Debbie Lesko

American politician (born 1958)

Debbie Lesko

Official portrait, 2022

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th district

Incumbent

Assumed office
May 7, 2018
Preceded by| Trent Franks
President pro tempore of the Arizona Senate
In office
January 9, 2017 – January 8, 2018
Preceded by| Sylvia Allen
Succeeded by| John Kavanagh
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 21st district
In office
January 12, 2015 – January 8, 2018
Preceded by| Rick Murphy
Succeeded by| Rick Gray
Member of the
Arizona House of Representatives
In office
January 9, 2009 – January 12, 2015
Preceded by| Bob Stump
Succeeded by| Tony Rivero
Constituency| 9th district (2009–2013)
21st district (2013–2015)
Personal details
Born|

Debra Kay Lorenz

(1958-11-14) November 14, 1958 (age 65)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party| Republican
Spouse(s)|

Jeffrey Ignas

(m. 1985; div. 1993)​

Joe Lesko
Children| 3
Education| University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
Website| House website

Debbie Lesko's voice

Debbie Lesko honors Sandra Day O'Connor
Recorded December 12, 2023

Debra Kay Lesko (/ˈlɛskoʊ/ LESS-koh; née Lorenz; born November 14, 1958) is an American politician who has represented Arizona's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018. The district is in the West Valley portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area and includes Glendale, Surprise, Sun City, Peoria, and part of western Phoenix. A member of the Republican Party, Lesko previously served in the Arizona State Legislature from 2009 to 2018.

Lesko served in the Arizona Senate from 2015 to 2018. She was president pro tempore of the Arizona Senate from 2017 to 2018.[1] Lesko also served as a member of Arizona House of Representatives from 2009 until 2015. She became the Representative for Arizona's 8th congressional district after winning a 2018 special election.[2]

In October 2023, Lesko announced she would not seek reelection in 2024.[3] She later announced a run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors representing District 4.[4]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Lesko was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Her parents are Donald and Delores Lorenz. She received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved to Arizona in the 1980s, where she owned a construction sales business.[5] In 1985, she married Jeffrey Allen Ignas.

### Legal issues

[edit]

This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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In 1988, Lesko was charged with a misdemeanor in Conroe, Texas, for tampering with government records. The case was dropped in 1994. Also in 1988, Lesko's then-husband Jeffrey Allen Ignas was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud. He was released from prison in 1992.

In October 1992, Lesko and Ignas filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection. The couple was sued twice in 1993: for failure to pay a $10,000 rental equipment bill and for an additional unpaid $11,000 bill. They filed for bankruptcy again that year.

Ignas was allegedly abusive to Lesko, reportedly punching her in the stomach when she was pregnant. Later in 1993, Lesko filed for divorce.

In 1994 the second bankruptcy protection case was closed.[6] Ignas, now known as Jeffrey Allen Herald, was again incarcerated at the Arizona Department of Corrections, and released in June 2022 on supervised probation.

Lesko later married Joe Lesko.[5] She has used other names, including Debbie Harris, Debra Ignas, Debra Schultz, Debra Howard and Debra Kay Lorenz. Her name changes were associated with Ignas, who also went by different names.[6][7]

## Early career

[edit]

This section needs expansion with: information about Arizona Legislature. You can help by adding to it. (January 2021)

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In the early 2000s, Lesko became involved in the Peoria Unified School District where she served on the district's community committee. In 2006, she ran for school board. Lesko was endorsed by U.S. Representative Trent Franks. She placed fourth out of five candidates. She participated in school board meetings and was a contributor to The Arizona Republic. Her contributions to the newspaper included opinion pieces about illegal immigration and domestic violence.[6]

On November 4, 2008, Lesko was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives. She was reelected in 2010 and 2012.[8]

In 2014, Lesko was elected to the Arizona State Senate. She was endorsed by the Arizona Police Association, AZ Right to Life, and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. She ran unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democratic nominee Carolyn Vasko in the general election. In 2016, she ran unopposed in the primary and general election.[8]

## U.S. House of Representatives

[edit]

### Elections

[edit]

#### 2018 special election

[edit]

Main article: 2018 Arizona's 8th congressional district special election

On December 20, 2017, Lesko announced she would run in the special election to replace Representative Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. Her state senate district included the bulk of the congressional district. She also announced her resignation from the Arizona Senate.[9] Although Arizona's resign-to-run laws allowed her to remain in the state senate since she was running in a special election (and she was in the final year of her term in any event), she resigned on January 8, 2018.[10]

Lesko won the Republican nomination and faced the Democratic nominee, physician Hiral Tipirneni, in the special general election on April 24.[11] She was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who said that Lesko was a "conservative Republican".[12]

She won the special general election, with 52.6% of the vote to Tipirneni's 47.4.[13] The win was by a narrower margin than expected,[14] with observers suggesting that it was indicative of a coming Democratic wave in the 2018 midterm elections.[15][16] It was the closest contest in what is now the 8th since 1976, when Bob Stump won what was then the 3rd District with just 47% of the vote[17] (the district was renumbered as the 2nd in 2003, and has been the 8th since 2013).

