Stable Families
Expertise and a Commitment to Public Education
David has spent his life studying, supporting and fighting for Arizona public schools. The premier education expert in Arizona, David attended Arizona public schools, has served them as a policy analyst, the Associate Superintendent for the State of Arizona, and as a professor training educators across the state. As a dad, he now sends his two daughters to Arizona public schools. It is time to elect not another self-anointed ‘education governor’ but to elect an educator as the next Governor.

Investing in Childhood
As Governor, David will increase access to high-quality early education and affordable child care programs, and expand statewide access to after school programs.

Early learning is profoundly beneficial to our young children. As Governor, David would support increased access to high-quality full-day pre-K programs. A child's brain develops rapidly during the first five years of life, especially the first three years. It is a time of rapid cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor development.

Research demonstrates that high-quality pre-K increases a child's chances of succeeding in school and in life. Children who attend high-quality programs are less likely to be held back a grade, less likely to need special education, and more likely to graduate from high school. They also have higher earnings as adults and are less likely to become dependent on welfare or involved with law enforcement. Classrooms where all children are prepared have higher learning productivity and classroom efficiency. More able children perform more capably in the classroom and enhance the learning of other children. Teachers spend more time working directly with children and less on classroom management.1

Quality, affordable child care is critical for families who struggle with the decision of one parent working or staying home to juggle the cost of childcare putting them at an economic disadvantage. For many Arizona families, quality child care has become too expensive or unattainable. Employees who have quality and affordable child care options are more stable and productive workers, which in turn makes Arizona more competitive when attracting business.

Protecting our Children
Arizona consistently ranks as one of the worst places in the United States to be a kid.

Our child welfare system is in a state of crisis. Almost every other state is seeing a steady decline in the number of children entering foster care, while Arizona is seeing the opposite. Foster care policy should be focused on strengthening families because we know that when families are given the tools, resources, necessary support, and financial security they can properly care for their children and eliminate the need for foster care altogether. These supports do not currently exist and with a prevalence of poverty wage jobs and the instability that comes from working poverty, we see our foster care rolls at unsustainable highs.

When child safety is a concern and children must be removed from an unsafe environment, our priority must be to ensure that every child is able to achieve lifelong permanency. No child should age out of the foster care system and every child should have a supportive adult in their life that they can call upon when things get difficult. Sadly, many of the children in Arizona foster care are left with no stable support system once they leave care.

There is nothing normal about being involved in the foster care system. Normalcy for these young people means participating in developmentally appropriate activities and that kids are given the love, attention, and security they deserve so they can reach their fullest potential as contributing members of society.

In addition to supporting families, frontline social workers need to know that we are there for them. Having consistent and reliable contact with a social worker is pivotal in the success of a foster child and when caseworkers are supported, they are able to develop deeper relationships with the children and better understand their issues and concerns.

Immigrant Families are Arizona Families
Arizona has suffered from Republican attacks on immigrants for over a decade. It has hurt our kids, our families and our economy. We must move on from the failed politics and policies of Joe Arpaio, Donald Trump and Doug Ducey and rebuild an Arizona that is inclusive, fair and open for business.

Immigrants are an essential cornerstone of Arizona’s economy. Immigrant-owned businesses generated $1.3B into the economy in 2014 and employed nearly 114,000 Arizonans in 2007; almost 22% of all Arizona entrepreneurs are foreign born. Immigrant households earned $21.4 billion or 13% of all income in Arizona in 2014, paid more than 1 in 8 dollars in state and local taxes, and contributed almost $2.7 billion into Social Security and Medicare.2

As Governor, David will stand with Dreamers and make sure that these young people - brought to this country as children and who represent the best of American values like hard work, sacrifice and service - are protected and allowed to live, work and study without fear. David supports treating these young Americans like any other young Arizonan and making sure basic supports like in-state tuition or a driver’s license are not obstacles to becoming the future business and civic leaders of our state. David will fight the mass deportation policies of Trump, Arpaio and Ducey and restore Arizona’s image as a place where immigrant contributions are valued and law-abiding families are protected.

