An active member in the Arizona and California Republican parties died in Phoenix this week after serving the GOP for more than 20 years.
Scott Stewart was 44 when he died on July 28 of an apparent heart attack.
A technical and political adviser, Stewart was admired by co-workers and those within the GOP for his ability to meld the technological know-how of campaign strategy with the familiarity of core conservative values.
“The greatest thing about Scott is that he understood both the political standpoint and the informational standpoint of campaigns,” Bill Christensen, chief operating officer for the California Republican Party, said. “Usually computer savvy people can’t speak political language and vice versa. He was the only person I’ve ever met that was able to bridge that gap.”
Stewart began working for the GOP right out of high school in 1982 as a volunteer in Jan Brewer’s state legislative campaign.
“I remember when he worked on my campaign in 1982,” Secretary of State Jan Brewer said. “He took to politics like a fish to water. He was very diligent and enthusiastic. He continued that enthusiasm throughout the years for the Republican Party and the candidates across the board, not only in Arizona but in other states as well.”     
After getting his feet wet in the successful 1982 campaign, Stewart continued to work for the GOP. He spent several years with longtime Arizona Congressman Bob Stump until Stump decided not to run for re-election in 2002.
After Stump passed away in 2003, Stewart went to work at GOP headquarters, working closely with Arizona lawmakers. Former state Rep. Laura Knaperek. said she had never seen somebody work so hard.
“He was a single man who loved working on party politics,” she said. “He dedicated himself to the party.”  
Stewart went on to work in California as chief operating officer of the California Victory campaign of 2006, acting as liaison between the California GOP and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as other statewide campaigns.
He helped establish cutting-edge information technologies essential to running a modern political organization. Republican strategist and longtime friend Nathan Sproul said that Stewart’s technological skill was unparalleled in many ways, but that he never boasted.
“They say that there are two kinds of people that work in politics: a show horse and a work horse. Scott Stewart was by every definition a work horse,” Sproul said. “He never tooted his own horn. He never touted his accomplishments. He was very humble in his approach to work and devoutly loyal.”     
A memorial service was held Aug. 2 at Sovereign Grace Church in Gilbert, attended by 200 mourners.
Stewart is survived by his mother, Marlee J. Stewart of Peoria, his brother Randy, niece Hannah, and nephews David and Jonathan of Roslyn, New York.
“His death is a tremendous loss to his family, friends and to the Republican voters of Arizona because he was a major influence on what went on in this state,” Brewer said.