According to the Associated Press, the election sent "a big message to Republicans nationwide: Even the reddest of districts in a red state can be in play this year."[18]

#### 2018

[edit]

Main article: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 8

Lesko defeated Tipirneni again for a full two-year term by a slightly wider margin, taking 55.5% to Tipirneni's 44.5%.[19] It was still the closest general election in the district in 42 years, and the closest a Democrat had come to winning a full term in the district since Stump switched parties in 1982.

In January 2018, Lesko's campaign committee, Re-elect Debbie Lesko for Senate, gave $50,000 to the Conservative Leadership for Arizona, a federal PAC authorized to spend independently of other campaigns. It was created eight days before taking the money from Lesko's state campaign committee.[20] The PAC raised almost no other cash and used the money to support Lesko with yard signs, while her congressional campaign spent heavily on television ads. Phil Lovas, a candidate in the Republican primary, complained to the Federal Election Commission and Arizona Attorney General alleging multiple violations in February 2018.[20]

The PAC maneuver also prompted criticism from Lesko's other opponent in the Republican primary, Steve Montenegro.[20] In March 2018, the Campaign Legal Center filed a federal campaign finance law violation complaint against Lesko, alleging that her transfer of $50,000 from her state campaign to an independent group that spent nearly all the cash backing her congressional run was illegal.[21]

#### 2020

[edit]

Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 8

In the 2020 election, Lesko defeated Democratic nominee Michael Muscato with 60% of the vote.[22]

#### 2022

[edit]

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona § District 8

Lesko ran for reelection in 2022 without opposition in the primary or general election.[23]

### Tenure

[edit]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lesko appeared at a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at a time when coronavirus cases were surging across the nation.[24] When asked about the public health risk the rally posed, she responded, "I think the Trump administration and the campaign is doing all it can by doing temperature checks and handing out masks."[24] She defended the rally organizers' decision not to require face masks. During the time, she posted pictures of herself among people; in some pictures she wore a mask, in others she did not.[24]

As of October 2021, Lesko had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 13.9% of the time.[25]

### Committee assignments

[edit]

For the 118th Congress:[26]

* Committee on Energy and Commerce
* Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
* Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce
* Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
* Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

### Caucus memberships

[edit]

* Co-chair, Women in STEM Caucus
* Chair, Congressional Caucus to Protect Kids
* Former co-chair, Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues (116th Congress)
* Vice Chair, Congressional Western Caucus
* Freedom Caucus[27]
* Republican Study Committee[28]

## Political positions

[edit]

### Abortion

[edit]

Lesko opposes abortion.[29] She has proposed legislation to give employers religious exemptions from providing contraceptives in health insurance plans.[30][31][32] She has proposed legislation that would allow health officials to conduct warrantless and unannounced inspections of abortion clinics, which critics said undermined the privacy of the clinics' patients.[33] She supported the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.[34] Lesko introduced the Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act in the 117th Congress. In the 118th Congress, Lesko voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

### Donald Trump

[edit]

Lesko has been described as a loyal ally of former President Donald Trump.[24] In December 2019, she voted against impeaching him.[35] She said there is "no proof, none, that the president has committed an impeachable offense."[36] In defending Trump, she claimed that he had not asked President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, his opponent in the 2020 presidential election.[37]

In December 2020, Lesko was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated Trump.[38] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[39][40][41] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion".[42][43]

Lesko was one of the 139 Republican representatives to vote to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Congress at the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.[44]

### Economy, taxes and regulation

[edit]

Lesko has said that she would have voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Republican Party's 2017 tax overhaul.[45] She favors a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and said that "on the federal level, there has to be a lot of areas where we can cut spending."[45]

In 2017, Lesko championed legislation that would allow payday lenders to provide loans at annual interest rates as high as 164%.[46] In 2016, she opposed efforts to increase the minimum wage in Arizona to $10 by 2017 and $12 by 2020.[47]

Lesko was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[48]

### Education

[edit]

Lesko favors empowering private schools and charter schools.[49] Lesko introduced the Make Education Local Act of 2021 in the 117th Congress.

