Here is a rundown of the candidates running for the 2020 legislative election for District 20. District 20 encompasses much of east Glendale and North Phoenix, including the ASU West campus.
One senator must be elected of the two candidates running, and two representatives must be elected of the three candidates running for District 20.
Shawnna Bolick and Anthony Kern are the two incumbents running for the House of Representatives and Paul Boyer is the incumbent running for Senate.
No Democrat has been elected to Legislative District 20 since the district was drawn in 2012.
District 20 State Senate
Paul Boyer — Republican
Sen. Boyer is the incumbent running for reelection for the District 20 State Senate. He was first elected in 2012. In the Senate, Boyer is vice-chairman of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Senate Higher Education and Senate Finance Committees.
Boyer grew up in the West Valley and earned his bachelor's and master's degree from ASU West.
Education: Boyer is a high school literature and history teacher and a junior high Latin teacher. According to his campaign website, Boyer has worked to invest more than $4.5 billion in K-12 funding since 2015 and advocated for a 20% salary increase for teachers.
In 2015, Boyer voted for Senate Bill 1332, which was ultimately signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, to expand the Empowerment Scholarship Account Program to include Indigenous children living on reservations.
Health care: For the 2020 election, Boyer has set up a campaign surrounding health care for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, victims of sexual assault and families impacted by COVID-19.
He has also advocated for pediatric health care funding and protecting insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Public safety: In 2020, Boyer was awarded Senator of the Year by the Arizona Police Association. According to his campaign website, Boyer is passionate about supporting first responders. If elected, he wants to extend the statute of limitations for victims of abuse to sue despite "how long ago it occurred or how old the victim."
Immigration and border control: While his campaign doesn't address these issues specifically, in 2020 Boyer voted for SB 1141 to extend the arrest powers of immigrant detention officers.
Civil rights and civil liberties: Boyer does not include civil rights and civil liberties issues on his campaign, although during his time in the Legislature, Boyer sponsored HB 2563 to protect free speech on college campuses. He also advocated for HB 2338 to authorize the concealed carry of weapons near school property.
In 2018, Boyer voted for SB 1394 to require health care providers to report the reason a patient is seeking an abortion and in 2015, Boyer sponsored SB 1318 to limit health insurance coverage for abortions. During the 2018 election, Boyer said he believed the government should promote the definition that marriage should stay between a man and a woman.
Economy: Boyer's campaign does not elaborate on economic policy in his campaign, but does mention his help in building Arizona’s Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, to $1 billion dollars in preparation for an economic crisis.
Doug Ervin — Democrat
Ervin is a returning Arizona Senate candidate from the 2018 election and is running with Democratic Representative candidate Judy Schwiebert. Ervin is also currently endorsed by the presidential Democratic ticket Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
According to his campaign website, Ervin was raised in Arizona and has spent his time volunteering with multiple educational, environmental and community organizations which allowed him to become familiar with local politics and spend time at the state capitol.
Education: According to his campaign, Ervin wants to restore fiscal responsibility to school budgets to allow children to learn in a safe environment and preparing them to "succeed in the 21st-century economy" and showing "educators the respect they deserve."
Health care: Ervin's campaign website states his belief that Arizonans should have access to affordable health care, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Ervin said he will fight to protect "essential benefits" such as maternity care, cancer treatments and mental health care.
Public safety: Ervin's campaign says safety is a top priority. According to his campaign, Ervin will listen to experts about reviewing options and determining what actions are necessary when keeping the community safe.
Immigration and border control: Ervin has not made a stance on this issue during the 2020 election.
Civil rights and civil liberties - Although Ervin's campaign does not address the issues specifically, his campaign does state Ervin is committed to protecting individual freedoms.
Economy: Ervin wants to grow the Arizona economy and create "good-paying" jobs by investing in infrastructure and renewable energy and by supporting innovation and working families. According to his campaign, he wants to enact an "equitable tax policy" to help working families and make long-term investments into people and businesses to build a stronger economy.
District 20 House of Representatives
Shawnna Bolick — Republican
Rep. Bolick is one of the incumbents running for reelection to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2020. According to her website, she is a part of the Arizona State Board of Education’s Academic Standards Development Committee and was appointed to Arizona’s Early Childhood Education and Health Board by Ducey.
Bolick is currently finishing her first term.
Education: According to her campaign, Bolick believes education is not a "one size fits all" system. She wants to make sure investments are made directly to classrooms and teachers to provide them with the resources they need.