Mexico is by far Arizona’s largest trading partner with over $17 billion in trade between Arizona and Mexico every year. While Ducey touts his travel junkets as helping to restore business relationships with Mexico, anyone who spends any amount of time in Mexico today knows how much damage Republicans and Ducey have done to Arizona’s reputation with Mexican leaders, business people and consumers. To truly undo the decades of damage Ducey and Republicans have done to our economy, Arizona must invest in deep alliances with everyday Mexicans and communicate how we are moving on from our failed past and attacks on Mexico. David will be the first bilingual and Latino governor in over 40 years and is committed to being Arizona’s loudest champion in Mexico and Latin America not just undoing the damage done but also promoting the business, trade and resources that Arizona has to offer. David will vigorously oppose Trump’s foolish wall and the further damage it would inflict on our border communities and economic partnerships.

David understands that the choice between border security and compassionate immigration policy is a false one. We can both keep Arizonans safe, vigorously punish drug and human smuggling while protecting immigrant families who have built lives here, play by the rules and are simply the next generation of Americans ‘yearning to breathe free.’ Further demonization and angry rhetoric from Republicans and Ducey won’t achieve any of these outcomes and the will of Arizonans is clear: the days of attacking immigrants in Arizona are over.

A Champion for Arizona Women
David is proud to have the endorsement of Planned Parenthood of Arizona. He trusts women to make their own healthcare decisions alongside their doctor – not politicians – and he will oppose any attempt to make it harder for women to access quality healthcare. David is an advocate for healthy families and will advance policies that support Arizona’s women, families and, ultimately the state as a whole.

David has been and will continue to be a strong voice in support of comprehensive health education, access to family planning and women’s health services, including access to legal and safe abortions, and policies that are inclusive, fair and that strengthen families.

When women succeed, Arizona succeeds. David also believes that our state will thrive under Equal Pay for Equal Work laws and that when women are given equal opportunity, they will succeed at every level. As Governor, David would push for equal pay legislation that levels the playing field for women in the workplace. A Garcia administration will partner with and encourage women-owned businesses and lead by example to hire the best and brightest women to help lead our state forward.

Fairness for ALL Families
David is committed to a government that fights discrimination and protects the civil rights of all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, immigration status, or gender identity.

As governor, David will make education his priority - including comprehensive, medically accurate, and age-appropriate health education for ALL Arizona students.

It is legal today in Arizona to fire someone simply for who they are or who they love.

Workplace discrimination hurts our economy, our state, and our people, and makes it more difficult to attract top-talent to Arizona. Arizona does not have a statewide law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. That is why, as Governor, David will sign an executive order prohibiting state employers and state contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender expression. David will also push for passage of a permanent law that protects LGBTQ Arizonans from discrimation at the workplace, in housing, and in public accomodations.

David will ensure protections against harassment within the executive branch are strong and work with legislators to require sexual harassment training and prevention programs for all state employees.

Protecting Outdoor Arizona for our Children and Families
As a commercial painter, David’s dad wasn’t able to take the Garcia kids on fancy vacations every year, but they always got out of town at least once per year, mostly on camping trips into the beautiful Arizona outdoors. David’s dad taught him a lesson that David now teaches his two girls, “leave it cleaner than you found it.” This message exemplifies the Arizona spirit when it comes the natural beauty we have been called to steward.

As Governor, David will fight to protect our natural resources, air and water that make Arizona a top tourist destination and are an important part of our outdoor heritage.

David believes that climate change is a real and urgent threat and that politicians who are doing nothing about it are putting all of us and future generations of Arizonans at risk. Not only does lack of action threaten the future of our state and the planet, it also ignores an enormous economic opportunity to make Arizona the nation’s leader in solar energy and that would put people to work in good-paying jobs and careers.