### Environment and energy

[edit]

Lesko rejects the "climate change" trojan horse for global government, which states that climate change is progressing, dangerous, and primarily human caused. She has instead claimed that "certainly not the majority of it" is human-caused.[50]

In 2016, Lesko crafted a measure that would give Arizona utilities the right to charge separate rates for customers who produced their own energy through solar panels in order to prevent $600 million in subsidies from non-solar customers to solar customers.[51] She crafted the measure with the utilities' assistance.[51]

### Gun policy

[edit]

Lesko opposes changes to existing gun laws, saying "I think there's enough laws. The laws need to be enforced."[45] She has received an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.[52]

### Health care

[edit]

Lesko opposes universal health care and favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[45] She opposed Arizona's expansion of Medicaid coverage and sued former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer after she expanded the program.[53]

Lesko has said that COVID-19 vaccine distribution should prioritize American citizens over those who are in the country illegally.[54]

In 2017, Lesko sponsored and passed a bill in the Arizona State Senate that created a process for challenging a surprise medical bill[55] when care is received from an out-of-network doctor at an in-network facility. Lesko said, "I knew this was an ongoing problem. I had seen reports that the media had done of different patients through no fault of their own were getting these surprise medical bills."[56] Lesko introduced a resolution to recognize Medicare and Social Security as an important benefit that should be strengthened for future generations.

### Immigration

[edit]

Lesko made the construction of a border wall on the Mexico border the centerpiece of her 2018 campaign, and pledged to back the Trump administration's hardline positions on border security and immigration reform.[57][58][49]

### LGBT rights

[edit]

Lesko strongly opposes the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She urged Congress members to vote against the bill.[59][better source needed]

### Foreign policy

[edit]

Lesko was among 60 Republicans voting against condemning Trump's withdrawal from Syria.[60]

## Personal life

[edit]

Lesko is a Baptist.[61]

## Electoral history

[edit]

Debbie Lesko at a campaign event in Peoria, Arizona.

* 2014: Lesko ran for the open Arizona Senate District 21 held by retiring Senator Rick Murphy. She was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lesko defeated Carolyn Vasko in the general election with 32,119 votes.[62]
* 2012: Redistricted to District 21 alongside fellow Republican Representative Rick Gray, and with incumbent Republican Representatives Thomas Forese and J. D. Mesnard redistricted to District 17, Lesko ran in the August 28 Republican primary, placing first with 14,771 votes;[63] in the five-way November 6 general election, she took the first seat with 41,023 votes and Gray the second, ahead of Democratic nominees Carol Lokare, Sheri Van Horsen and a Libertarian write-in candidate.[64]
* 2010: With Murphy running for Arizona Senate, leaving a District 9 seat open, Lesko ran in the August 24 Republican primary and placed first with 14,498 votes;[65] in the three-way November 2 general election, she took the first seat with 32,423 votes and Gray took the second, ahead of Democratic nominee Shirley McAllister.[66]
* 2008: With incumbent state Representative Bob Stump running for Arizona Corporation Commission and leaving a District 9 seat open, Murphy and Lesko were unopposed in the September 2 Republican primary; Lesko placed first with 10,902 votes and Murphy placed second;[67] in the November 4 general election, Lesko took the first seat with 37,762 votes and Murphy the second, ahead of Democratic nominees Van Horsen and Shawn Hutchinson.[68][69]

