Vince Leach
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Venden "Vince" Leach is an American politician from
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 ...
. 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 ...
, he has been a 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 ...
since 2019, representing District 11. From 2015 to 2019, he was a member of 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 ...
representing District 11.


Career before politics

Originally from
Coloma, Wisconsin Coloma is a village in Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 450 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Coloma. Coloma is home of the annual Coloma Chicken Chew, held at the end of June. History ...
, Leach received a bachelor's degree in political science/history from the
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
.Leach looks to take activism to elected office
''In Maricopa'' (July 31, 2014).
Leach was a mineral-products salesman in
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
until 2009, when he retired to Arizona.Ray Stern
On Probation? Arizona Lawmaker Wants to Take Away Your Medical Cannabis
''Phoenix New Times'' (January 8, 2018).
He then became a conservative activist and political candidate.


Political career

In the November 2014 election for District 11 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 ...
(
Pima Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...
and Pinal counties), Leach successfully ran alongside fellow Republican
Mark Finchem Mark William Finchem (born April 24, 1957) is an American far-right politician who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 11 from 2015 to 2023. He is the Arizona coordinator for the Coalition of Weste ...
. Finchem received 36,732 votes and Leach received 34,274 votes, defeating Democratic challenger Holly Lyon, who received 27,392 votes in the general election with 34,274 votes. In 2016, Leach and Finchem defeated Democratic candidate Corin Hammond in the general election: Finchem received 52,509 votes, Leach 49,209 votes, and Hammond 42,511 votes. In 2018, he was elected to the state Senate from Legislative District 11, a heavily Republican district, and he was reelected in 2020. In 2019, Leach voted for a bill expanding so-called "junk" health insurance plans in Arizona that do not protect against
pre-existing conditions In the context of healthcare in the United States, a pre-existing condition is a medical condition that started before a person's health insurance went into effect. Before 2014, some insurance policies would not cover expenses due to pre-existin ...
. Leach criticized Arizona public schoolteachers over the
2018 Arizona teachers' strike The 2018 Arizona teachers' strike was held from April 26–May 3, 2018 by 20,000 teachers to protest low pay and cuts to school funding. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey had approved a proposal giving a 20 percent raise to teachers by 2020, with a 9 p ...
and for wearing red shirts to support salary increases. Leach called the "Red for Ed" movement a "political action" and, in 2019, supported a Republican bill to impose fines of up to $5,000 on educators deemed to have attempted to "indoctrinate" students by influencing their political or religious views. In 2019, Leach sponsored legislation that would give unrestricted power to the
Arizona attorney general The Arizona Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorn ...
to rewrite the ballot text of citizen voter initiatives. The bill failed after at least four Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing it. In 2020, Leach sponsored legislation to weaken the 1998 Voter Protection Act, an voter-approved amendment to the
Arizona Constitution The Constitution of the State of Arizona is the governing document and framework for the State of Arizona. The current constitution is the first and only adopted by the state of Arizona. History The Arizona Territory was authorized to hold a ...
that barred the legislature from changing initiatives approved by the voters, unless they "further the purpose" of the voter initiatives and obtained a three-quarters supermajority vote of the Legislature. Leach said that he sponsored the Republican-supported measure due to his opposition to the voter-approved initiatives that authorized medical marijuana and raised the state minimum wage to $12. The bill passed a state Senate committee on a
party-line vote A party-line vote in a deliberative assembly (such as a constituent assembly, parliament, or legislature) is a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way (usually in opposition to the other political ...
. Leach sponsored several anti-
medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...
bills in the state Senate; none advanced. In 2020, Leach promoted the
conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...
QAnon QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...
, a radical pro-
Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...
fringe movement, on social media. In 2021, Leach supported legislation that made it easier to purge Arizona voters from the early voting list.Jonathan J. Cooper
Arizona makes it easier to purge some from early voting list
Associated Press (May 11, 2021).
The bill, signed into law by Republican 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 ...
, was one of many efforts by Republicans nationwide to restrict voting following Trump's loss in the
2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
. In 2021, Leach sponsored legislation that would block any Arizona county or municipal government from banning so-called gay "conversion therapy."Joe Dana
Bill would prevent gay conversion therapy bans in Arizona
KPNX (February 17, 2021).
At the time, 20 states and
Pima County, Arizona Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population ...
had enacted such bans. In 2022, Leach sponsored Arizona legislation to give the legislature the power to overturn election results.


References


External links


Official campaign page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Vince 21st-century American politicians Republican Party Arizona state senators Living people Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives People from Wild Rose, Wisconsin Place of birth missing (living people) Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point alumni Year of birth missing (living people)