Paul Boyer (politician)
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Paul D. Boyer is an American politician and a former
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 ...
member of 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 w ...
representing District 20 from 2019 to 2023. He previously served in the
Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...
from 2013 to 2019, including serving as the Chair of the Arizona House Education Committee.


Early life, education and career

Born to Fred and Sharon and a native of Arizona's West Valley, Boyer attended Deer Valley High School. Boyer earned 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 ...
in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
and his MA in
communication studies Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differen ...
from Arizona State University West and he teaches 11th grade Humane Letters part-time at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy and previously taught at Veritas Preparatory Academy. Both are part of the
Great Hearts Academies Great Hearts Academies is a non-profit charter school management organization that operates a network of primary, middle, and high schools in the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan area and in San Antonio, Ft. Worth, and Irving, Texas. Great Hearts Ac ...
. Previously, Boyer served as an official spokesman and policy advisor for House Majority at the
State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...
, the legislative liaison for the
Arizona Department of Corrections The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry, commonly and formerly referred to as simply the Arizona Department of Corrections, is the statutory law enforcement agency responsible for the incarceration of inmates in 13 prisons ...
, and a spokesman for
Mesa Public Schools Mesa Public Schools (incorporated as Mesa Unified School District #4) is the largest public school district in the state of Arizona. Its approximately 64,000 students enjoy opportunities such as Montessori, International Baccalaureate, dual-langua ...
.


Political positions


Voting rights

In April 2021, Boyer voted to purge approximately 200,000 individuals from Arizona voter rolls because they had not voted in two consecutive election cycles. He had previously joined the Democrats in February 2021 in the Arizona Senate in blocking Michelle Ugenti-Rita's Senate Bill to purge the voter rolls. In February 2021, Boyer was the only Republican that joined the Democratic caucus in the
Arizona 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 w ...
to vote against holding the
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is the governing body of Maricopa County, a county of over four million in Arizona. The five supervisors are each elected from single-member districts to serve four-year terms. Primary elections and general ...
in contempt for not following a
subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
of the senate. The Senate had subpoenaed access to all voting machines and copies of all mail ballots in
Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about 6 ...
in a pursuit to prove allegations of widespread irregularities in the 2020 presidential elections. The Board of Supervisors believes that subpoena to be unlawful. Boyer supported an audit into Arizona's election results in the 2020 presidential election, although two previous audits that were partial recounts did not find any fraud. After an audit was initiated, Boyer said that he was embarrassed by the audit and that "It makes us look like idiots." He went on and said “Looking back, I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to be a state senator at this point.” In response to Boyer's criticisms of the audit, Trump called him a "RINO" and "nothing but trouble", and endorsed former Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern, who has announced plans to challenge Boyer in the Republican primary in 2022. In November 2021, Boyer announced he would retire at the end of his term rather than seeking re-election.


Guns

Boyer supports measures to limit gun control. In 2016, he introduced legislation to prevent the use of
smart gun A smart gun, also called a smart-gun, or smartgun, is a firearm that can detect its authorized user(s) or something that is normally only possessed by its authorized user(s). The term is also used in science fiction to refer to various types of ...
technology in Arizona. This technology adds additional safety measures that must be met in order for the gun to fire, such as fingerprint recognition or requiring the shooter to wear a special ring. He received an A rating from the
NRA 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 rights lobbying organization while conti ...
.


Elections

*2012: With incumbent Republican Representatives
Jeff Dial Jeff Dial (born April 4, 1976 in Los Angeles County, California) is a former State Senator in the Arizona State Legislature. Dial was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 and was reelected in 2012. Dial was elected to the Ariz ...
and Bob Robson, redistricted to District 18, and with incumbent Republican Representative
Carl Seel Carl E. Seel (born July 14, 1969, in Maryland) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 20 from 2013 to 2015. Seel served consecutively from January 2009 until January ...
, redistricted from District 6, Boyer ran in the three-way August 28, 2012, Republican primary, placing first with 12,224 votes, and won the first seat in the November 6, 2012, General Election with 37,143 votes, above incumbent Representative Seel and the Democratic nominees, former Representative Jackie Thrasher and Tonya Norwood. *2014: Boyer and Anthony Kern defeated Democrat Amy Schwabenlender on November 4. Boyer was the top vote-getter in the election with 25,610 votes. *2016: Boyer and Anthony Kern were unopposed in the Republican primary. They defeated Democrat Chris Gilfillan on November 8. Boyer was the top vote getter in the election with 39,780 votes. *2018: In the General Election, Boyer defeated Democrat, Douglas Ervin, for a seat in Arizona's State Senate from District 20, by 35,170 votes to 32,352 votes.


Electoral history


References


External links

*
Official page
at the
Arizona State 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, the s ...

Official campaign site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyer, Paul D. Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Arizona State University alumni Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona 21st-century American politicians Republican Party Arizona state senators