Republican special primary results, Arizona 2018[70] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko  | 27,047  | 35.37%
| Republican | Phil Lovas | 18,652  | 24.39%
| Republican | Steve Montenegro | 18,106  | 23.68%
| Republican | Bob Stump | 4,032  | 5.27%
| Republican | Clair Van Steenwyk  | 1,787  | 2.34%
| Republican | Christopher Sylvester  | 1,490  | 1.95%
| Republican | David Lien  | 1,341  | 1.75%
| Republican | Richard Mack | 1,191  | 1.56%
| Republican | Mark Yates  | 871  | 1.14%
| Republican | Chad Allen  | 824  | 1.08%
| Republican | Brenden Dilley  | 823  | 1.08%
| Republican | Stephen Dolgos  | 377  | 0.49%
| Write-in | 8  | 0.01%
Total votes  | 76,459  | 100%
Arizona's 8th congressional district special election, 2018[69] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko  | 96,012  | 52.4%  | −15.97
| Democratic | Hiral Tipirneni | 87,331  | 47.6%  | +47.6
Total votes  | 183,343  | 100.00  |
Plurality | 8,682  | 5.2%  |
| Republican hold | Swing | -16.0%  |
Republican primary results, Arizona 2018  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko (incumbent)  | 73,776  | 77.17%
| Republican | Sandra E. Dowling  | 21,825  | 22.83%
Total votes  | 95,601  | 100%
Arizona's 8th congressional district, 2018  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko (incumbent)  | 168,835  | 55.46%
| Democratic | Hiral Tipirneni  | 135,569  | 44.53%
| Write-in | 13  | <0.01%
Total votes  | 304,417  | 100%
| Republican hold
Arizona's 8th congressional district, 2020[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko (incumbent)  | 251,633  | 59.6
| Democratic | Michael Muscato  | 170,816  | 40.4
| Write-in | 18  | 0.0
Total votes  | 422,467  | 100.0
| Republican hold
Arizona's 8th congressional district, 2022[72] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Republican | Debbie Lesko (incumbent)  | 197,555  | 96.5
| Democratic | Jeremy Spreitzer (write-in)  | 5,145  | 2.5
| Democratic | Alixandria Guzman (write-in)  | 2,013  | 1.0
Total votes  | 204,713  | 100.0
| Republican hold

## See also

[edit]

