Arizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Advocates aims to give marginalized communities a voice in politics through outreach and education
We will enable Community Solar in Arizona to reduce energy costs for working families, shape equitable clean energy solutions, and create good green jobs for our state.
We will advance the Arizonans For Fair Elections Ballot Measure in 2022 & pursue an election day holiday to affirm and uphold equal access to the ballot for all.
Katie Hobbs voted no on funding the border strike force because Arizona’s border communities are the safest in the nation and unauthorized crossings are at historic lows. Elected officials have used alleged drug smuggling as a scapegoat to get more law enforcement in our communities. Law enforcement experts have increasingly recognized that the war on drugs is a war on communities of color, and that drug abuse is a public health problem best addressed through treatment and prevention.
Katie Hobbs vows to fearlessly work to increase access to abortion services and reproductive care; use her veto pen to oppose any restrictive and extreme measures coming from the legislature, and make sure that women and families have the resources they need to thrive. She was a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights while serving in the House of Representatives in 2010.
Katie Hobbs’ platform to support communities of color, value migrants’ rights, and fight for equality for women and the LGBTQ+ community will improve our well-being and dignity as a human race.
Adrian Fontes was Maricopa’s County Recorder during the most highly scrutinized election in American history. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fontes planned to make voting accessible and safe by mailing in ballots so people could avoid polling lines and reduce the spread of illness. His track record shows that he puts voters’ needs first and is devoted to protecting election integrity by making sure all staff are well trained, that their certifications are up to date, and that our systems are fully funded and secure. Adrian Fontes’ devotion to securing our democracy and experience with elections is why he has earned our endorsement.
Arizona has the third-worst education system in the United States. In 2020, Arizona ranked the worst in pupil-to-teacher ratio.Kathy Hoffman plans to change that by fully funding our schools and addressing issues of overcrowding. Students will get more individualized learning attention, a stronger personal connection to their teacher, and better learning outcomes.
School curriculums and campuses have become politicized by conservative fear-mongers who are working to ban the histories of communities of color from being taught, and to stop transgender youth from participating in sports. Kathy prioritizes creating welcoming, inclusive, and diverse schools. Kathy’s leadership will embrace the diversity in this country.
Mental health issues amongst teens have exacerbated since the pandemic, and Arizona is ranked last in student-to-counselor ratio. Thanks to Supt. Hoffman’s work, Arizona dramatically lowered its student-to-counselor ratio by 20%. If elected, she will continue to advocate for mental health and the well-being of students.
Since 2010, Kris Mayes has worked as a senior sustainability scientist at ASU’s School of Global Sustainability and teaches a course on energy law for the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. During her time as an Arizona Corporation Commissioner from 2003 to 2010, Kris's leadership helped create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, saved Arizona consumers billions of dollars, and required utilities to produce more clean energy — including solar, wind and energy efficiency — which saved us money and reduced air pollution.
Kris worked to preserve Arizona’s increasingly threatened water resources by overseeing one of the largest expansions of utility water conservation programs in state history. Kris also pushed utilities to stop spending ratepayer money on corporate bonuses and advertising, in an effort to keep rates low. And when a major natural gas company was charging too much in the wintertime, Kris required the company to provide customers rebates and rate reductions.
Kris has created a twelve-page plan to be implemented if elected to protect and retain reproductive rights, including the right to an abortion.
She will advocate at the Legislature and support proactive, evidence-based harm reduction strategies, such as the legalized syringe exchanges and fentanyl test strips to battle the opioid epidemic.
After hearing that the Attorney General’s office ignored over 15,000 complaints on consumer fraud, Kris spoke out about it and vowed to prosecute scammers and return stolen money to community members. We believe that Kris Mayes will be an attorney for the people and for the environment.
Born and raised in Arizona, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs conducted the safest and most secure election in our state’s history amid unprecedented challenges to our democracy during the 2020 election. Katie Hobbs voted no on funding the border strike force because Arizona’s border communities are the safest in the nation and unauthorized crossings are at historic lows. Elected officials have used alleged drug smuggling as a scapegoat to get more law enforcement in our communities. Law enforcement experts have increasingly recognized that the war on drugs is a war on communities of color, and that drug abuse is a public health problem best addressed through treatment and prevention.
Katie Hobbs vows to fearlessly work to increase access to abortion services and reproductive care; use her veto pen to oppose any restrictive and extreme measures coming from the legislature, and make sure that women and families have the resources they need to thrive. She was a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights while serving in the House of Representatives in 2010.
Katie Hobbs’ platform to support communities of color, value migrants’ rights, and fight for equality for women and the LGBTQ+ community will improve our well-being and dignity as a human race.