David believes that the best way to address the impacts of climate change is to embrace a plan to transition Arizona to a 21st Century clean energy grid and make Arizona the solar superpower it should be as rapidly as possible. David was the first statewide candidate to endorse the Clean Energy for Healthy Arizona initiative that will increase the amount of our energy that comes from renewable sources like wind and solar from 15% today to 50% by 2030. David knows this initiative will create thousands of good jobs and real careers across Arizona that pay well enough to support a family and will result in cleaner water, air, and better health outcomes for people.

This approach will sharply reduce toxic pollutants like carbon, mercury and sulfur dioxide. Doctors say this will dramatically reduce the rates of heart disease, asthma, respiratory diseases, and even cancer – especially for children and seniors. We have an obligation to do something now, so we don’t leave our children and grandchildren a planet that is damaged and polluted.

Healthy Families
David believes that healthcare is a fundamental right not a privilege. Trump’s attacks on Arizona’s health care coverage would have been a disaster and Doug Ducey supported Trump’s giveaways to the wealthy and corporations at the expense of Arizonans’ health. Ducey refused to stand up to Trump and to protect Arizona health care coverage. David, on the other hand, supports Arizonans being able to see a doctor when they get sick and believes that Arizona should begin moving towards Medicare for All. In the meantime, Arizona has a cost-efficient and successful Medicaid program that should be expanded and made available to healthier and younger Arizonans who choose to buy in.

David understands that it’s not just about putting people on insurance or getting them to the doctor. It’s about improving quality of life for our families, reducing disease, and building a productive economy for the long run. We need to build a better health system across the board, from our hospitals and doctors offices, mental and behavioral health system to our environmental policies, to our schools, nursing homes, and community centers.

David will fight to maintain the historic protections in the Affordable Care Act like ensuring those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, making sure lifetime caps are never allowed to return and that essential health care benefits actually include basic and necessary health treatments. David will fight to expand the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to ensure it covers the working poor or those who make too much to qualify today but not enough to afford insurance on the marketplace; he will also work to make sure AHCCCS covers all mental and behavioral health care needs. David will fight to expand the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to ensure it covers the working poor, healthier and younger Arizonans who chose to buy in or those who make too much to qualify today but not enough to afford insurance on the marketplace; he will also work to make sure AHCCCS covers all mental and behavioral health care needs. David will fight to make sure that if something catastrophic happens to a loved one, the family won’t face the choice between bankruptcy or healthcare.

Good Jobs & A Fair Economy
Working Families First
David Garcia is running for Governor to fight for working families and against a rigged economy. Too many Arizonans are forced to rely on working two and three jobs and too many people are living paycheck to paycheck without achieving financial security. Not only is this unfair, it contributes to the systemic problem of financial and family instability. Instability robs children and families of opportunities for upward mobility and limits our ability to give children the chance to achieve the American dream – and do better than their parents.

A fair economy means investing in diverse businesses, fighting for equality in the workplace and creating opportunities to lift families out of poverty. In Arizona, we have suffered under decades of self-serving politicians looking out for themselves and those at the top. They have allowed the big corporations and special interests to rig the system. Fairness is the backbone of an economy that eliminates poverty wages and advances prosperity for every family. As Governor, David will focus on creating good jobs and real careers – not dead end poverty jobs.

We need to put Arizona first which means investing in and supporting Arizona businesses and entrepreneurs every chance we get. It means prioritizing and encouraging the use of local businesses for public contracts and encouraging local investment in Arizona innovation. Putting Arizona first means that we have a 15-county strategy that invests beyond Maricopa and Pima Counties and identifies and supports the economic engines in the rural parts of our state. One way to grow our agricultural economy is to improve sustainable agriculture and value-added agriculture practices, including craft breweries, vineyards, locally grown and made products, and farmers markets. Arizona’s agriculture industry already has a $23 billion impact on our state’s economy and there’s more room to grow. Improving sustainable irrigation techniques through technology will also benefit farm driven communities.