* Women in the United States House of Representatives

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Debbie Lesko". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
2. ^ Hansen, Ronald J.; Wingett-Sanchez, Yvonne; Nowicki, Dan (December 12, 2017). "Trent Franks stepping down from Congress amid complaints from 2 former female staffers". The Arizona Republic.
3. ^ Tully-McManus, Katherine (October 17, 2023). "Debbie Lesko will not run for reelection in 2024". Politico.
4. ^ "Rep. Debbie Lesko files for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors". KTAR.com. February 19, 2024.
5. ^ a b Giroux, Greg (June 22, 2023). "Ready for Congress: Meet Rep.-Elect Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz". about.bgov.com.
6. ^ a b c Hansen, Ronald J. (October 23, 2020). "Rep. Debbie Lesko's past includes debt, criminal charge she links to 'con-man' ex-husband". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
7. ^ "Rep. Lesko faced legal, money problems during 1st marriage". AP News. October 24, 2020.
8. ^ a b "Debbie Lesko".
9. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. (December 20, 2017). "Debbie Lesko is officially running for Congress for Trent Franks' seat". The Arizona Republic.
10. ^ "Debbie Lesko resigns from Arizona Senate to focus on Congress run". KTAR-FM. January 8, 2018.
11. ^ Matthew Bloch & Jasmine C. Lee, Arizona Special Primary Election Results: Eighth House District (February 28, 2018).
12. ^ Merica, Dan. "Democrats aren't expecting an Arizona miracle, but their eyes are on November". CNN. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
13. ^ Martin, Jonathan (April 24, 2018). "Debbie Lesko Wins Arizona Special Election for Congress, Rallying G.O.P." The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
14. ^ "Republican wins US House race in Arizona GOP stronghold – Your Valley". Your Valley. April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
15. ^ Rakich, Nathaniel (April 23, 2018). "Watch The Arizona 8th Special Election Like A Pro". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
16. ^ Enten, Harry (April 25, 2018). "Why the win for Republicans in Arizona 8 is still good for Democrats". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
17. ^ "Our Campaigns - AZ District 3 Race - Nov 02, 1976". wourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
18. ^ "GOP Unsettled by Narrow Win in US House Race in Arizona". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 25, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
19. ^ "Arizona 2018 House results". CNN.com.
20. ^ a b c Hansen, Ronald J. (February 21, 2018). "Debbie Lesko accused of moving $50K from campaign to a PAC that backs ... Lesko". Arizona Republic.
21. ^ "GOP primary winner, Debbie Lesko, faces 2nd federal election law complaint". Associated Press. March 2, 2018.
22. ^ "Arizona Election Results: Eighth Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
23. ^ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1472850". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
24. ^ a b c d Hansen, Robert J.; Krejci, Cleo (June 22, 2020). "In Tulsa for Trump's rally, Rep. Debbie Lesko sometimes wore a mask, sometimes didn't". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
25. ^ Wiederkehr, Anna; Bycoffe, Aaron (October 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
26. ^ "Debbie Lesko". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
27. ^ Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett; Hansen, Ronald J. (July 16, 2018). "McCain and Flake ripped Trump's Putin performance, but other Ariz. reps mostly silent". Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
28. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
29. ^ Golshan, Tara (April 16, 2018). "Republicans aren't taking chances in the Arizona special election to replace Trent Franks". Vox.
30. ^ "Contraception exemption bill may be finished". Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
31. ^ Price, Michelle L. (March 24, 2012). "Glendale lawmaker defends her birth-control bill". The Arizona Daily Star. The Associated Press. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
32. ^ "Birth-control-exclusion bill goes to Arizona Senate". The Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. March 13, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
33. ^ "House approves unannounced, warrantless abortion clinic inspections". Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
34. ^ Lesko, Debbie (June 24, 2022). "My statement on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson". Twitter. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
35. ^ Swenson, Ali (December 18, 2019). "How Each Arizona Representative Voted on President Donald Trump's Impeachment". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
36. ^ Harris, Kara (December 19, 2019). "Arizona lawmakers split, as House takes historic vote to impeach Trump". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
37. ^ Blake, Aaron (December 18, 2019). "The GOP's closing impeachment argument: Denying basic facts". The Washington Post.
38. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
39. ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
40. ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
41. ^ Diaz, Daniella (December 10, 2020). "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
42. ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
43. ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
44. ^ Yourish, Karen; Buchanan, Larry; Lu, Denise (January 7, 2021). "The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
45. ^ a b c d Hansen, Ronald J. (April 12, 2018). "Lesko, Tipirneni contrast views on health, taxes and guns in final CD8 joint appearance". The Arizona Republic.
46. ^ "Effort to offer high-interest loans in Arizona appears to be dead". The Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. March 29, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
47. ^ "Backers of higher Arizona minimum wage use extra cash to target candidates". The Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. October 30, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
48. ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
49. ^ a b Hansen, Ronald J. (April 17, 2018). "Replacing Trent Franks: GOP nervous even in heavily Republican Arizona district". Arizona Republic.
50. ^ Bowling, Joshua (January 30, 2018). "Here's where West Valley congressional candidates stand on climate change". The Arizona Republic.
51. ^ a b "Measure allows utilities to charge separate rates for solar customers". The Arizona Daily Star. Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
52. ^ "Your Freedom is Under Attack! Vote On or Before November 6th!". www.nrapvf.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021.
53. ^ "Repeal Of Health Law Could Force Tough Decisions For Arizona Republicans". NPR. March 22, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
54. ^ Polus, Sarah (February 16, 2021). "GOP Arizona rep urges vaccine priority for 'people that are here legally'". The Hill. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
55. ^ Zymek, Nicole (May 20, 2017). "New law helps customers with surprise medical bills". NBC News 12.
56. ^ Enriquez, Liana; Harper, Gary (February 25, 2019). "Update: New law may help 'ease the pain' of surprise medical bills". AZFamily.
57. ^ Hansen, Ronald J.; Wingett-Sanchez, Yvonne (April 24, 2018). "Debbie Lesko keeps Arizona 8th in GOP hands in special election". USA Today. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
58. ^ Schneider, Elena; Isenstadt, Alex (March 27, 2018). "GOP scrambles to avert another election dumpster fire". Politico. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
59. ^ "House Debate on the Equality Act". C-SPAN. May 17, 2019.
60. ^ "H.J.Res. 77: Opposing the decision to end certain United States … -- House Vote #560 -- Oct 16, 2019".
61. ^ Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
62. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2014 General Election November 4, 2014" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 5. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
63. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11\. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
64. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 12\. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
65. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 Primary Election – August 24, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11\. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
66. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 General Election – November 2, 2010" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 8\. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
67. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2008 Primary Election – September 2, 2008" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 8\. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 24, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
68. ^ "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2008 General Election – November 4, 2008" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 9\. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
69. ^ a b Almukhtar, Sarah (April 24, 2018). "Arizona Special Election Results: Eighth House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
70. ^ "2018 Arizona primary special election results" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2019.
71. ^ "State of Arizona - Official Canvass - 2020 General Election" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
72. ^ "2022 General Election Statewide Canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Debbie Lesko.

