Steven Jeffrey Gaynor is an American businessman and political candidate in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. He ran for

Secretary of State of Arizona The secretary of state of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state of Arizona. Since Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, the secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The secretary also serves as acti ...

in 2018, and won the

Arizona Republican Party The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. The party currently controls four of Arizona's nine U.S. House seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship ...

nomination, but narrowly lost the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

to Democrat

Katie Hobbs Kathleen Marie Hobbs (born December 28, 1969) is an American politician and social worker who is the governor-elect of Arizona, having been elected in 2022. She has served as the 21st secretary of state of Arizona since 2019. A member of the D ...

. Gaynor declared his candidacy for the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In June 2021, he withdrew before the primary.

Early life and education

Gaynor is originally from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business school. Gaynor is Jewish.

Business career

Gaynor moved to Arizona in 1981 and purchased a small printing company which he grew to employ 350 people by 2007. In 2014 his printing company paid $134,000 to settle claims of underpaid workers.

Political career

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

he ran as the

for

, defeating

Michelle Reagan Michele Reagan (born October 13, 1969) is an American Republican politician who served as the 20th Arizona Secretary of State, from 2015 to 2019. She is currently a Justice of the Peace for the Maricopa County McDowell Mountain Precinct. Early ...

for the nomination. He lost the

narrowly to the Democratic candidate

. The race was so close that numerous media outlets, including the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, reported Gaynor as the winner. Gaynor ultimately conceded to Hobbs 11 days after the election. In 2019 Gaynor founded of Fair Maps Arizona, a 501(c)(4) organization that has supported Republican political efforts in Arizona. On June 25, 2021, Gaynor declared his candidacy for the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election as a

Political positions

Gaynor has been described as a social and fiscal conservative. He is reportedly

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

, and is a lifetime member of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

Electoral history

Personal life

Gaynor is married to his wife Dorothy, who he met while studying at Harvard. Together they have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaynor, Steve American businesspeople American political candidates Harvard Business School alumni Jewish American people in Arizona politics Living people 1955 births