Raul Grijalva

Democrat
Candidate for U.S. House in Congressional District 3
Phone: 520-730-2172
Email: info@standwithraul.com
Website: www.standwithraul.com
Twitter: @RepRaulGrijalva
(Mail: PO Box 1242, Tucson, AZ 85702)
Age: 64. (02/19/48, Tucson, AZ).

Arizona since: Birth.

Occupation: Member of Congress since 2002; Pima County Supervisor, 1989-2002.

Marital: Married (Ramona, retired).

Children: 3.

Religious preference: Catholic.

Education: B.A., sociology, UofA, 1987; Sunnyside High School, 1967.

Political experience: Pima County Supervisor, 1989-2002; Tucson Unified School District Bd of Supervisors, 1974-1986.

Political influence: Cesar Chavez taught many men and women of my generation, certainly not just myself, that positive social change comes from organization and working together for a common goal instead of going it alone. His example taught me that one bests serves his community through cooperation and coordination rather than trying to grab credit. I have tried to remember that important lesson throughout my career.

Top priority: I would have two: ensuring universal access to quality education, especially for historically underserved populations, and protecting our public lands from excessive mining and drilling. We can create good jobs and a well-trained workforce for the future of our country only if education is available to everyone and our economic priorities are in the public interest.

Respected opponent: Rep. Walter Jones from North Carolina earned my great respect, and that of many Democrats on and off Capitol Hill, for taking an early and very principled stand against our tragic wasting of life, money and resources in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has spoken eloquently for years about the need to bring our troops home, regardless of party loyalty or political considerations. He is true to his word and has not been shy about reaching across the aisle to accomplish what he believes in.

Job creation measures: The Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act, introduced by members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus late last year, would create more than 2 million jobs almost immediately in this country, not overseas, by upgrading our infrastructure, improving schools and other public facilities, and mandating that materials used through federal government contracts are manufactured here in the United States. At the same time, the 2012 Congressional Progressive Caucus “Budget for All” is a comprehensive national budget that corrects the terrible imbalance in our tax code, reallocates hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful military spending to job creation, and makes significant investments in transportation, a Student Jobs Corps and other successful programs.

Illegal immigration: The DREAM Act, which gives children of undocumented immigrants who were less than 16 years old when they arrived, the opportunity to become full citizens after military service or attending college. Families who have already lived here for years must have a chance to apply for permanent residence after getting a thorough background check and a full grounding in civics and the English language. Improve guest worker visa processing and create a pathway for permanent residence for qualifying agricultural workers who otherwise travel great distances each season.

Federal deficit: The Progressive Caucus “Budget for All” plan and the Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act would put the country on the best economic path, both in the short and long term. Our plan has to include job creation to get people back in the workforce and paying taxes; closing wasteful corporate tax loopholes and ending public subsidies that give money to companies that don’t need it; bringing all our troops home from Afghanistan; and fixing the tax code to make sure the wealthiest don’t contribute the least any longer.

President Obama’s qualifications: No, and considering how many years we’ve spent discussing this neither should anyone else.