Arizona's ability to sustain long-term growth depends on the ability for businesses to connect with the rest of the global economy through high-capacity broadband. We must remove the barriers that inhibit expansion of high-speed digital infrastructure that meets the needs of all Arizonans. This lack of infrastructure investment disproportionately impacts our rural and tribal communities. In our 21st century economy, dependable high-speed internet access is a necessary tool for nearly all workers and businesses.

Arizona tribes should be an integral part of our economic development strategy. David is committed to ensuring that tribes receive the benefits of all our economic development efforts and infrastructure investments while respecting tribal sovereignty and supporting the needs of each unique tribe.

A clean energy economy will create thousands of jobs, many of them in rural Arizona. It will also curb the cost of energy and will attract manufacturing and energy intensive industries. As we work to get more clean energy in our state, we will need a larger and well-trained workforce. As renewable energy and energy efficient technologies grow, state government needs to work with the private sector and labor partners to identify the necessary skills and education needed to support this industry.

Make Arizona a Solar Superpower
Arizona should be a solar superpower. We are not because monied and powerful local utility interests have bought and paid for politicians who do their political bidding, at our expense. Our utility rates go up and corporate profits soar while rooftop solar is stalled and innovation is stifled. We must leverage our natural resources and assets, working together across sectors, to build an economy for every worker. Let’s imagine more for our state and create an economy that leads the world in advanced energy jobs and local innovation.

David was the first statewide candidate to endorse the Clean Energy for Healthy Arizona initiative. A ballot measure that will increase the amount of our energy that comes from renewable sources like wind and solar to 50% by 2030.

Arizona's Tech Future
Arizona must be able to compete with any state or country by having the most competitive economic development tools possible while encouraging innovation, business attraction, retention and growth. We must move on from our over-reliance on real estate economies that put us in a deeper decline during the Great Recession. We need to invest in a diverse economic landscape. We will implement a sector-based strategy to drive investment, growth, and jobs in industries that are growing and have growth potential including aerospace, biosciences, cybersecurity, energy, defense, optics and photonics. These kinds of technology jobs are well-paying careers and the kind of smart economic growth Arizona needs.

Investing in a Competitive and Dynamic Workforce
The best way to create jobs is to invest directly in workers.

As Governor, David will fight for universal community college for all Arizonans seeking a degree or certificate which will develop the high-skilled workforce that Arizona needs to attract and support the high-wage economy of the future. An economy where good jobs are common place and prosperity is shared.

As a teacher and professor, David has seen how a good education changes lives for generations. After serving in the Army, David was able to receive a college education at an affordable public university with the help of the GI Bill. But Ducey’s policies have created a tuition crisis. Arizona tuition hikes are among the highest in the country and state support for community college has been completely eliminated. Rising student debt is crushing Arizona’s middle-class families.

While Arizona’s university system gets most of the attention, most high school students begin their postsecondary aspirations at a community college, particularly in underserved and rural communities. It’s where students get their credentials to become police officers or firefighters. Where radiology technicians and Licensed Practical Nurses get their training. Where assembly line workers learn new skills that allow them to move into precision manufacturing jobs. It’s where education and industry work together to identify the jobs of the future and develop the training necessary to provide a skilled workforce.

Two-thirds of future jobs will require some type of postsecondary education, with many of those jobs in high-skilled careers that don’t require a 4-year degree but may require a vocational or technical certificate. Community college provides an opportunity for Arizonans whose jobs have been displaced to retool for a new career. And people who earn an associate’s degree or certificate earn more than people with a high school degree. Households with a college education will make over $1 million more than their counterparts with only a high school education over the course of their lifetimes.

