Michelle Ugenti-Rita Explained
Michelle Ugenti-Rita[1] (born June 28, 1980) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate representing District 23 from 2019 to 2023. She previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019.[2] Ugenti served consecutively from January 10, 2011 until January 14, 2013 in the District 8 seat. She was a candidate for Secretary of State of Arizona in the 2022 election, but lost in the Republican primary.[3]
Education
She attended Desert Mountain high school. Ugenti graduated from Arizona State University in 2003 with a degree in business administration.[4]
Career
In 2017, Ugenti was the only Republican to oppose a 'Blue Lives Matter' bill that toughens penalties for assaulting off-duty police.[5]
In January 2019, she sponsored legislation which would prohibit voters who received early vote ballots from casting those votes at polling places before or on election day (they would only be allowed to cast them through mail). Election officials from both parties, as well as voting rights advocates, opposed the legislation, saying that it solves no problem and with some saying it amounted to voter suppression. In 2018, about 228,000 voters had cast their early vote ballots on election day itself, but would be prohibited from doing so under the proposed law.
Ugenti has sponsored a number of bills making it harder to put ballot initiatives up to voters.[6]
In 2021, she supported legislation that would require voters in Arizona who vote by mail to include identification paperwork along with their ballots.[7] She also supported legislation that would purge registered voters from early voting vote rolls if they did not use early voting in two consecutive elections. Initially a supporter of the 2021 Maricopa County presidential ballot audit, she withdrew her support in July, 2021.[3]
Elections
- 2010 With incumbent Democratic Representative David Bradley running for the Arizona Senate, Ugenti and Republican incumbent John Kavanagh ran in the six-way District 8 Primary; Ugenti placing second with 9,581 votes.[8] In the November 2 General election, Kavanagh took the first seat, and Ugenti took the second seat with 38,055 votes against Democrat John Kriekard.[9]
- 2012 Redistricted to District 23, and with incumbent Republican Representatives John Fillmore running for Arizona Senate and Frank Pratt redistricted to District 8, Ugenti ran in the three-way August 28, Republican Primary; Kavanagh placed first, and Ugenti placed second with 18,106 votes.[10] Ugenti and Kavanagh were unopposed for the November 6, 2012 General election, with Ugenti taking the first seat with 68,827 votes.[11]
- 2014 Michelle Ugenti and Jay Lawrence defeated Effie Carlson and Bob Littlefield in the Republican primary and were unchallenged in the general election.[12]
- 2016 Ugenti and Jay Lawrence were unopposed in the Republican primary.[13] They defeated Democrat Tammy Caputi on November 8. Ugenti was the top vote getter in the election with 69,758 votes.[14]
- 2018 Ugenti-Rita defeated two Republican challengers, taking 41.4% of the vote, in the 2018 primary. She defeated Democratic challenger Daria Lohman and Independent Christopher Leone with 57.1% of the vote.[15]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Michelle Ugenti's Biography . . December 27, 2013.
- Web site: Michelle Ugenti . . . December 27, 2013.
- News: Duda . Jeremy. After being booed at Trump rally, Ugenti-Rita criticizes the Senate’s election 'audit' . . July 26, 2021. August 22, 2021 .
- Web site: House Member . 2022-04-08 . www.azleg.gov.
- Web site: Ducey signs 'Blue Lives Matter' bill that toughens penalty for assaulting off-duty police. Garrett. Mitchell. The Arizona Republic. Feb 4, 2021.
- Web site: Why Are State Legislators Working to Roll Back Laws Voters Approved?. David A.. Graham.
- Web site: Cooper. Jonathan J.. Arizona Senate votes to require ID with mailed ballot. 2021-03-10. The Arizona Republic. en-US.
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 Primary Election - August 24, 2010 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . 10 . December 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130920214102/http://azsos.gov/election/2010/Primary/Canvass2010PE.pdf . September 20, 2013 .
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2010 General Election - November 2, 2010 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . 7 . December 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130920230737/http://azsos.gov/election/2010/General/Canvass2010GE.pdf . September 20, 2013 .
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012 . . Phoenix, Arizona . 11 & 12 . December 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131112230133/http://www.azsos.gov/election/2012/Primary/Canvass.pdf . November 12, 2013 .
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . 12 . December 27, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121224125542/http://www.azsos.gov/election/2012/General/Canvass2012GE.pdf . December 24, 2012 .
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2014 General Election November 4, 2014 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . 9 . March 18, 2016.
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 Primary Election Aug. 30, 2016 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . December 9, 2016.
- Web site: State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016 . Secretary of State of Arizona . Phoenix, Arizona . 15 . December 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220203745/https://www.azsos.gov/sites/azsos.gov/files/2016_1205_official_final_signed_state_canvass_for_2016_gen.pdf . December 20, 2016 . dead .
- Web site: Senate candidates vie for local, federal races in Arizona. Your Valley. Feb 4, 2021.
