State of Arizona Archives: on Jobs


David Garcia: Raise the minimum wage

Q: Raise the minimum wage?

Doug Ducey (R): No. Threatened loss of revenue sharing to cities increasing local minimum: "Will. bring California-style chaos."

David Garcia (D): Spoke at rally to protect recently passed $10.50/hr law.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Arizona Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Deedra Abboud: Supports measures to increase federal minimum wage

Arizona families pride themselves in being hard workers, entrepreneurs, and innovators. But when the scales are tipped for the most wealthiest, our economy suffers. The federal government is failing to move forward with policies that can improve conditions for working families. She strongly supports measures to increase the federal minimum wage, ensure equal pay and paid sick days, expand paid family and medical leave, support small businesses, and create jobs.
Source: 2018 Arizona Senate campaign website Deedra2018.com Dec 12, 2017

Deedra Abboud: Affirmative action in government, but not private companies

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Legally require hiring more women/minorities"?

A: Oppose. Legally requiring private companies to hire anyone would be government overreach and against freedom; however, the government could legally make such a requirement for government jobs. Quotas create more problems though--unqualified being hired or just the perception of it.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Arizona Senate candidate Mar 5, 2018

Doug Ducey: Raising local minimum wage brings California-style chaos

Q: Raise the minimum wage?

Doug Ducey (R): No. Threatened loss of revenue sharing to cities increasing local minimum: "Will. bring California-style chaos."

David Garcia (D): Spoke at rally to protect recently passed $10.50/hr law.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Arizona Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Doug Marks: Affirmative action is damaging government interference

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Legally require hiring more women/minorities"?

A: No, Gov't interference has caused more damage to the working folks than it has ever helped.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Arizona Senate candidate Mar 5, 2018

Doug Ducey: Universal recognition for out-of-state occupational licenses

If people want to work, let's let them work! 100,000 people will move here this year. There's a job available for every one of them. Lots of them are trained and certified in other states. Standing in their way of earning a living in Arizona, our own licensing boards, and their cronies who tell them--"You can't work here. You haven't paid the piper."

Let's stop this foolishness. Pass the bill to grant universal recognition for all occupational licenses-- and let them work. And before those unelected boards feign outrage--let's remember: workers don't lose their skills simply because they move to Arizona.

And, in the name of good government, let's have the bullies on these boards answer three questions: what do you exist to do, how do you know if you're doing it well, and who would miss you if you were gone?

Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Arizona legislature Jan 14, 2019

Doug Ducey: Help rural small businesses get Arizonans back to work

There's no shortage of new jobs in Arizona--but many vital jobs remain unfilled in our rural communities. So we've got a plan--a Rural Jobs Initiative. Small business is the backbone of our economy. We're launching a partnership with Local First Arizona to strengthen small businesses, get rural Arizonans back to work, and bolster our local economies.
Source: 2020 Arizona State of the State address Jan 13, 2020

Fred DuVal: Focus on stimulating job creation post-Great Recession

Q: How would you go about creating good jobs?

A: Working Arizonans who were crushed by the Great Recession either can't find a job or their new one pays less than the one they lost, and our unemployment rate is almost a point higher than the national average. That's unacceptable. We can create jobs by giving tax relief to small businesses that hire new employees, connecting our community colleges with local companies, and invest in 21st century industries like solar.

Source: KSAZ Fox 10 Phoenix on 2014 Arizona governor race Jul 28, 2014

George W. Bush: Education is the best way to create jobs

Q: What do you say to someone who has lost his job to someone overseas who's being paid a fraction of what that job paid here in the US?

A: I've got policies to continue to grow our economy and create jobs. Here's some help for you to go get an education. Here's some help for you to go to a community college. We've expanded trade adjustment assistance. We want to help pay for you to gain the skills necessary. The best way to keep jobs here in America is to make sure our education system works.

Source: Third Bush-Kerry Debate, in Tempe Arizona Oct 13, 2004

Jan Brewer: Governor's Jobs Cabinet: un-shackle job creators

We need to do more to un-shackle our job creators. I have met with hundreds of business leaders about job creation. From these discussions, I am taking the following specific actions to make Arizona even more competitive in creating jobs.

First, I am announcing the formation of a Governor's Jobs Cabinet. This team of key state agency directors will cut through the red tape--and the green tape--to speed job creation.

Second, I will be allocating a significant portion of remaining federal stimulus funds directly to bring new jobs to Arizona. Specifically, I am devoting $10 million in one-time federal stimulus funds for job training. That way our employees will be ready to work.