The idea is simple. Invest in Arizonans to complete an Associate’s Degree or certificate in two years. The degrees should lead to entrance in a university and the certificates should focus in high-demand, high-skill areas. These skilled workers then enter the workforce without a suffocating debt burden and are able to contribute to Arizona’s economy for the rest of their careers.

After an initial investment to help Arizonans get an education, this proposal pays for itself as more people are able to fill and create high wage jobs, contributing back to Arizona’s economy over the course of their long careers.

The proposal is a shared commitment between the state investing in students and students themselves having skin in the game. Students must pay for living expenses and commit the time and energy to stay on track to complete their degree. New York, Tennessee, Arkansas, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon – many of these states led by Republican governors - have passed free community college initiatives. Many more states will follow suit and will lead the way in attracting and developing a diverse, high-skill, high-wage economy. Arizona cannot be left behind.

Once two-year degrees and certificates are accessible to all Arizonans, we will begin opening the doors to our four-year public universities. Big ideas like these are the only way to make Arizona competitive, dynamic and able to serve all Arizonans, not just a few. It’s time to take the next step forward in Arizona to build a better future for our state and our people.

Honest & Effective Government
Putting an End to Ducey's Corruption
Arizona was ranked the most corrupt state in the U.S. according to a recent Harvard Study.1 Ducey was elected with millions in dirty dark money whose agenda and wealthy special interests are still to this day not fully understood. His college friend and top Arizona lobbyist was indicted for bribery schemes that raised our utility rates. Six of his agency directors have been fired or are under investigation for malfeasance. Every month we learn more about shady procurement practices, crony kickbacks and insider deal-making. Just like Trump, Ducey used unscrupulous business practices to get rich and then to finance his political career and is now using elected office in service to himself, his wealthy friends and supporters. We need a Governor for the people, not the powerful.

Ducey has done nothing to reduce corruption and, in fact, has eliminated public reporting and transparency requirements that might reveal pay-to-play activities.

David and his team will work for you, the citizens. We have an obligation to you to be honest and trustworthy. The Garcia Administration will restore accountability and transparency to the Executive Office. We will accept no lobbyist campaign contributions and will work to advance policies and legislation that hold state government accountable. We will fight for everyday Arizonans and end the days of state government serving only those who can pay to have a seat at the table.

The Courage to Stand up for Public Safety
David enlisted in the United States Army at 17, turning 18 in basic training. He served as an expert marksman and infantryman and knows firsthand what military style assault weapons are designed to do and the damage they can inflict in the wrong hands. David is a strong supporter of your 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. However, David believes that right, like others, comes with responsibility. David joins responsible gun owners across the country in calling for reasonable and common sense reforms that would protect the public.

As Governor, David would call for universal background checks on all gun sales and would close the so called ‘gun show loophole’ that allows for people who would not be able to pass a criminal background check to purchase a gun, preventing domestic abusers and other predators from gaining access to weapons.

Likewise, after San Bernadino, Las Vegas, Florida and the multiple other mass shootings, it is time that weapons of war no longer be allowed in civilian life. David was trained to use these weapons and understands what they are designed to do. A ban on assault weapons is an appropriate step in protecting kids, schools and the public from those who wish to inflict maximum harm.

David will stand with the student organizers who are mobilizing around the issue and actively engage in discussions with the education community about how best to keep all our kids safe.

Finally, David pledges to take no contributions from the National Rifle Association.

Fighting for Our Democracy
Democracy means every Arizonan having a voice, and being heard when the most important decisions facing out state are made. Voting is the foundation of our democracy. The right to vote - and to have your vote counted - is sacred.

Ducey and Arizona election administrators failed to protect our elections in 2016. We saw long lines that made national headlines, our voter database targeted by foreign actors, and consistent miscommunication or outright incorrect information sent to voters. David is committed to making sure Arizona elections are trusted, safe and secure while making sure every eligible Arizonan has access to voting. David supports election modernization efforts that will make voting safer, more secure and more accessible.

