Debbie Lesko

Debra Kay Lesko (née Lorenz; born November 14, 1958) is an American politician and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Arizona's 8th congressional district. The district is located in the West Valley portion of the Valley of the Sun and includes Glendale, Surprise, Sun City, Peoria, and part of western Phoenix.

Debbie Lesko
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 from the 21st district
In office January 14, 2013 – January 12, 2015
Preceded by	J. D. Mesnard
Succeeded by	Tony Rivero
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 9th district
In office January 9, 2009 – January 14, 2013
Preceded by	Bob Stump
Succeeded by	Victoria Steele
Personal details
Born	Debra Lorenz (1958-11-14) November 14, 1958 Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Joe Lesko
Education	University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
Website	House website

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.

Lesko won the Republican nomination for Arizona's 8th congressional district special election.[2] She won the election on April 24, defeating Democratic nominee Hiral Tipirneni with 52.4% of the vote to Tipirneni's 47.6%.[3] She won a full term in November 2018, again defeating Tipirneni. Lesko is Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. She is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, and is currently its only female member.

Early life

Lesko was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and grew up nearby, the daughter of Don and Delores Lorenz. She received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin and in the 1980s moved to Arizona, owning a construction sales business. She left an abusive marriage in the 1990s and later married Joe Lesko.[4][5]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018 special election

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

Debbie Lesko was the Republican nominee for the special election held to replace Congressman Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. She faced the Democratic candidate, physician Hiral Tipirneni, in the general election on April 24.[6] She was endorsed by President Donald Trump who said that Lesko was a "conservative Republican".[7] 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 percent of the vote[8] (the district was renumbered as the 2nd in 2003, and has been the 8th since 2013).

She won the election on April 24, beating Democratic candidate Hiral Tipirneni with 52.6% of the vote to Tipirneni's 47.4.[3] The win was by a narrower margin than expected,[9] with observers suggesting that it was indicative of a coming Democratic wave in the 2018 mid-term elections.[10][11] Indeed, it was the closest race in the district since Bob Stump, then a Democrat, won his first term in what was then the 3rd District with only 47.5 percent of the vote[12] (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."[13]

2018 general election

Lesko faced a rematch with Tipirneni in a bid for a full two-year term and won with a slightly wider margin, taking 55.5% to Tipirneni's 44.5 percent.[14] It was still the closest general election in the district in 42 years, and the closest that a Democrat had come to winning a full term in the district since Stump switched parties in 1982.

Campaign finance complaints

In January 2018, Lesko's campaign committee, Re-elect Debbie Lesko for Senate, gave $50,000 to 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.[15] The new PAC raised almost no other cash, records show, and the PAC used the money to support Lesko with yard signs, while her congressional campaign spent heavily on TV 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.[15]

The PAC maneuver also prompted criticism from the other Lesko opponent in the Republican primary, Steve Montenegro, who accused Lesko of "illegally funneling money into her SuperPAC and knowingly lied about it by filing false campaign reports."[15] A second complaint alleging federal campaign finance law violations was filed against Lesko in March 2018 by the Campaign Legal Center 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.[16]

Tenure

During the coronavirus pandemic, she appeared at a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma at a time when coronavirus cases were surging across the nation.[17] When asked about the public health risk posed by the rally, she responded, "I think the Trump administration and the campaign is doing all it can by doing temperature checks and handing out masks."[17] She defended the decision by the organizers of the rally not to require face masks. During the time, she posted pictures of herself among people; in some she wore a mask, in other pictures she did not.[17]

Committee assignments[18]

• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security
  • Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation and Operations
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
• Committee on Rules

Political positions

Abortion

Lesko opposes abortion.[19] She has proposed legislation to give employers religious exemptions from providing contraceptives in health insurance plans.[20][21][22] She has proposed legislation that would allow health officials to conduct warrantless and unannounced inspections of abortion clinics, like they do for all other health institutions in the state, which critics said undermined the privacy of patients at the clinics.[23]

Donald Trump

Lesko has been described as a loyal Trump ally.[17]

