Lea Márquez Peterson
| Lea Márquez Peterson | |
Member of the Arizona Corporate Commission
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office May 30, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Andy Tobin |
|---|---|
| Born | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Daniel Peterson |
| Children | Two |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona Pepperdine University |
| Occupation | Commissioner |
| Religion | Methodist |
Lea Márquez Peterson is a small business owner and conservative Republican currently serving on the Arizona Corporate Commission, having been appointed to the position by Gov. Doug Ducey in late May 2019.[1] Previously having ran for United States House of Representatives in the 2018 midterms, Márquez Peterson lost to liberal Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick during a blue wave after the seat had vacated by then-representative Martha McSally, who ran for U.S. Senate that year.
Contents
2018 U.S. House election in Arizona's 2nd congressional district
Background
Following speculation during December 2017 that Republican then-representative Martha McSally won't seek re-election in Arizona's second congressional district and will instead run for U.S. Senate, Márquez Peterson announced her run for the seat.[2]
Republican primary
Facing three opponents in the Republican primary leading up to the general election, Márquez Peterson won with a plurality of 34.2% of the vote.[3]
General election
Following the primaries, Márquez Peterson faced Democrat opponent Ann Kirkpatrick, who previously had served in the U.S. House of Representatives for separate two periods of time and unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2016 to challenge the globalist, anti-Trump RINO John McCain.[4] Taking mostly conservative stances, the former neither directly affirmed support for nor opposed Donald Trump, although she did signal an inclination to constructively work with the president on relevant issues.[5][6] In a campaign ad released in mid-October 2018,[7] Márquez Peterson noted Rep. Kirkpatrick's liberal hypocrisy in accepting $3 million from special interest groups while attacking her[Citation Needed] for accepting $50,000 from such. Her run received endorsements from Gov. Doug Ducey and former senator Jon Kyl.[8]
Following attacks from the Democrat establishment,[9] which strongly supported Kirkpatrick since the primaries,[10] in addition to a blue wave during that year as well as McSally's shift towards supporting the Trump agenda in a liberal-leaning district, Márquez Peterson ultimately lost to Kirkpatrick by around 10% of the vote in the general election.[3]
Arizona Corporate Commission
Tenure
In mid-June 2019, Márquez Peterson passed an amendment that reduced rate hikes for customers living in rural Arizona areas;[11] the amendment was met with unanimous approval by the Commission.
Following the death of an APS customer, Márquez Peterson called for an independent outside investigation into the matter.[12]
In early February 2020, Márquez Peterson lead a discussion over the influence of performance incentive mechanisms in electric utility rate cases, noting the importance of accountability in regards to electric utility industries.[13]
2020 election
Márquez Peterson is currently running for election in 2020 to serve a full term on the Arizona Corporate Commission,[14] having faced two opponents in the Republican primary (one of which is a write-in candidate) that was held on August 4, 2020, in addition to three Democrat opponents for the general election. While losing the popular vote to Eric Sloan in the primary with just over 46% of the vote,[15] the top three performers for each party's primary for statewide Corporate Commission elections proceed to the general election.
References
- ↑ Two references:
- ↑ Tucson Republican jumps into race for Martha McSally's seat
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2018 - Ballotpedia
- ↑ 2016 Arizona Senate Election Results
- ↑ 'Separate the man from the policy': How one Republican woman runs for Congress in the Trump age
- ↑ Ann Kirkpatrick and Lea Marquez Peterson debate for CD2 (full debate)
- ↑ Lea Marquez Peterson for Congress | Hypocrisy
- ↑ Dem Ann Kirkpatrick Takes Martha McSally's Seat in AZ-02
- ↑ The Case Against Lea Marquez Peterson
- ↑ Kirkpatrick tops all in fundraising for Tucson-area CD2 race
- ↑ From the Office of Commissioner Márquez Peterson: Lea Márquez Peterson Passes First Amendment to Reduce Rate Hikes for Rural Customers
- ↑ From the Office of Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson: Lea Marquez Peterson Calls for Independent Outside Investigation of ACC Decisions Surrounding Death of APS Customer
- ↑ Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson Leads Discussion on Performance Based Regulation in Utility Rate Cases
- ↑ Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2020
- ↑ Arizona Election Results - 2020 primary