Voter registration systems in Arizona are outdated and error-prone, blocking thousands of eligible Arizonans from casting a ballot. Too many Arizonans attempt to vote but find themselves left off the rolls, deleted or purged. Automatic Voter Registration will modernize our voter registration system, bringing us into the 21st Century and ensuring that all eligible Arizonans can cast their vote. In particular, automatic voter registration would save taxpayer money, increase electoral accuracy and voter participation while making sure our elections are safer and more secure against attacks.

Keeping Families Together through Responsible Criminal Justice Solutions
Under Ducey’s failed leadership, Arizona has risen to 4th highest in mass incarceration in the nation.

Mass incarceration is a tremendous social and financial drain on our communities. Arizona’s jails and prisons have become an inefficient and costly substitute for addiction and mental health treatment; and money that could go to public education, healthcare, and community-oriented crime prevention instead goes to prop up a failing prison system.

Arizona’s corrections system is in shambles. The recidivism rate has risen to an all-time high of 50%. Incarceration of women is on the rise, with the majority of women behind bars for non-violent, low-level drug offenses. We cannot continue to waste money - and lives - propping up this failed system. David will bring new leadership to this crisis and implement best-practice alternatives to costly incarceration such as drug treatment, community service, and family counseling.

Arizona is in the midst of an opioid crisis, yet Governor Ducey has done little to address the problem. Instead of focusing on front-end interventions, such as treatment and diversion, Arizona continues to lock up drug offenders at an alarming rate. We need a Governor who understands the reality that far too many Arizonans are facing. Incarceration does not result in people overcoming their addictions, and the threat of a harsher sentence for a subsequent conviction does nothing to make people clean and sober.

We aren’t going to build a better future for our state by tearing families apart with counterproductive - and costly - prison sentences. Investments in early childhood education can lead to reduced incarceration later in life. When we fail to educate our young people, we set them up for a dramatically worse future. That’s common sense, but it’s also supported by mountains of data and research. David will get our priorities back on track.^[29]

Safety and Security for All Arizonans
Just a few years ago, families were hurting, and Arizona was $1 billion in the red. Today, Arizona is growing, and we are investing in what matters most — like K-12 education and public safety.

Whether it’s taking the fight directly to the cartels on our southern border, combating the scourge of addiction, reducing recidivism in our prisons, or ensuring that law enforcement has the resources they need to properly investigate sexual assaults, Doug is working every day to ensure the safety and security of all Arizonans.

Border Security
Immediately after his swearing in, Doug got to work creating the Arizona Border Strike Force – a partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement to enhance security along Arizona’s southern border, aimed at drug cartels and human traffickers. Working directly with our border sheriffs, federal agencies, and now the Arizona National Guard, we have made 3,199 arrests and seized over $10 million in cash and tens of thousands of pounds of meth, marijuana, and heroin.

Doug will continue the fight against these criminals over the next four years – bringing more resources and technology to our border.

Justice for Sexual Assault Victims
Doug helped survivors of sexual assault by reducing the state’s backlog of untested rape kits with a plan now in place to totally eliminate the backlog. Eight rapists have already been caught and are now facing criminal charges as a result of the kits being tested.

Opioid Epidemic
This year, Doug signed the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act, a comprehensive and bipartisan legislative package aimed at saving lives by combating the opioid epidemic from all angles.

The legislation will:

• Improve access to substance abuse treatment for all Arizonans, including the uninsured or underinsured
• Enhance education for opioid prescribers
• Crack down on forged prescriptions, pill mills, and manufacturers who defraud the public about their products
• Limit the first-fill of an opioid prescription to five days for patients new to opioids, with exemptions that protect chronic pain suffers, cancer, trauma or burn patients, hospice or end-of-life patients, and those receiving medication assisted treatment for substance use disorder.