Third, I have created the Governor's Commerce Advisory Council. Working with other Arizona business leaders, they will transform the Department of Commerce into an engine for job creation. Finally, I will convene a summit of leading CEOs to discuss job creation opportunities in Arizona.

Source: Arizona 2010 State of the State Address Jan 11, 2010

Jeff Flake: ObamaCare inhibits small business hiring

President Barack Obama's health care overhaul was an issue of contention. Flake said he would vote to repeal the health care act because he said it inhibits small business owners from hiring more employees. Carmona, on the other hand, said there are a lot of good elements to Obama's health care reform, but he said he would encourage changes.
Source: KYMA-TV-11 on 2012 Arizona "Rural Issues" Senate debate Oct 26, 2012

Jeff Flake: Stifling regulations are the biggest job killers

Calling the jobless rate "unacceptable," Flake blamed "stifling" regulations on the environment, health, labor and financial sectors. One of the biggest "job killers" is the president's health care plan, he said, noting that small businesses are moving people from full time to part time to avoid hitting that 50-employee threshold. "I will vote to repeal the president's health-care plan, my opponent will not," Flake said.
Source: Yuma Sun on 2012 Arizona "Rural Issues" Senate debate Oct 25, 2012

Jim Lamon: I will work to eliminate the right to strike for teachers

Source: 2022 Arizona Senate campaign website JimLamon.com Apr 20, 2022

John Kerry: Bush could make an impact on the loss of jobs

Q: Is it fair to blame the Bush administration entirely for the loss of jobs?

A: I don't blame them entirely for it. I blame Bush for the things he could do that has an impact on it. Outsourcing is going to happen. I've had shop stewards say, will you promise me you're going to stop all this outsourcing? I can't do that. What I can promise you is that I will make the playing field as fair as possible, and make certain that the tax system is not subsidizing the loss of your job.

Source: Third Bush-Kerry Debate, in Tempe Arizona Oct 13, 2004

John Kerry: Bush cut job training money and ignored the unemployed

Notice how Bush switched away from jobs and started talking about education. Being lectured by Bush on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country. Bush has taken a $5.6 trillion surplus and turned it into deficits as far as the eye can see. Health care costs for the average American have gone up 64%. Tuitions have gone up 35%. Gasoline prices up 30%. Medicare premiums went up 17% a few days ago. Prescription drugs are up 12% a year. But guess what, America? The wages of Americans have gone down. The jobs that are being created in Arizona now are paying about $13,700 less than the jobs that we're losing. And Bush just walks on by this problem. The fact is that he's cut job training money - $1 billion was cut, they only added a little bit back this year because it's an election year. They've wound up not even extending unemployment benefits and not even extending health care to those people who are unemployed.
Source: Third Bush-Kerry Debate, in Tempe Arizona Oct 13, 2004

Katie Hobbs: Recruit, hire, and elevate women and minorities

Recruiting, Hiring, and Elevating Women and People From Underrepresented Communities: Katie knows representation is critical to ensuring all Arizonans are heard in a Hobbs administration, and across all agencies of the government. That's why Katie will continue to focus on recruiting, hiring, and elevating women and people from underrepresented communities across the board, including in senior leadership.

To spur the growth of minority- and women-owned businesses, Katie knows access to capital is critical but many of these businesses face unequal lending access from large banks, even as underrepresented communities have a higher rate of starting or running a business. Katie will work with the legislature to develop a program administered by the Arizona Commerce Authority aimed at easing access to capital by providing fixed-rate loans and lines of credit to these entrepreneurs.

Source: 2022 Arizona Gubernatorial campaign website KatieHobbs.org Dec 20, 2021

Katie Hobbs: Eliminate the tipped minimum wage

Eliminating the Tipped Minimum Wage. The tipped minimum wage is disproportionately harmful to women and people of color, particularly Black women, who earned on average nearly $5 less per hour than their white male counterparts. Katie will work to eliminate the tipped minimum wage, which will reduce poverty and inequality while promoting total employment growth for small businesses.
Source: 2022 Arizona Gubernatorial campaign website KatieHobbs.org Dec 20, 2021

Kyrsten Sinema: Increase federal minimum wage from $7.20 to $10.10

Q: Minimum Wage: Raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hr?

Martha McSally (R): No stand found.

