Americans.

Apart from politics, what experience in your life most prepared you to be a U.S. senator?

My nearly 20 years in law enforcement have taught me how to restore balance and order in themost chaotic and dangerous of situations. That’s exactly what we need in Congress: to restorebalance and order in the most chaotic of situations. The ability to approach an issue and find asolution without regard to race, religion, politics or social standing or ideology combined with theon the job experience managing a law enforcement office with a $60 million budget and 600employees, has prepared me to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

Which recent political figure do you most admire and why?

I admire the courage and determination of our founding fathers in protecting freedom andindividual rights. Ronald Reagan’s temperament and lifelong dedication to fulfilling the ideals ofthe “city on the hill” has always impressed and inspired me as the contemporary embodiment ofthe focus and true grit of our founding fathers. Ultimately, after my eight years as the electedsheriff of Pinal County, I’ve learned that the best course of action is just to be myself.

Would you vote to eliminate the legislative filibuster or waive it under certaincircumstances?

I am comfortable with the current U.S. Senate rules allowing for a filibuster and the approval of60 of 100 Senators required for cloture.

Are you confident the 2024 elections will be held securely and fairly? It not, what are yourconcerns?

I believe it is the right and the responsibility of all Americans regardless of political affiliation tobe rightly concerned and ever vigilant when it comes to maintaining the security and honesty ofour elections. Some of my greatest concerns center on the use of federal only ballots, voteridentification, maintaining the integrity of early ballots, and the prompt counting and reporting ofall valid ballots on election day. While we can and must do more to protect the concept of oneperson, one vote, I am confident in our ability to compete and garner enough votes to win theprimary and general election.

Elizabeth Reye

Name two big problems facing the state and how you would address them if elected.

This state has a border sercity issue and also expenses getting out of control.  In Senate, I would vote for lower taxes and border bill to strengthen security.

What specific legislation, if any, should Congress pass to make life more affordable for ordinary Arizonans?

Tax reform.

Apart from politics, what experience in your life most prepared you to be a U.S. senator?

I grew up loving politics, following it closely.  That prepared me to enter the race.

Which recent political figure do you most admire, and why?

Ronald Reagan, for common sense.

Would you vote to eliminate the legislative filibuster or waive it under certain circumstances?

No.

Are you confident the 2024 elections will be held securely and fairly? If not, what are your concerns?

I believe there is reason for concern but feel they will be held securely and fairly. Most of the concern over election issues have been proven false.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's US Senate election: Where Lake, Gallego stand