In December 2019, she voted against impeaching President Trump.[24] She said there is "no proof, none, that the president has committed an impeachable offense."[25] In defending Trump, she claimed that Trump had not asked the President of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.[26]

Economy, taxes and regulation

Lesko has said that she would have voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Republican Party's 2017 tax overhaul.[27] 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."[27]

In 2017, Lesko championed legislation that would allow payday lenders to provide loans at interest rates as high as 164% a year.[28][29]

In 2016, she opposed efforts to increase the minimum wage in Arizona to $10 by 2017 and then to $12 by 2020.[30]

Education

Lesko favors empowering private schools and charter schools.[31]

Environment and energy

Asked at a debate involving seven candidates in January 2018 whether she believed that humans contribute to climate change, Lesko did not raise her hand.[32] After a long pause, she said that the question was "loaded" and added, "Is some of it, maybe, human-caused? Possibly. But certainly not the majority of it. I think it just goes through cycles and it has to do a lot with the sun. So no, I'm not a global warming proponent."[32]

In 2016, Lesko crafted a measure that would give state utilities in Arizona 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.[33] Lesko crafted the measure with the assistance of utilities.[33]

As of 2019, Lesko has a 2 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters, among the very lowest.[34]

Gun control

Lesko opposes changes to existing gun laws, saying "I think there's enough laws. The laws need to be enforced."[27]

Health care

Lesko opposes "universal health coverage" and favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[27] She opposed Arizona's expansion of Medicaid coverage and sued former Arizona governor Jan Brewer after she expanded Medicaid.[35]

Immigration

During her 2018 campaign, Lesko made the construction of a border wall on the Mexico border the centerpiece of her campaign, and she pledged to back the Trump administration's hardline positions on border security and immigration reform.[36][37][31]

LGBT rights

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.[38]

Electoral history

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.[39]
• 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, 2012 Republican Primary, placing first with 14,771 votes;[40] in the five-way November 6, 2012 General election, Lesko took the first seat with 41,023 votes and Representative Gray took the second seat ahead of Democratic nomines Carol Lokare, Sheri Van Horsen (who had run for Legislature seats in 2006, 2008, and 2010) and a Libertarian write-in candidate.[41]
• 2010 – With Representative Murphy running for Arizona Senate leaving a District 9 seat open, Lesko ran in the August 24, 2010 Republican Primary and placed first with 14,498 votes;[42] in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, Lesko took the first seat with 32,423 votes, fellow Republican nominee Rick Gray took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominee Shirley McAllister.[43]
• 2008 – With incumbent Republican Representative Bob Stump running for Arizona Corporation Commission and leaving a District 9 seat open, Representative Rick Murphy and Lesko were unopposed for the September 2, 2008 Republican Primary; Lesko placed first with 10,902 votes and Representative Murphy placed second;[44] in the November 4, 2008 General election, Lesko took the first seat with 37,762 votes and Representative Murphy took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominees Sheri Van Horsen (who had run for the seat in 2006) and Shawn Hutchinson.[45][46]

U.S. House, Arizona District 8 Republican Primary, 2018
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Debbie Lesko	25,508	35.77
Republican	Phil Lovas	17,031	23.88
Republican	Steve B Montenegro	16,987	23.82
Republican	Bob Stump	3,832	5.37
Republican	Clair Van Steenwyk	1,692	2.37
Republican	Chris Sylvester	1,370	1.92
Republican	David Lien	1,261	1.77
Republican	Richard Mack	1,014	1.42
Republican	Mark Yates	799	1.12
Republican	Chad Allen	747	1.05
Republican	Brenden Dilley	734	1.03
Republican	Stephen Dolgos	345	0.48

Arizona's 8th congressional district special election, 2018[46]

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 special primary results, Arizona 2018[47]

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[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Debbie Lesko	96,012	52.37%	-16.18%
	Democratic	Hiral Tipirneni	87,331	47.63%	N/A
Total votes			'183,343'	'100%'	N/A
	Republican hold

