“Whether you voted for me or you voted for someone else, I intend to be governor of all and to work to create opportunities for every single Arizonan.”
Governor-elect Doug Ducey spoke these words in his acceptance speech Tuesday night, and in truth, they leave us somewhat baffled.
Ducey’s campaign primarily focused on improving Arizona’s business climate and economy, and he hardly marketed himself as a “governor of all.”
Ducey takes some positions that render us unable to take that statement seriously. It seems he does not particularly care about certain Arizonans’ opportunity.
For one, he opposes the DREAM Act, which would would provide a means for people brought illegally to the U.S. as children to establish legal residency. Ducey also opposes in-state tuition for students who have received temporary resident status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Although Ducey has no choice to but to begrudgingly accept same-sex marriage in Arizona, he disappoints the LGBTQA community in a number of ways. Ducey’s most concerning position is his opposition to making sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression protected classes. It’s hypocritical of Ducey to claim to care for the opportunities of all when he does not ensure a safe environment for members of the LGBTQA community at work, in a public place or a place of business.
By opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana, Ducey will continue the over-criminalization of a mostly harmless drug; adults who wish to use marijuana in a mature way will have to accept Ducey’s position and pay a steep price if they don’t.
Ducey’s stances on reproductive health care also calls into question his commitment to opportunity for all. His personal philosophy on the matter aside, the fact remains that unwanted pregnancies are a major deterrent for young women’s educational and professional goals. Ducey's opposition to legal abortion and support for the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, which ruled that corporations are not required to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives, make us doubt how much he cares for the aspirations of Arizonans.
Lastly, his education reform for Arizona public schools does not inspire much confidence for student opportunities. Ducey favors expanding a program that pays for students' tuition at private schools instead of helping the floundering public schools the state should be supporting. As a governor of all Arizonans, Ducey should focus on strengthening public education instead of shifting his responsibility to Arizona’s children onto private education. Additionally, his aversion to the standards commonly known as Common Core could leave Arizona’s students unprepared for the rigor of university.
As Arizona's governor-elect, Ducey should understand the weight and meaning of everything he says. We hope his misleading statement to be a “governor of all” was said in the excitement of his victory.
The majority of Arizona’s voters felt Ducey was the best man for the job, but he still needs to fully account for the opportunity of those who opposed him. If he does intend to take his words seriously, he’ll need to address the issues we’ve outlined — maybe then, we can call him a “governor of all.”
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