Arizona State Senate District 16: Republican Kelly Townsend vs. Democrat Richard Grayson

 

In the 2020 election for Arizona State Senate in District 16, Republican Kelly Townsend is running against Democrat Richard Grayson. Here is the candidate information on each of them from the Arizona Secretary of State's Election website.

Kelly Townsend candidate info:

I’m very humbled that you have allowed me to represent you and I want you to know that I work hard on your behalf. This last term I was elected Majority Whip by my fellow Representatives and was honored to give our district a seat at the leadership table. I continue to vote for balanced budgets and policies to protect and create jobs, strengthen education, increase classroom funding and teacher pay, and find creative funding streams that bolster our economy while cutting taxes. I’ve protected your 2nd Amendment rights, defended the Constitution, protected the unborn, fought for border security, advocated for veteran's rights, fought Federal overreach, protected family values, cleaned up the Department of Child Safety, and more. I helped lead the effort to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment, I’ve won the Friend of the Family and Hero of the Taxpayer awards, fought to block ObamaCare, and opposed Common Core in favor of high education standards that come from Arizona parents and teachers. I want a smaller and more responsive government, greater liberty, a fiscally responsible state, a strong economy, respect for the rule of law, and stronger families. If you agree, I ask for your vote. Thank you!

Richard Grayson candidate info:

Unfortunately, no Democrat filed to run for State Senator in the primary, so I am running as a write-in candidate for those Democrats and others who hate Trump Republicans and want to register a protest vote along with their votes for Joe Biden, Mark Kelly, Helen Hunter and other Democrats. I have a B.A. and an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College; an M.A. in English from the College of Staten Island; and a J.D. with high honors from the University of Florida College of Law. The author of eight books of fiction and articles in the NY Times and other periodicals, I have taught at universities and colleges in New York, Florida, Arizona, New Jersey and California. I was a staff attorney in social policy at the Center for Governmental Responsibility in Gainesville and served on the board of directors of the Human Rights Council of North Central Florida. I've worked in many Democratic campaigns, starting in 1964 for LBJ, HHH & RFK. In 2014, I was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Wyoming. In my past races, I was endorsed by NOW PAC and the UAW. I work at Central Arizona College and belong to East Valley NAACP.