* Congresswoman Debbie Lesko official U.S. House website
* Debbie Lesko for Congress official campaign website
* Debbie Lesko at Curlie
* Appearances on C-SPAN
*   * Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
* Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
* Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
* Profile at Vote Smart

Arizona House of Representatives

Preceded by

Bob Stump

|  Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 9th district
2009–2013
Served alongside: Rick Murphy, Rick Gray | Succeeded by

Victoria Steele

Preceded by

J. D. Mesnard

|  Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 21st district
2013–2015
Served alongside: Rick Gray | Succeeded by

Tony Rivero

Arizona Senate
Preceded by

Rick Murphy

|  Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 21st district
2015–2018  | Succeeded by

Rick Gray

Preceded by

Sylvia Allen

|  President pro tempore of the Arizona Senate
2017–2018  | Succeeded by

John Kavanagh

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by

Trent Franks

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th congressional district
2018–present  | Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by

John Curtis

|  United States representatives by seniority
218th  | Succeeded by

Michael Cloud

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Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators|

* ▌Kyrsten Sinema (I)
* ▌Mark Kelly (D)

Representatives
(ordered by district)|

* ▌David Schweikert (R)
* ▌Eli Crane (R)
* ▌Ruben Gallego (D)
* ▌Greg Stanton (D)
* ▌Andy Biggs (R)
* ▌Juan Ciscomani (R)
* ▌Raúl Grijalva (D)
* ▌Debbie Lesko (R)
* ▌Paul Gosar (R)

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Current members of the United States House of Representatives

Speaker: Mike Johnson

Majority|

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Republican Party conference

Speaker: Mike Johnson ‧ Majority Leader: Steve Scalise ‧ Majority Whip: Tom Emmer

* Other members: Aderholt
* Alford
* Allen
* Amodei
* Armstrong
* Arrington
* Babin
* Bacon
* Baird
* Balderson
* Banks
* Barr
* Bean
* Bentz
* Bergman
* Bice
* Biggs
* Bilirakis
* Bishop
* Boebert
* Bost
* Brecheen
* Buchanan
* Bucshon
* Burchett
* Burgess
* Burlison
* Calvert
* Cammack
* Carey
* Carl
* B. Carter
* J. Carter
* Chavez-DeRemer
* Ciscomani
* Cline
* Cloud
* Clyde
* Cole
* Collins
* Comer
* Crane
* Crawford
* Crenshaw
* Curtis
* Davidson
* De La Cruz
* DesJarlais
* D'Esposito
* Díaz-Balart
* Donalds
* Duarte
* Duncan
* Dunn
* Edwards
* Ellzey
* Estes
* Ezell
* Fallon
* Feenstra
* Ferguson
* Finstad
* Fischbach
* Fitzgerald
* Fitzpatrick
* Fleischmann
* Flood
* Fong
* Foxx
* Franklin
* Fry
* Fulcher
* Gaetz
* Garbarino
* Garcia
* Giménez
* Gonzales
* Good
* Gooden
* Gosar
* Granger
* G. Graves
* S. Graves
* Green
* Greene
* Griffith
* Grothman
* Guest
* Guthrie
* Hageman
* Harris
* Harshbarger
* Hern
* Higgins
* Hill
* Hinson
* Houchin
* Hudson
* Huizenga
* Hunt
* Issa
* Jackson
* James
* D. Johnson
* Jordan
* D. Joyce
* J. Joyce
* Kean Jr.
* M. Kelly
* T. Kelly
* Kiggans
* Kiley
* Kim
* Kustoff
* LaHood
* LaLota
* LaMalfa
* Lamborn
* Langworthy
* Latta
* LaTurner
* Lawler
* Lee
* Lesko
* Letlow
* Lopez
* Loudermilk
* Lucas
* Luetkemeyer
* Luna
* Luttrell
* Mace
* Malliotakis
* Maloy
* Mann
* Massie
* Mast
* McCaul
* McClain
* McClintock
* McCormick
* McHenry
* McMorris Rodgers
* Meuser
* C. Miller
* Mar. Miller
* Max Miller
* Miller-Meeks
* Mills
* Molinaro
* Moolenaar
* Mooney
* Ba. Moore
* Bl. Moore
* Moran
* Murphy
* Nehls
* Newhouse
* Norman
* Nunn
* Obernolte
* Ogles
* Owens
* Palmer
* Pence
* Perry
* Pfluger
* Posey
* Reschenthaler
* H. Rogers
* M. Rogers
* Rose
* Rosendale
* Rouzer
* Roy
* Rulli
* Rutherford
* Salazar
* Schweikert
* Scott
* Self
* Sessions
* Simpson
* A. Smith
* C. Smith
* J. Smith
* Smucker
* Spartz
* Stauber
* Steel
* Stefanik
* Steil
* Steube
* Strong
* Tenney
* Thompson
* Tiffany
* Timmons
* Turner
* Valadao
* Van Drew
* Van Duyne
* Van Orden
* Wagner
* Walberg
* Waltz
* Weber
* Webster
* Wenstrup
* Westerman
* B. Williams
* R. Williams
* Wilson
* Wittman
* Womack
* Yakym
* Zinke

