Judy Schwiebert is poised to take one of Arizona LD 20’s State House Seats

Arizona Legislative District (LD) 20 is on the Democratic Party’s political radar for picking up seats this November.

Doug Ervin is in a rematch against incumbent Paul Boyer for the LD 20 Senate seat.

In the State House, Judy Schwiebert, a veteran educator, is poised, as a single shot candidate, to take one of the two seats there.

Her opponents are Shawnna “My husband is a State Supreme Court Justice” Bolick and Anthony “Please hide my police records” Kern.

Voting records demonstrate that both Republican Incumbents have not advanced the interests of the people.

They have voted to:

  • Discriminate against members of the LGBTQ Community.
  • Deny people housing assistance.
  • Allow the construction of the border wall without building permits.
  • Not fully fund public education.
  • Make the minimum wage lower for teenagers.
  • Make the ballot initiative process harder.
  • Let people use cell phones while driving.
  • Allow loaded firearms on school grounds.

Kern has also supported restricting a woman’s right to choose.

Judy Schwiebert would offer the voters of LD 20 an inclusive and forward direction compared to the reactionary and backward agendas of the two Republican Incumbents.

If elected, she would focus on:

  • Making smart investments in our public schools so that every student gets a quality education and teachers are treated with the respect they deserve.
  • Expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare, helping reduce costs, and protecting people with pre-existing conditions, including COVID.
  • Fostering a strong, modern economy that creates good-paying jobs, the opportunity for all, and a sustainable community for our children
  • Recovering from COVID by working to secure relief for small businesses, getting our children back to school as safely and soon as possible, and helping Arizona families get back on their feet

Ms. Schwiebert graciously took the time to respond to questions about her candidacy.

The questions and her responses are below.

 

 1) Please tell the voters three reasons they should pick you over any one of your general election opponents.

 

  • “I’ve spent my life in our community. This is where I raised my two now-grown sons, have been a community leader, and teacher for 27 years in our local public schools. This is my home, and I share my neighbor’s priorities.”
  • “Unlike the current representatives, I’m listening to my neighbors and will work together to address their concerns. That includes ensuring that every student gets a great education, wherever they go to school – and expanding access to affordable, quality healthcare and protecting people with pre-existing conditions. No one should have to go bankrupt because they get sick.”
  • “I will also prioritize our local businesses and the address the crisis facing hard-working people who have lost their jobs during this pandemic because everyday people are the ones who drive our economy.”

2) Please tell the voters at least three ways your opponents do not reflect the vision or direction of LD 20.

 “Instead of listening to our neighbors’ priorities, my opponents have:

  • voted against restoring the billions of dollars cut to Arizona public schools and shifted millions to wealthier school districts which have hurt teacher pay and increased class sizes.
  • voted to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for people’s pre-existing conditions, including COVID.
  • voted against increasing unemployment benefits and helping small businesses during the COVID pandemic.”

 

3) Please tell the voters at least three public policy issues you will advance if you are elected to the State Legislature.

We need to:

 

  • “Invest in public schools, raise teacher salaries, and address the teacher shortage crisis so that every student gets a great education, wherever they choose to go to school. This means at all levels, starting with pre-K. This pandemic has made clear how vital childcare as well as early childhood education is to our community. Career and technical education are also essential in our public schools if we are going to prepare a strong educated workforce we need to meet the needs of businesses and grow our economy. We need people in the trades and other specialized training certificates, but the legislature zeroed out funding for Maricopa and Pima Community Colleges which have been a pipeline for people who need an affordable way to go into these and other good, specialized jobs.”
  • “Expand access to quality, affordable healthcare for people of all ages and pre-existing conditions.”
  • “Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Women comprise over half the population of our country and should be guaranteed equal rights under our U.S. Constitution. It’s disgraceful that the Arizona legislature has refused to even bring a bill to ratify the ERA to the floor.”

 

 

4) Please tell the voters if you feel Doug Ducey should open a special session to deal with the urgent problems (like COVID 19, assistance to the most vulnerable, funding schools to safely reopen, legal reform) facing Arizona? Please explain.

 

  • “Yes. This is a critical time, especially for the many families who have lost a job or business through no fault of their own. Arizona’s unemployment insurance benefit of $240 per week is completely inadequate. Also, the state’s antiquated management system was not prepared for the enormous surge in claims. It is urgent that the legislature take action to update unemployment insurance as well as grants for small businesses, PPE, and other additional expenses needed to keep our schools and communities safe.”
  • Too many legislators have made the recommendations of public health experts into a political issue.  Now more than ever, we need to listen and work together to put people first. We need to be rowing in the same direction so we can get to other side of this crisis as quickly as possible, and fully re-open for the sake of our kids and our economy.”

 For more information on Ms. Schwiebert and her candidacy, please click on her webpage here, her Facebook Page here,  her Clean Elections Debate performance, her interview with Maricopa County School Superintendent Candidate Jeanne Casteen here, and her previous interview with Blog for Arizona here.

 

Please remember:

  • The General Election Day is on November 3. 2020. Please see the below graphic for all-important voting dates. 
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  • Check-in with the Secretary of State’s office where you live to verify your mail-in ballot was received, processed, verified, and counted.
  • Know the voter ID requirements in your state.
  • If you can, support Clean Election Candidates with a small contribution.
  • Also, please remember to stay informed on all the candidates and vote for all the offices on the ballot.
  • Also, remember to research all the ballot initiatives, sign to get them on the ballot if you support the measure, and vote on them as well.