Thomas Ray "T. J." Shope Jr. (born August 12, 1985) is an American

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 ...

politician and businessman who has been a member of the

Arizona Legislature The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, th ...

from the 16th Legislative District, which covers central and eastern

Pinal County Pinal County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was founded in 187 ...

and southern

Gila County Gila County ( ) is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area. Gila County contains p ...

. First elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2012, he was a member of the House from January 2013 to January 2021; in the latter part of his time in the state House, he was Speaker Pro Tempore. Shope was elected to the

Arizona State Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms wi ...

in November 2020, and took office in January 2021.

Early life

Shope was born in

Florence, Arizona , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = Main Street original town-site of Florence Arizona National Register of Historic Places.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Main Street of the original town ...

, in 1985, to Thomas "Tom" Shope, Sr. and Luz Shope and resides in

Coolidge, Arizona Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city's population is 13,218. Coolidge is home of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The monument was the first historic site to receive protect ...

. A third-generation elected official, Shope's father was a former mayor of Coolidge, and his grandfather was a member of the city council.Bryan Bender
In the wilds of Arizona, a hunt for bipartisanship
''Politico'' (November 28, 2020). Shope's family owns a grocery store in Coolidge. He received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from Arizona State University in 2008.Hank Stephenson
Fresh faces: Legislature will welcome near record number of newcomers
''Arizona Capitol Times'' November 20, 2012).

Political career

Shope was a member of a local

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

before seeking election to the Arizona House of Representatives as a Republican. He was first elected to the state House in 2012, at age 27, from the 8th Legislative District. Shope's district is heavily rural and Republican-dominated; it encompasses parts of Gila and Pinal counties,State of Arizona Official Canvass - 2020 General Election, November 3, 2020
Arizona Secretary of State. specifically Coolidge,

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...

, Superior,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

San Tan Valley San Tan Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States. As of the census of 2020, the population of San Tan Valley is 99,894. History San Tan Valley derives its name from the n ...

, and portions of Casa Grande and Eloy. He was reelected to the House in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Shope was speaker pro tempore of the state House. In 2013–14, after initially taking a neutral position on

Medicaid expansion In the context of American public healthcare policy, Medicaid coverage gap refers to uninsured people who reside in states which have opted out of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), who are both ineligible for Medicaid unde ...

under the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

, Shope became one of a handful of Republicans who joined Democrats in supporting Medicaid expansion (which extended health-care coverage to more low-income Arizonans). Medicaid expansion was supported by Governor

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine, formerly Warren; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician and author who was the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman (and was t ...

, but opposed by most Republican officials and right-wing activists. In 2019, Shope sponsored legislation that repealed a 1991 state law barring

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

instruction that "promotes a homosexual lifestyle" or "portrays homosexuality as a positive alternative lifestyle"; Shope said that the language was antiquated. The repeal passed the Senate on a 19–10 vote and the House on a 55–5 vote. Shope sponsored a measure in 2019, supported by Governor

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey (, né Roscoe Jr.; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 23rd governor of Arizona since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Ducey was previously the CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, a c ...

, to amend the Arizona State Constitution to repeal its provision for

legislative immunity Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which politicians such as president, vice president, governor, lieutenant governor, member of parliament, member of legislative assembly, member of legislative council, ...

during and before the state legislative session; however, the bill was blocked by Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers. In 2020, Shope was elected to the

seat from the 8th Legislative District, defeating Democratic nominee Barbara McGuire. In September 2020, ahead of the November 2020 presidential election, Shope endorsed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and appeared at a Trump rally in Arizona. In December 2020, amid acrimonious infighting among Arizona Republicans about Trump's efforts to overturn his defeat in the election, Shope said that he supported Trump while simultaneously saying that a Republican turn to the far-right would lead to the nomination of unelectable candidates who would repulse moderate voters. In 2021, amid the

COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Arizona in January 2020. As of June 3, 2021 Arizona public health authorities reported 322 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths, bringing the cumulative totals since the st ...

, Shope opposed an Arizona State University policy that required students who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to comply with

CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

public health recommendations by taking twice-weekly

COVID-19 test COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral p ...

s and using face masks.Bob Christie
Ducey blocks ASU policy requiring masks for unvaccinated
Associated Press (June 15, 2021). (Republican governor Ducey subsequently issued an executive order blocking the ASU policy.) However, Shope sided with all Senate Democrats in opposing a bill, sponsored by Senate Republican Bret Roberts, to make it a crime for businesses to decline to serve customers who lacked proof of vaccination, and would authorize the state to shut down such businesses. Shope said he believed the proposal went too far and unfairly restricted the rights of private business owners.Howard Fischer
Lawmakers nix plan to punish businesses for requiring vaccines for patrons
Capitol Media Services (May 20, 2021).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shope, Thomas 1985 births 21st-century American politicians American politicians of Mexican descent Central Arizona College alumni Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Arizona Living people People from Florence, Arizona Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives School board members in Arizona