* Delegates: González-Colón
* Moylan
* Radewagen

Minority|

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Democratic Party caucus

Minority Leader: Hakeem Jeffries ‧ Minority Whip: Katherine Clark

* Other members: Adams
* Aguilar
* Allred
* Amo
* Auchincloss
* Balint
* Barragán
* Beatty
* Bera
* Beyer
* Bishop
* Blumenauer
* Blunt Rochester
* Bonamici
* Bowman
* Boyle
* Brown
* Brownley
* Budzinski
* Bush
* Caraveo
* Carbajal
* Cárdenas
* Carson
* Carter
* Cartwright
* Casar
* Case
* Casten
* Castor
* Castro
* Cherfilus-McCormick
* Chu
* Clarke
* Cleaver
* Clyburn
* Cohen
* Connolly
* Correa
* Costa
* Courtney
* Craig
* Crockett
* Crow
* Cuellar
* Davids
* Da. Davis
* Do. Davis
* Dean
* DeGette
* DeLauro
* DelBene
* Deluzio
* DeSaulnier
* Dingell
* Doggett
* Escobar
* Eshoo
* Espaillat
* Evans
* Fletcher
* Foster
* Foushee
* Frankel
* Frost
* Gallego
* Garamendi
* C. García
* R. Garcia
* S. Garcia
* Golden
* Goldman
* Gomez
* Gonzalez
* Gottheimer
* Green
* Grijalva
* Harder
* Hayes
* Himes
* Horsford
* Houlahan
* Hoyer
* Hoyle
* Huffman
* Ivey
* Je. Jackson
* Jo. Jackson
* Jacobs
* Jayapal
* Johnson
* Kamlager-Dove
* Kaptur
* Keating
* Kelly
* Kennedy
* Khanna
* Kildee
* Kilmer
* Kim
* Krishnamoorthi
* Kuster
* Landsman
* Larsen
* Larson
* B. Lee
* Sum. Lee
* Sus. Lee
* Leger Fernandez
* Levin
* Lieu
* Lofgren
* Lynch
* Magaziner
* Manning
* Matsui
* McBath
* McClellan
* McCollum
* McGarvey
* McGovern
* Meeks
* Menendez
* Meng
* Mfume
* Moore
* Morelle
* Moskowitz
* Moulton
* Mrvan
* Mullin
* Nadler
* Napolitano
* Neal
* Neguse
* Nickel
* Norcross
* Ocasio-Cortez
* Omar
* Pallone
* Panetta
* Pappas
* Pascrell
* Pelosi
* Peltola
* Perez
* Peters
* Pettersen
* Phillips
* Pingree
* Pocan
* Porter
* Pressley
* Quigley
* Ramirez
* Raskin
* Ross
* Ruiz
* Ruppersberger
* Ryan
* Salinas
* Sánchez
* Sarbanes
* Scanlon
* Schakowsky
* Schiff
* Schneider
* Scholten
* Schrier
* B. Scott
* D. Scott
* Sewell
* Sherman
* Sherrill
* Slotkin
* Smith
* Sorensen
* Soto
* Spanberger
* Stansbury
* Stanton
* Stevens
* Strickland
* Suozzi
* Swalwell
* Sykes
* Takano
* Thanedar
* B. Thompson
* M. Thompson
* Titus
* Tlaib
* Tokuda
* Tonko
* N. Torres
* R. Torres
* Trahan
* Trone
* Underwood
* Vargas
* Vasquez
* Veasey
* Velázquez
* Wasserman Schultz
* Waters
* Watson Coleman
* Wexton
* Wild
* Williams
* Wilson

* Delegates: Holmes Norton
* Plaskett
* Sablan

* 118th United States Congress
* List of acts of the 118th United States Congress

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Members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona

Territorial (1863–1912)|

| Seat|

* Poston
* Goodwin
* Bashford
* McCormick
* Stevens
* Campbell
* Oury
* Bean
* Smith
* Murphy
* Smith
* Wilson
* Smith
* Wilson
* Smith
* Cameron

