ARIZONA, USA — The Arizona primary is fast approaching on August 2, and 12News is profiling candidates for the major statewide races: Governor and U.S. Senate.
On the ballot for the Democratic party’s nomination for governor includes current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs against Marco Lopez.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: El perfil del candidato: Marco López, candidato demócrata a la gobernatura de Arizona
Meet the Candidate: Marco Lopez
Marco Lopez was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy in March 2021.
But it’s far from the first time he’s run for office.
“My first race I ran, I was 21 years old,” Lopez said. “And the voter engagement really mattered.”
Lopez won that election and became the Mayor of Nogales in 2001.
He then served former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Arizona’s Department of Commerce Director.
Lopez then served as Chief of Staff at Customs and Border Protection under the Obama Administration but left to start his own business. Now, Lopez runs a business consulting firm.
“We got to make sure that we have the best candidate with the best chances to win in the general,” Lopez said.
However, the latest polling from May 2022 shows Lopez is behind his opponent, current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. That poll also showed about 40 percent of respondents were undecided.
“We’ve got to make sure that people understand that the most important decision is indeed August 2,” Lopez said. “Otherwise, sadly, I think we’re going to get a Republican governor for the next term.”
If elected, what is your number one legislative priority?
Lopez said his legislative priority would be education, adding more money is needed to invest in the state’s schools.
“I propose a $2.5 billion increase in our educational investment program, from early childhood development to investments in apprenticeships, Community College and the skilled workforce so that we can build that up as well,” Lopez said.
What is your primary policy goal to control the rising cost of living in AZ, including housing and rent?
Experts and state agencies have estimated Arizona is short more than 150,000 homes. Arizona’s director of the Department of Housing told 12News last year, that Maricopa County alone was short about 150,000 units, and the state was short another 100,000 on top of that.
Lopez said that if he’s elected, he’d address the shortage with investments from the state.
“We're going to invest $500 million of the leftover stimulus funds so that we can spark homebuilding throughout our state, leverage that, and try to diminish that cost. But also provide assistance for those that have been priced out during the pandemic,” Lopez said.
Lopez also added additional assistance for those evicted, whether through legal assistance or securing additional time for eviction notices.
Arizona continues to face a serious teacher shortage and large classroom sizes. What is the next step for the legislature to address those problems?
Lopez said the Arizona Legislature didn’t go far enough to address school funding, specifically by not addressing the aggregate expenditure limit.
The aggregate expenditure limit, also known as AEL, is a constitutional cap in Arizona that limits how much money schools can spend. The current budget signed by Governor Doug Ducey would require the lawmakers to lift the cap again for this school year so schools can spend the money allocated to them.
Lopez believes teacher salaries need to increase to help cut the shortage of teachers in the state, which he believes will help cut classroom sizes.
“It's really about the equity throughout our districts in all 15 counties and 22 tribes. This is why it actually calls for a $2.5 billion investment. It sounds like a lot of money. But that's how much we need to make sure that every child regardless of where they live has an opportunity to learn, to have a quality teacher in the classroom,” Lopez said.
Adding too, lowering standards for who can teach Arizona students isn’t the right way to close the shortage.
“We need qualified skilled teachers in the classroom, teaching our students, which are our next generation of leaders. That's what we should be doing. We shouldn't be taking shortcuts. We don't expect our kids to take shortcuts when they're in the classroom. We shouldn't be expecting these politicians to be taking shortcuts so that they can rush people, individuals, call them teachers and put them in the classroom. That's not acceptable,” Lopez said.
Should law enforcement in the state have the authority to monitor communications, apps and mail related to abortion services, including the abortion pill?
Lopez said he does not believe law enforcement should have access to monitor communications related to abortion services.
If he’s elected Governor, he wants to see abortion laws in Arizona changed.
“We have an obligation as leaders to defend a woman's right to choice to choose to have an abortion. It is their personal right. As Governor, I will defend that right. We're going to codify that right into the Arizona Constitution. And any attempt to villainize track, spy on women, or on families, doctors, nurses, health care providers, that are providing that service is unacceptable,” Lopez said.
In recent weeks, we’ve heard additional testimony, including from those in the former president’s inner circle acknowledging the 2020 election was secure and fair. What would you do, if anything, to maintain election integrity?
While Lopez said any law violations should be addressed in the judicial system, there’s been no evidence to prove conspiracy theories that the election was not secure and fair.
“In all of these cases of claim fraud, there's never been any evidence, evidence is, is key in this democracy in our judicial system, evidence and facts, and none of them have been presented. And so we've got to make sure that we are also a state in a country that understands and appreciates truthfulness,” Lopez said.
Decision 2022
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