Sharon Winters Hopes to Carry Battleground LD13 State Senate Seat for the Democrats

Arizona Legislative District (LD) 13 is a battleground district Democrats are looking to fully secure for their party this year. 

Running for the Senate seat against Republican J.D. Mesnard is educator, businesswoman, and best-selling writer Sharon Winters. 

A strong proponent of Pragmatic Progressive policies, Ms. Winters is running to:

• Protect reproductive rights.
• Fully fund public schools.
• Safeguard the right to vote.

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

The questions and her responses are below. 

• Please tell the readers at least two reasons you have decided to run for the Arizona State Senate in LD 13.

“I’m all for reproductive rights and I’d like to see reproductive rights protected in an amendment to our constitution. I’m also all about public education. I want our students to have a free public education that will prepare them for a career.”

• Please tell us what are at least three issues you will be running on in this election cycle. 

“The three issues I will be running on are reproductive rights, public schools, and teacher pay. I have a long list of reasons why I’m running but I’m just going to start with those three.”

“Well, it’s very important that we have a strong public education, and we are losing 25% of our teachers every year. We need to pay our teachers a living wage, a wage they can live on so that they stay and so our children can have a good education. And we need our teachers. Teachers do more than teach. They motivate. They inspire. They listen to children’s problems. We need our teachers who really love educating our students. Without a good education, we will not have people who can supply what we need and become the people who give us services like doctors, lawyers, and even musicians or entertainers. People who can go into a career after they graduate from high school. They may want to go into a two-year program or a four-year program. We have four-year programs now at our community colleges. Twenty-two of them. So important for students to get a good education.”

“I would like to restructure the voucher system. I would like to eliminate the private school tax credit which now gives an overflow tax credit of $1,535 to a couple filing jointly.”

“I’d also like to repeal the AEL, The Aggregate Expenditure Limit. I’d love to do that, too.”

Funding Border Security.

“I believe it is a federal issue and in the Federal Immigration Act, they have a section called 287g. That section says that the Homeland Security people can come here and deputize law enforcement officials to protect our border and that is available as a federal option.”

Funding Law Enforcement

“Yes, we need law enforcement. At the state level we need our sheriffs. We need our police. We need these people.”

• Why should voters pick you over your Republican opponent? Please give a couple of reasons. 

“Well, my opponent supported the 1864 ban on abortion. He also has two initiatives that I believe will be on our ballot unless he retracts them. One is 1041 which will take away voters’ rights because this initiative calls for a voter who wants to put an initiative on the ballot now to first verify that the proposal is not against the Arizona Constitution and it’s not against the US Constitution. How expensive would that be and how would someone go about that? This is not a law. An initiative is not a law. And it’s my understanding that laws, amendments, and cases go to the courts. Not an initiative, which is a proposal and how would you find out if an initiative is against the US Constitution without bringing it in front of the US Constitution? And do you have to hire attorneys? Probably.”

“The other initiative that my opponent proposes is to lower the hourly wage of tipped workers That would be your bus boys and your restaurant servers. Anybody who is tipped they want to lower. That wage isn’t even at minimum wage. And he’s saying that because they get tipped. That should make up for anything taken away from their hourly wage.”

As for me, voters should favorably consider that I’m a very strong supporter of unions and five unions have endorsed me, including the AFL-CIO.”

“Unions are like an extended family. They watch your back. And unions fight for people to have a living wage. A wage that they can live on not these wages where you struggle and unions have apprenticeship programs. Now you do have to have a high school diploma or a GED in order to get into an apprenticeship program. But once you get into an apprenticeship program, you can earn while you learn. And in the 50s unions were strong and one person could support a family. That isn’t necessarily true today unless you have joined a union and they are helping you along with your wages, and your pension. And most of these unions also have something that will provide for your health care.”

“I have also worked as a special education teacher. Three years in Illinois and three years in Texas. One of those schools was a Barrio School in San Antonio. And in New Mexico, I taught third grade at a tribal school.”

“I also have a background in law.”

• Please explain how your campaign will persuade, Democrats, Independents, and like-minded Republicans like McCain Republicans to support you and turn out for you.

“Well, have a great team and they are knocking on doors. We are making phone calls to voters. We are passing out literature to get my name out there and what I stand for and what I propose to do as a senator.”

• Is there anything you would like to readers to know about your candidacy for the LD 13 State Senate Season or yourself? Please explain.

Well as a senator, I would love to be in there and propose legislation that will help all of the people in Arizona to have good wages, good health care, and a high-quality life. And we need to have a Democratic majority so we can get this legislation passed that will help the quality of life of all people in Arizona, the seniors, the children, the workers. Everybody!”

Please click here to find out more information on Sharon Winters and her candidacy for the LD 13 State Senate Seat.