During her time in office, Bolick supported the 20% pay raise for teachers and believes they should receive additional compensation based on their students' success.
Health care: According to her campaign, Bolick supported the Health Care Freedom Act which extends the right to purchase private health care insurance to individuals. During her time as a representative, she co-sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 2045 to require warning labels on medical marijuana and establish a tax on medical marijuana to fund research on the safety of its use. Bolick's campaign does not to elaborate on her current stance on health care.
Public safety: Bolick says as a wife and mother of two children, she supports law enforcement to ensure safe and secure neighborhoods and communities.
Immigration and border control: Bolick says she spoke with people living near the border with Mexico, and they want stronger Border Patrol presence and unmanned drones. Bolick also believes Arizona can reform the country's immigration system, and ensure the state has the best E-Verify system.
Civil Rights and civil liberties: Bolick's campaign says she believes all Arizonans should be able to express their religious beliefs freely. She considers protecting "the sanctity of human life" a priority in regards to abortion rights, and she supports the right to bear arms.
Economy: Bolick's campaign says small businesses are the backbone of the economy and she believes there should be a level playing field to "help all businesses thrive." To do this, all consumed income should be taxed at the flattest rate. She also believes government spending needs to be retrained, and the government should be transparent by making spending trackable to the community.
Anthony Kern — Republican
Rep. Kern has held office in the District 20 House of Representatives since 2014, and he is currently one of the incumbents running for reelection in 2020. According to his campaign website, Kern has served an ongoing role in the Republican party as a conservative precinct committeeman and state committeeman.
Education: Although Kern's campaign does not include his stances on education for the 2020 election, he has voted for a number of bills regarding higher education. In 2020, Kern introduced HB 2238 to establish an office of public policy events in institutions under the Arizona Board of Regents, and HB 2143 to allow college athletes financial compensation for endorsements.
Public safety: Kern's campaign website does not provide his stances on public safety. However, Kern's website states he owned a private investigation business and is active in crime prevention. Kern's campaign has also been endorsed by the Arizona Police Association and the Arizona State Troopers Association.
Civil rights and civil liberties: According to his website, Kern is passionate about protecting Second Amendment rights and believes in government transparency. He also says he firmly believes in the Arizona and U.S. constitutions and "works diligently" to promote individuality and freedom.
Economy: Kern's campaign states he is passionate about creating more jobs and working to reduce taxes.
Kern's campaign website does not elaborate on his current stance on health care or immigration and border control, but he has supported bills to help build the border wall.
Judy Schwiebert — Democrat
Schwiebert is running for District 20 State Representative. Schwiebert was endorsed by the Biden and Harris presidential ticket, alongside her running mate and Senate candidate Ervin.
According to her website, Schwiebert grew up in Phoenix and is using her experience with community work she's done as a teacher and in local youth theater to run her campaign.
Education: Schwiebert's campaign says that although she's been able to support herself and her family with a teacher's salary, she has spoken to individuals who work second jobs just to make ends meet. Schwiebert said she wants to provide "properly funded" education to children by bringing permanent, qualified teachers to schools and giving them a "chance at the American dream."
Health care: Schwiebert said she believes Arizonans should have access to affordable health care, regardless of pre-existing conditions. If elected, she said she would fight to make Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, accessible and would fight to protect essential health care like maternity care, cancer treatments, and mental health care.
Schwiebert's campaign also focuses on supporting local businesses hit the hardest by COVID-19 while protecting those most vulnerable to the pandemic, as well as addressing environmental concerns like air quality and water supply which can pose a threat to one's health.
Civil rights and civil liberties - Amid protests surrounding the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the numerous Phoenix protests regarding the death of Dion Johnson, Schwiebert said in a Facebook post the national protests were a call to "acknowledge that racism is still very much alive in our nation." She said the events were pushed her commitment to listen to Black Americans and other BIPOC to "begin the healing and work together to create a more just society."
Endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, Schwiebert showed her support for the LGBTQ+ community in a Facebook post, stating the fight for LGBTQ+ rights was "far from over" and she would continue to fight for equal rights if elected to the state legislature.
Economy - Schwiebert believes in educating Arizonans through investments in career and technical education programs will increase participation in the workforce, ultimately increasing employment opportunities and broadening Arizona's tax base.
Schwiebert's campaign website does not provide an explicit stance on immigration and border control or public safety.
Reach the reporter at ekgalin1@asu.edu and follow @eringalindo29 on Twitter.
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