Child Safety
The troubled Department of Child Safety (DCS) had more than 16,000 inactive cases in their backlog when Governor Doug Ducey took office. Under the governor’s leadership, the agency has been turned around. Now, the backlog is cleared, DCS has safely reduced the number of kids in foster care by over 20% and the agency has been given an “Excellence for Children” award by national foster-care nonprofit Casey Family Programs.

Catching Child Support Evaders
Doug’s program to catch child support evaders by posting their information on social media has resulted in over 100 deadbeat parents now making their payments totaling over half a million dollars.

More Money for Schools
Just a few years ago, families were hurting, and Arizona was $1 billion in the red. Today, Arizona is growing, and we are investing in what matters most — like K-12 education and public safety.

Investing in the health, safety, and success of our schools is paramount to the long-term success of our State. That is why Doug has made school safety and school funding his primary focus.

School Safety
Following the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida, Doug brought together parents, students, teachers, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and mental health experts to draft the Safe Arizona Schools Plan. This common-sense, multifaceted solution puts more cops on campuses across Arizona, increases the number of school counselors, creates a central tip-line for reporting safety concerns and provides further tools to keep those with severe mental health issues from possessing a gun. Further, it improves the background check system while protecting our rights preserved under the Second Amendment.

Improving Education
Doug believes a quality K-12 education system is the most important thing we can do to ensure Arizona kids have a strong and secure future. His focus is on increasing our investment in public education and improving results in the classroom.

That’s why he has increased education funding every year in office, for a total of $2.7 Billion – all without raising taxes. This includes:

• A 20% teacher pay increase by school year 2020.
• Prop 123, the bi-partisan effort that injected $3.5 billion over 10 years into Arizona’s K-12 schools.
• Restoring recession-era cuts to school funding — $371 million over the next five years — that can be used for support staff, textbooks, technology, and other school improvements.
• The Arizona Teachers Academy, created to attract new teachers by allowing aspiring teachers the ability to finish college debt-free if they commit to teach in an Arizona school.
• Being the first state to pass the American Civics Act – a new law requiring all high school students to pass the same civics test any new naturalized citizen has to pass in order to graduate.

Doug wants to see more dollars go to the classroom, and continue to drive up teacher pay, while investing in other key priorities like career and technical education and high-speed broadband in our rural and tribal schools.

Jobs and Economic Security
Just a few years ago, families were hurting, and Arizona was $1 billion in the red. Today, Arizona is growing, and we are investing in what matters most — like K-12 education and public safety.

It’s no secret that Arizona’s economy is finally on the right track. When Doug ran in 2014, he promised to “shrink a government and grow an economy,” and that’s exactly what he has done.

Key Accomplishments

• Balancing the budget: Drawing on his private-sector business experience, Doug balanced Arizona’s $1 billion budget deficit his first year in office without raising taxes. He reduced the size of government, consolidated agencies, cut needless regulations and red tape, fired the state’s taxpayer-funded lobbyists, AND cut wait times at government agencies like the Motor Vehicle Division.
• Adding new jobs: Last year, under Doug’s leadership, Arizona reached a major milestone: We fully recovered all of the jobs lost during the Great Recession. So far, we have added about 240,000 new jobs. And since 2015, more than 300 companies have chosen Arizona to relocate their business.
• Economic security: Over the last three years, our unemployment rate has dropped to 4.5% — the lowest level in a decade. Wage growth is the third fastest in the country — up 7% — and our state’s credit rating has improved. All of this is evidence that Arizona is open for business and government is getting out of the way of the private sector.
• Tax relief and reform: In addition to cutting nearly 700 needless and burdensome regulations — equivalent to a $50 million tax reduction — Doug has reformed and simplified the tax code every single year he has been governor. Arizonans are now keeping more of the money they earn.

Securing Our Future
Doug is a relentless advocate for Arizona. He will continue recruiting businesses to move here and breaking down barriers that keep people from meaningful work. It’s one reason economists project Arizona will add another 150,000 jobs in just the next two years.^[29]