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

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

References

1. "Debbie Lesko". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
2. "Trent Franks stepping down from Congress amid complaints from 2 former female staffers". Arizona Republic. December 12, 2017.
3. Martin, Jonathan (April 24, 2018). "Debbie Lesko Wins Arizona Special Election for Congress, Rallying G.O.P." New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
4. Greg Giroux, Ready for Congress: Meet Rep.-Elect Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz.
5. "Don Lorenz - Obituary".
6. Matthew Bloch & Jasmine C. Lee, Arizona Special Primary Election Results: Eighth House District (February 28, 2018).
7. Merica, Dan. "Democrats aren't expecting an Arizona miracle, but their eyes are on November". CNN. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
8. "Our Campaigns - AZ District 3 Race - Nov 02, 1976". wourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
9. "Republican wins US House race in Arizona GOP stronghold – Your Valley". Your Valley. April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
10. Rakich, Nathaniel (April 23, 2018). "Watch The Arizona 8th Special Election Like A Pro". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
11. Enten, Harry. "Why the win for Republicans in Arizona 8 is still good for Democrats". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
12. "Our Campaigns - AZ District 3 Race - Nov 02, 1976".
13. Press, The Associated (April 25, 2018). "GOP Unsettled by Narrow Win in US House Race in Arizona". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
14. Arizona 2018 House results from CNN
15. Hansen, Ronald J. (February 21, 2018). "Debbie Lesko accused of moving $50K from campaign to a PAC that backs ... Lesko". Arizona Republic.
16. "GOP primary winner, Debbie Lesko, faces 2nd federal election law complaint". Associated Press. March 2, 2018.
17. Hansen, Cleo Krejci and Ronald J. "In Tulsa for Trump's rally, Rep. Debbie Lesko sometimes wore a mask, sometimes didn't". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
18. "Committees & Caucuses | U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko". lesko.house.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
19. Tara Golshan (April 16, 2018). "Republicans aren't taking chances in the Arizona special election to replace Trent Franks". Vox.
20. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Contraception exemption bill may be finished". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
21. Press, Michelle L. Price The Associated. "Glendale lawmaker defends her birth-control bill". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
22. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Birth-control-exclusion bill goes to Arizona Senate". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
23. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "House approves unannounced, warrantless abortion clinic inspections". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
24. Swenson, Ali (December 18, 2019). "How Each Arizona Representative Voted on President Donald Trump's Impeachment". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
25. TucsonSentinel.com. "Arizona lawmakers split, as House takes historic vote to impeach Trump". TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
26. "The GOP's closing impeachment argument: Denying basic facts". The Washington Post. 2019.
27. Ronald J. Hansen (April 12, 2018). "Lesko, Tipirneni contrast views on health, taxes and guns in final CD8 joint appearance". Arizona Republic.
28. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Effort to offer high-interest loans in Arizona appears to be dead". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
29. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Proposed bill seeks to allow AZ lenders to offer new high-interest loan". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
30. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Backers of higher Arizona minimum wage use extra cash to target candidates". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
31. Ronald J. Hansen (April 17, 2018). "Replacing Trent Franks: GOP nervous even in heavily Republican Arizona district". Arizona Republic.
32. Joshua Bowling (January 30, 2018). "Here's where West Valley congressional candidates stand on climate change". The Arizona Republic.
33. Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "Measure allows utilities to charge separate rates for solar customers". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
34. "Check out Representative Debbie Lesko's Environmental Voting Record". League of Conservation Voters Scorecard. March 2, 2020.
35. "Repeal Of Health Law Could Force Tough Decisions For Arizona Republicans". NPR.org. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
36. "Debbie Lesko keeps Arizona 8th in GOP hands in special election". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
37. "GOP scrambles to avert another election dumpster fire". POLITICO. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
38. "House Debate on the Equality Act". C-SPAN. May 17, 2019.
39. "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.
40. "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.
41. "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.
42. "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.
43. "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.
44. "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.
45. "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.
46. Almukhtar, Sarah (April 24, 2018). "Arizona Special Election Results: Eighth House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
47. "2018 Arizona primary special election results" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2019.
48. "Official Canvas of Special General Election" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved December 25, 2018.

External links

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

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 Conor Lamb	United States Representatives by seniority 334th	Succeeded by Michael Cloud