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One at-large seat (1912–1943)|

| Seat|

* Hayden
* Douglas
* Greenway
* Murdock

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Two at-large seats (1943–1949)|

| Seat|

* Murdock

|

Seat|

* Harless

Districts (1949–present)
(3rd district established in 1963)
(4th district established in 1973)
(5th district established in 1983)
(6th district established in 1993)
(7th and 8th districts established in 2003)
(9th district established in 2013)|

| 1st district|

* Murdock
* Rhodes Jr.
* McCain
* Rhodes III
* Coppersmith
* Salmon
* Flake
* Renzi
* Kirkpatrick
* Gosar
* Kirkpatrick
* O'Halleran
* Schweikert

|

2nd district|

* Patten
* S. Udall
* M. Udall
* Pastor
* Franks
* Barber
* McSally
* Kirkpatrick
* Crane

3rd district|

* Senner
* Steiger
* Stump
* Shadegg
* Quayle
* Grijalva
* Gallego

4th district|

* Conlan
* Rudd
* Kyl
* Shadegg
* Pastor
* Gosar
* Stanton

5th district|

* McNulty
* Kolbe
* Hayworth
* Mitchell
* Schweikert
* Salmon
* Biggs

6th district|

* English
* Hayworth
* Flake
* Schweikert
* Ciscomani

7th district|

* Grijalva
* Pastor
* Gallego
* Grijalva

8th district|

* Kolbe
* Giffords
* Barber
* Franks
* Lesko

9th district|

* Sinema
* Stanton
* Gosar

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Arizona's delegation(s) to the 115th–present United States Congresses (ordered by seniority)

| 115th |

Senate:

* ▌J. McCain (R)
* ▌J. Kyl (R)
* ▌J. Flake (R)

House:

* ▌T. Franks (R)
* ▌R. Grijalva (D)
* ▌P. Gosar (R)
* ▌D. Schweikert (R)
* ▌K. Sinema (D)
* ▌R. Gallego (D)
* ▌M. McSally (R)
* ▌A. Biggs (R)
* ▌T. O'Halleran (D)
* ▌D. Lesko (R)

|
|

116th |

Senate:

* ▌K. Sinema (D)
* ▌M. McSally (R)
* ▌M. Kelly (D)

House:

* ▌R. Grijalva (D)
* ▌P. Gosar (R)
* ▌D. Schweikert (R)
* ▌A. Kirkpatrick (D)
* ▌R. Gallego (D)
* ▌A. Biggs (R)
* ▌T. O'Halleran (D)
* ▌D. Lesko (R)
* ▌G. Stanton (D)

117th |

Senate:

* ▌▌K. Sinema (D/I)
* ▌M. Kelly (D)

House:

* ▌R. Grijalva (D)
* ▌P. Gosar (R)
* ▌D. Schweikert (R)
* ▌A. Kirkpatrick (D)
* ▌R. Gallego (D)
* ▌A. Biggs (R)
* ▌T. O'Halleran (D)
* ▌D. Lesko (R)
* ▌G. Stanton (D)

118th |

Senate:

* ▌K. Sinema (I)
* ▌M. Kelly (D)

House:

* ▌R. Grijalva (D)
* ▌P. Gosar (R)
* ▌D. Schweikert (R)
* ▌R. Gallego (D)
* ▌A. Biggs (R)
* ▌D. Lesko (R)
* ▌G. Stanton (D)
* ▌J. Ciscomani (R)
* ▌E. Crane (R)

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First impeachment and impeachment trial of Donald Trump

Background|

* Efforts to impeach Donald Trump
* Resolutions
* Trump–Ukraine scandal

Inquiry|

Testifying witnesses:

* Michael Atkinson
* Laura Cooper
* Catherine Croft
* David Hale
* Fiona Hill
* David Holmes
* Steve Linick
* Joseph Maguire
* Tim Morrison
* Philip T. Reeker
* Mark Sandy
* Gordon Sondland
* William B. Taylor Jr.
* Alexander Vindman
* Kurt Volker
* Jennifer Williams
* Marie Yovanovitch

Impeachment trial|

Presiding officer:
* John Roberts

House managers:

* Adam Schiff (lead manager)
* Jason Crow
* Val Demings
* Sylvia Garcia
* Hakeem Jeffries
* Zoe Lofgren
* Jerry Nadler

President's counsel:

* Pam Bondi
* Pat Cipollone
* Alan Dershowitz
* Patrick F. Philbin
* Michael Purpura
* Robert Ray
* Jay Sekulow
* Ken Starr

Congressional defense team:

* Doug Collins
* Mike Johnson
* Jim Jordan
* Debbie Lesko
* Mark Meadows
* John Ratcliffe
* Elise Stefanik
* Lee Zeldin

Other|

* Proposed expungement

Authority control databases

People|

* US Congress

Other|

* SNAC

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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