Greg Stanton Explained

Greg Stanton
State:Arizona
Term Start:January 3, 2019
Predecessor:Kyrsten Sinema
Office1:60th Mayor of Phoenix
Term Start1:January 3, 2012
Term End1:May 29, 2018
Predecessor1:Phil Gordon
Successor1:Thelda Williams
Office2:Member of the Phoenix City Council
from the 6th district
Term Start2:2000
Term End2:2009
Successor2:Sal DiCiccio
Birth Name:Gregory John Stanton
Birth Date:8 March 1970
Birth Place:Long Island, New York, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Children:2
Education:Marquette University (BA)
University of Michigan (JD)
Signature:Greg Stanton signature.png

Gregory John Stanton (born March 8, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative from, serving since 2019. A Democrat, he was previously mayor of Phoenix from 2012 to 2018, and was on the Phoenix City Council from 2000 until 2009.

Stanton was elected mayor in 2011 and reelected in 2015. After then-incumbent U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema chose to run for the U.S. Senate, Stanton was elected to the open House seat. In 2020, he was reelected with 61% of the vote.[1] In 2022, he was reelected with 56% of the vote.

Early life, education, and career

Stanton was born on Long Island, New York. His family moved to Arizona and he graduated from Cortez High School in west Phoenix in 1988.[2] [3] He then attended Marquette University and graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in history and political science and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1995, Stanton earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.[4] He then worked as an education attorney from 1995 to 2000. In 2014, Stanton became an adjunct professor at Arizona Summit Law School.[5]

Early political career

Phoenix City Council

Stanton was elected to the Phoenix City Council for 6th district in 2000, 2001, and 2005 and served until 2009.[2] This district included the affluent Phoenix Biltmore Area centered around the Biltmore Fashion Park and Arcadia areas, as well as non-contiguous Ahwatukee.[6]

Mayor of Phoenix

Stanton was mayor of Phoenix from 2012 to 2018. During his 2011 campaign for mayor, questions arose over the legality of nearly $70,000 in contributions from Stanton's former treasurer Mindy Shields.[7] Stanton opposed the embezzlement prosecution of Shields and fired her in October 2010.[8]

On August 30, 2011, Stanton and Republican candidate Wes Gullett were the top two candidates in the Phoenix mayoral primary, with Stanton getting about 38% of the vote and Gullett 20%.[9] [10] [11]

Stanton advocated against the 2013 federal budget sequestration by meeting with members of Congress multiple times.[12]

Stanton was reelected on August 25, 2015. In 2017, Governing magazine named Stanton one of its Public Officials of the Year for his efforts to expand light rail, bike lanes, and sidewalks while reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions.[13] Stanton resigned on May 29, 2018, to run for Congress.[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

After incumbent Representative Kyrsten Sinema decided to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018, to replace retiring U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, Stanton – who was term-limited as mayor – decided to run for Sinema's seat.[15] He was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and defeated Republican nominee Steve Ferrara 61% to 39% after a campaign during which he stressed his problem-solving experience as mayor.[16]

2020

In 2020, Stanton was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Dave Giles in the general election with 61% of the vote.[1]

2022

Stanton ran for reelection in Arizona's 4th congressional district after redistricting and defeated Republican nominee Kelly Cooper in the general election with 56% of the vote.[17]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[18]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

In an interview a few weeks after the November 2011 mayoral election, Stanton stated his support for repealing the city food tax.[20] He also supported public pension reforms, including more employee contributions to their retirement funds and longer work experience before retirement benefits.[20] In March 2013, Stanton decided against repealing the food tax due to projections that ending the tax would cause layoffs of nearly 99 police officers and 300 other city employees.[21]

As a Representative, Stanton supported the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[22]

On October 1, 2020, Stanton co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan's offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey's role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and called for an immediate ceasefire.[23]

Stanton voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[24]

Stanton opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "a dark, dark day for our country" and saying the Supreme Court had an "extreme, ideological agenda".[25]

On July 11, 2024, Stanton called for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 United States presidential election.[26]