According to our 2021 Community Needs Survey, 53% of AANHPI respondents worry that their elderly family members don’t have enough money saved for their retirement. Over 60% of the respondents feel they have a responsibility to be their parents’ caregiver as they age. Senator Mark Kelly helped negotiate a landmark deal that will lower prescription drug prices for seniors which would help the AANHPI community and all elderly people and their caregivers. Senator Kelly vows to remain laser-focused on bringing down the high costs that are hitting Arizona families hard.
As Arizona’s population grows, access to water is a growing concern for communities. Senator Kelly chaired a Senate hearing to bring attention to Western drought conditions and discuss solutions. He is not only upgrading our dams, canals, and reservoirs, but also improving water management and conservation strategies for decades to come.
Mark Kelly demonstrated that he works for his constituents and not for corporate interest by introducing the Ban Corporate PACs Act to reduce corporate influence in Washington by prohibiting for-profit corporations from influencing political campaigns and federal elections. These actions are why AZ AANHPI Advocates endorses Mark Kelly.
Julie Gunnigle has been working tirelessly for criminal justice reform and is a familiar face at community rallies advocating for justice. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) has been at the epicenter of political corruption, mismanagement, and wasteful taxpayer spending for decades. Julie is running to restore the trust of the public and uplift the morale of this office.
During the Black Lives Matters marches, The MCAO wrongfully charged protestors with gang charges which led to a loss of trust from communities of color. Julie organized around this issue and listened to community members’ concerns about the justice system. Julie will prioritize listening to directly impacted folks, reducing recidivism, clearing backlogs, and offering increased diversion opportunities for qualified individuals. Julie is committed to making smart, data-driven reforms that will enhance public safety and help make Arizona a safer and more equitable place for people to live, work, and call home.
In Eva Burch’s many years working in high volume emergency departments in Phoenix and Mesa, she saw firsthand the impact that food insecurity, healthcare inequality, homelessness, and other socioeconomic disparities have on individuals, families and communities in Arizona. Eva supports a compassionate and affordable healthcare system in Arizona to prevent families from going bankrupt from medical bills.
Eva vows to work towards an Arizona where high-quality education is the standard regardless of the wealth of the community. She understands that a well-educated community reduces crime, improves standards of living, and creates opportunities for people to come out of poverty and contribute to society. Eva wants to create a community where development is not focused solely on maximizing profits but on building a better Arizona for working class individuals and families. We believe Eva Burch has equitable solutions to fulfill the lives of all Arizonans.
Lorena Austin understands the struggles of poverty and financial hardships since she grew up living in Section 8 housing. For over twenty years, Austin’s grandparents owned and operated Albert’s Market in Mesa, which served all residents including minorities residing in segregated neighborhoods. They were well known in Mesa for serving on community boards that advocated for equity and inclusion. She currently serves as a Student Government Advisor at her beloved alma mater, Mesa Community College, where she serves as a model of advocacy for her students.
Lorena advocates for quality education for all, affordable housing, community resources, Medicare for all, family leave for workers, and solutions for the climate crisis. She is proud of her Chicana roots and encourages diversity in Mesa.
Seth understands the importance of uplifting small businesses since his family’s furniture business experienced turmoil during the Great Recession. It was then, when he decided to take a leadership role in their business and was able to rebuild a stronger business. He has built a platform around looking out for small businesses and working class families because of his experience.
Seth believes all children deserve quality educational opportunities as he had. He is determined to empower all young people by fully funding public education. He believes that investing in public education will uplift Arizona’s economy since companies look for quality employees.
Seth’s take on the current government structure has us honoring his bravery for speaking out against it. He believes our democracy was established so that those in office are beholden to the people. He states that for far too long, those interests have been set aside for those of special interests. Structural reform is necessary in order to get our government back on track. He will fight voter suppression and strengthen government ethics.
Cindy has experience as a public-school teacher, assistant principal, principal, technology specialist, and grant administrator. Cindy is an active volunteer working to improve public school funding and support students, teachers and school staff. She is a member of the League of Women Voters and worked as a volunteer Maricopa County Deputy Registrar. She is an advocate for women’s rights and believes the government should not be involved with any persons’ healthcare decisions. She also believes that community safety begins with adequate funding in schools and sensible legislation to protect our communities from gun violence. Cindy supports the migrant community and believes we need to support the structures that allow us to process immigrants quickly and fairly. Cindy supports an inclusive community and deserves our endorsement.
There are more than 200,000 people living in Arizona who are certified to teach in our public schools, but only 52,000 certified teachers are actually in the classroom. To combat the teacher “shortage,” legislatures passed a bill which allows people without teaching degrees to teach K-12 in charter and public schools. Rep. Pawlik spoke against this bill and argued that teachers’ wages are one of the lowest in the United States; the best way to combat a teacher shortage is by raising their wages. Rep. Pawlik also introduced a bill to fund the development of a curriculum on the history and contributions of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in the United States to teach in public schools. The AANHPI community has been historically neglected and underrepresented and we will continue to fight for our history to be known.