Kyrsten Sinema (D): Yes. Has supported increase to $10.10 an hour.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Arizona Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Mark Kelly: Make investments that raise wages and create jobs

Unemployment insurance, food assistance and Medicaid have all been a vital safety net for so many Arizonans during this crisis. We need to ensure that these programs continue to help working Arizonans get back on their feet, especially older workers. And then we need to make investments that are going to raise wages and create good-paying jobs--like in infrastructure, science and technology--and job-training programs to ensure that Arizonans have the skills they need.
Source: AARP Survey on 2020 Arizona Senate race Oct 9, 2020

Martha McSally: I support equal pay for equal work by women

As someone who has fought for women my entire life, I know first-hand that women still face many hurdles to equal treatment in our society. This is unacceptable, and as a Member of Congress, I will work to ensure that women have every opportunity-- whether it's in the workplace, the home, or the military--that men have.

I support equal pay for equal work, preventing violence against women, standing up for victims of sexual assault, and demanding leadership in the military to transform the culture I know first-hand that devalues women in uniform and creates an environment that leads to sexual harassment and assault. I was disheartened to see so many Republicans reject legislation that would improve services for victims of violent assault and diminish subtle pay discrimination, and believe these should be non-partisan issues that all lawmakers should support.

Source: 2014 Arizona House campaign website, McSallyForCongress.com Nov 4, 2014

Martha McSally: COVID: Helped craft CARES Act to save jobs, small businesses

Q: Your COVID policy?

A: When the coronavirus hit, I helped craft the CARES Act. This bill provided relief to Arizonans who became unemployed. We saved more than 1 million jobs and 86,000 small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. The CARES Act has helped our economy & the job market start to recover. One thing we don't need in the middle of this recovery is a tax increase. I voted to cut taxes on Arizona families by $2,000 and will keep fighting for lower taxes and pro-job policies.

Source: AARP Survey on 2020 Arizona Senate race Oct 9, 2020

Mitt Romney: Mistake to give automakers to unions as part of auto bailout

Q: During the 2008 auto bailout, people in the Bush administration said they would have preferred the structured bankruptcy route that you advocate, but that there was no private capital available. That nobody would give the auto companies money, so their choice was to either give government money or have them liquidate.

ROMNEY: I wrote in my Op-Ed piece, look, these companies need to go through managed bankruptcy. And the head of the UAW said "We can't; the industry will disappear if that happens." And the politicians, Barack Obama's people, "oh no, we can't go through managed bankruptcy." They wrote $17 billion in checks to the auto companies in 6 months. Then they finally realized I was right. They finally put them through managed bankruptcy. Those monies they put in beforehand--it was wasted money. And because they put that money in, the president gave the companies to the UAW, they were part of the reason the companies were in trouble. Giving these companies to the UAW was wrong

Source: CNN's 2012 GOP Debate on eve of Arizona Primary Feb 22, 2012

Newt Gingrich: Auto bailout was unprecedented capitulation to unions

ROMNEY: Obama's people wrote $17 billion in checks to the auto companies.

Q: Mr. Speaker, that's a tough one--a major American industry, in a time of trouble....

GINGRICH: It's not tough. There was a huge amount of the American auto industry that was just fine. BMW in South Carolina was terrific. Mercedes in Alabama was doing just fine. Honda in Ohio was just fine. Toyota was just fine. What we have is the United Auto Workers and a management system that had grown incapable of tough decisions because they were used to selling out to the UAW . And so they came in and said, oh we can't change. And this president on behalf of the UAW said, you're exactly right. I think that they would have been much better off to have gone through a managed bankruptcy. I think what would have happened is the UAW would have lost all of their advantages. [The actual] result was an unprecedented violation of 200 years of bankruptcy law by Barack Obama to pay off the UAW at the expense of every bondholder.

Source: CNN's 2012 GOP Debate on eve of Arizona Primary Feb 22, 2012

Richard Carmona: Farm Bill should offer support to struggling farmers

The Farm Bill sparked the longest exchange between the candidates. Due to Congressional inaction, the last bill expired in September. "It will be a priority for me because I realize how antiquated the bill is," Carmona said. He said the bill is naturally tied to health issues such as obesity and should offer "appropriate support to farmers struggling here along the border."

Flake agreed on a need to redo the bill, describing it as being "out of whack."

Source: Yuma Sun on 2012 Arizona "Rural Issues" Senate debate Oct 25, 2012

Tom O`Halleran: Increase minimum wage; ensure equal pay for women

Wages simply haven't kept up with the cost of living, and those at the lowest income levels have been hit the hardest. I support increasing the minimum wage to a level that allows for a livable wage.

There is no excuse for two people who do the same job to earn different pay because of their gender. Men and women should earn equal pay for equal work, period.

Source: 2016 Arizona House campaign website TomOHalleran.com Nov 8, 2016

  • The above quotations are from State of Arizona Politicians: Archives.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Jobs.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
2016 Presidential contenders on Jobs:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI)
Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023