Independent

Arizona since: 1972.

Occupation: Owner, Rawles Law Office, since 2009; general manager and general counsel, Johnson Stewart Co. (Mesa, AZ), 2005-2009; lawyer, Kimerer & Derrick (Phoenix, AZ), 1999-2005.

Marital: Married (Linda, higher education lawyer).

Children: 1.

Religious preference: Baptist.

Education: J.D., magna cum laude, ASU, 1975; B.A., economics, Willamette University (Salem, OR), 1972; Anderson Valley High School (Boonville, CA), 1968.

Political experience: Elected member, Maricopa County Bd of Supervisors, 1993-1996 (chairman, 1995); elected member, Mesa City Council, 2004-2008; congressional chief of staff, Congressman John J. Rhodes, III, 1987-1989.

Memberships: Member, AZ State Bar; member, Sunrise Rotary Club (Mesa, AZ); bd of dir, Mesa YMCA; bd of dir, Mesa Education Foundation; bd of dir, East Valley Partnership; division chair, Mesa United Way; member, Governor’s Task Force on Alcohol and Highway Safety.

Interests: Reading, travel, birding, the pursuit of justice. Special interest in Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill.

Political influence: Abraham Lincoln, because he applied an incredible intellect and a razor-sharp mastery of the English language to the most complex and important public policy issue in the history of this country. His willingness to apply what he called cold, hard reason to the issue of slavery, rather than raw emotion and guttural reactions, is an essential lesson for us all. Still, when an appeal to arms was forced upon him, he employed an iron will to persevere despite early failures and public discontent.

Job creation measures: Reduce taxes and reduce government regulations. Government doesn’t create jobs. Its role is to provide an environment of order and freedom in which the private sector can create jobs. Otherwise, it should just get out of the way.

Top Issues: Education: We need to quit teaching to tests. We are only teaching our children how to memorize for a short period of time. Instead we need to teach them to think. And, as with all professionals you hire, we should stop micromanaging how teachers do their jobs. They should be held accountable, of course, but they should be allowed to be creative and innovative, not restrained, in their classroom approaches. Budget Process: Allowing only two days for consideration of an $8.7 billion budget, without public hearings, is reprehensible and wrong. This process needs to stop.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: Education: We need to quit teaching to tests. We are only teaching our children how to memorize for a short period of time. Instead we need to teach them to think. And, as with all professionals you hire, we should stop micromanaging how teachers do their jobs. They should be held accountable, of course, but they should be allowed to be creative and innovative, not restrained, in their classroom approaches. Budget Process: Allowing only two days for consideration of an $8.7 billion budget, without public hearings, is reprehensible and wrong. This process needs to stop.

Illegal immigration: The federal government needs to adopt a comprehensive, effective and humane immigration policy and then enforce it. The country needs one uniform immigration policy that is fair and enforceable. If the federal government doesn’t fulfill its duty, then we ought to vote every federal elected official from Arizona out of office until we elect people who will do the job.

Background & experience: I think. I listen. I discuss. I think again. I decide. I persuade.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I am pro-choice even though I am personally opposed to abortions. I prefer the use of moral and religious persuasion to convince a woman not to have an abortion rather than the coercive force of government. If abortions are outlawed, they will still occur, but with an increased health risk to the mother. We will also be turning more people into criminals, and there is enough of that already in this country.

One last thing: I am running for the state senate as an independent because the two-party system, or the two parties themselves, are failing us. The parties are more interested in acquiring or retaining power than they are in serving the people. They don’t talk to each other; they talk at, over and around each other. I want to apply Lincoln’s cold, hard reason to the difficult policy issues of the day without partisan lenses and without the need to serve a party master. I want to serve you, the people, not the parties.

Campaign finance: private.

Republican

Arizona since: Birth.

Occupation: Rancher since 1972.

Marital: Married (Joan).

Children: 4.

Religious preference: Christian.

Education: B.S., animal science, UofA.

Political experience: Precinct committeeman; county chairman; state executive committee.

Legis exp: Senate since 2009; Senate president since Nov 2011; majority whip 2009-Nov 2011.

Memberships: AZ Cattle Growers; AZ GOP; AZ Nat’l Livestock Show; Yavapai Republican Committee.

Interests: Gardening, fishing and beaching.

Political influence: My wife Joan. She has always been my closest and most trusted political advisor. We have been married almost 40 years now, and I simply would never be where I am today without her.

Job creation measures: We have made progress on regulatory reform, but there is more to do to help small businesses. We need to create a stronger mechanism for creating openness and accountability in the regulatory process, and we need some measures to prevent the ever-increasing use of fees to pay for things other than for what they were intended.

Top Issues: We still have a long way to go in securing our border and stemming the tide of illegal immigration, so that will continue to be a priority for me. Also, as we have sadly witnessed recently with the Gladiator and Sunflower fires, Arizona desperately needs better forest management. I will continue to work with experts at the local, state and federal level to enhance our watershed and prevent further fires.

Prop 100 sales tax extension: When voters approved the sales tax increase two years ago, they were promised it would only be temporary. Extending it (and presumably extending again after that) because we can’t control spending would not only break that promise, but send the message that Arizona is simply incapable of keeping its fiscal house in order. We fought hard this session to pass a budget that is balanced without gimmicks, holds the line on taxes, and puts money away in a rainy day fund for future budget emergencies. We did this so we wouldn’t have to continue to ask Arizonans to pay more of their hard earned money in a rough economy to fix mistakes of the past.

Illegal immigration: Truthfully, the best thing that could happen in Arizona to help us solve the problem of illegal immigration would be for Mitt Romney to win in November. I hate to get political, but immigration is still a federal issue and this administration, for whatever reason, has been more hostile to our state than any I can remember. The Fast & Furious scandal has had real consequences on our border, federal enforcement of immigration laws has been woefully inadequate, and the multiple lawsuits filed against Arizona over immigration serve only to score cheap political points. It is my hope that the next administration has a better understanding of this issue and has some empathy for how it affects Arizonans.

Background & experience: I have been a rancher for five decades. I learned a long time ago the value of hard work, to not be afraid to get your hands dirty, and how to spot manure.

Pro-life / pro-choice: I am unequivocally pro-life.

One last thing: It has been a tremendous honor to serve as Senate President, and I always enjoy listening to your concerns and ideas. I still believe that honesty is the best policy, and I’ll always be straight with you about what I believe and what I’m trying to do.

Campaign finance: private.