Personal life

Stanton is married to Nicole Stanton, an attorney for a cannabis company.[27] They married in 2005 and have two children.[28] They separated in 2016 but were back together as of 2019.[29] [28] Stanton is Catholic.[30]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: State of Arizona - Official Canvass - 2020 General Election . Arizona Secretary of State . November 30, 2020 . December 31, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231012346/https://azsos.gov/sites/default/files/2020_General_State_Canvass.pdf . dead .
  2. Web site: Phoenix Mayor & City Council candidates – arizona elections – azcentral.com. archive.azcentral.com.
  3. Web site: Holden, Mary L.. CEO Series: One-on-One with Mayor Greg Stanton. January 4, 2013. My Life Magazine. March 20, 2013. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409122242/http://mylifemagazine.com/ceo-series-one-on-one-with-mayor-greg-stanton. dead.
  4. Web site: Lundquist. Paulette. 2018-12-05. Stanton. 2021-03-17. The Hill. en.
  5. https://noticiasmicrojuris.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/arizonasummitsuit.pdf Paula Lorena vs. Arizona Summit Law School, LLC; Infilaw Corporation; Stephanie and Jason Lee; Scott and Jane Doe Thompson; John and Jane Does 1-100; Black Corporations 1-100; White Partnerships 1-100, Quarles & Brady LLP
  6. News: Alonzo. Monica. How Greg Stanton, a Fair-Haired, Blue-Politicked Lawyer, Became Phoenix's Next Mayor. July 10, 2017. Phoenix New Times.
  7. Web site: Phoenix mayoral candidate Greg Stanton's funds in question. Bui. Lynh. July 21, 2011. The Arizona Republic.
  8. Web site: Phoenix candidate wants to drop embezzling case. Gersema, Emily. February 27, 2011. The Arizona Republic.
  9. Web site: Phoenix mayor race: Stanton, Gullett jump right into runoff campaign. Bui. Lynh. September 1, 2011. The Arizona Republic. April 1, 2013.
  10. News: Bui. Lynh. Greg Stanton claims victory over Wes Gullett in Phoenix election. November 9, 2011. The Arizona Republic. November 8, 2011. November 12, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111112055537/http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/11/08/20111108phoenix-mayor-election-stanton-gullett.html. dead.
  11. Web site: Stanton sworn in as new Phoenix mayor. Lynh. Bui. January 4, 2012. azcentral.com. February 13, 2019. April 13, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140413144639/http://www.azcentral.com/community/northvalley/articles/2012/01/03/20120103greg-stanton-sworn-new-phoenix-mayor.html. dead.
  12. Web site: Into the mind of ... Greg Stanton. The Arizona Republic. November 17, 2012. April 1, 2013.
  13. Web site: Greg Stanton, Phoenix . Governing . 20 November 2020 . en . 1 December 2017.
  14. Web site: Boehm. Jessica. It's official: Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton resigns to run for Congress. 2021-03-17. The Arizona Republic. en-US.
  15. Web site: Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton announces run for Congress. October 5, 2017. KTAR.com.
  16. Web site: Greg Stanton defeats Steve Ferrara in Arizona's 9th Congressional District race. AZ Central. en-US. November 12, 2018.
  17. News: 2022 Primary Election . Arizona Secretary of State . April 5, 2022.
  18. Web site: Greg Stanton . Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . 22 April 2023.
  19. Web site: Members. New Democrat Coalition. February 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180208100356/https://newdemocratcoalition-himes.house.gov/members. February 8, 2018. dead.
  20. Web site: Into the mind of Greg Stanton. The Arizona Republic. November 25, 2011. April 1, 2013.
  21. Web site: Stanton backs off repeal of food tax. The Arizona Republic. March 21, 2013. April 1, 2013. Gardiner, Dustin.
  22. News: House Debate on the Equality Act . . May 17, 2019.
  23. News: Senate and House Leaders to Secretary of State Pompeo: Cut Military Aid to Azerbaijan; Sanction Turkey for Ongoing Attacks Against Armenia and Artsakh . The Armenian Weekly . October 2, 2020.
  24. Web site: Bycoffe . Aaron . Wiederkehr . Anna . 2021-04-22 . Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden? . 2023-11-15 . FiveThirtyEight . en.
  25. Web site: Stanton . Greg . This is a dark, dark day for our country, and the Supreme Court. For 50 years the Court had recognized the constitutional right to an abortion—and in the pursuit of an extreme, ideological agenda it has rolled out the red carpet for states to criminalize women and their doctors. . . 26 June 2022 . en . 24 June 2022.
  26. Web site: Arizona U.S. Rep. Stanton calls on Biden to withdraw from the race . . 11 July 2024.
  27. News: D'Andrea . Niki . Nicole Stanton, Cannabis Counsel and Congressman's Wife, Talks Recent Harvest Acquisition . 14 January 2022 . Phoenix New Times . May 18, 2021 . en.
  28. Web site: Nicole Stanton's Phoenix ties to finding love, leadership and leveraging success . The Upper Middle . 20 November 2020 . 21 April 2019.
  29. Web site: Gardiner . Dustin . Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and wife Nicole Stanton separate . The Arizona Republic. 20 November 2020.
  30. https://www.pewforum.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/01/01.04.21_faith_on_the_hill_detailed.table_.update.pdf Religious affiliation of members of 117th Congress