Q&A with Bob Stump

Candidate Interview

Bob Stump, Arizona House of Representatives

Ed. Note: Bob Stump is running for re-election to the office of Arizona House of Representatives in District 9. He is recognized by the initials "BS," and The Arizona Conservative is recognized by "TAC."

Questions

TAC: How do you rate your chances of election in the September primary?

BS: I believe my chances are good.

TAC: How competitive is the race in your district?

BS: It is a Republican district; this year, those who win the primary win the seats. But we have three candidates running for two seats, and that means it is competitive.

TAC: What are you hearing from the people of your district as you campaign?

BS: People are very much concerned about illegal immigration, the bloated budget the Legislature recently passed, issues relating to long-term care and health care in general, upholding the Second Amendment, and defending marriage.

TAC: What are the major issues facing the state in the next year?

BS: Expanding choice in education, improving health care via innovative free-market policies, and producing a fiscally responsible budget.

TAC: If elected, will you fight the governor to hold the line on increasing taxes?

BS: Absolutely. I will do everything in my power to fight an increase in taxes, and I signed the "No New Taxes" pledge the first time I ran for public office.

TAC: What is your view of this year's state budget, which increased 13 percent in a down time?

BS: Entirely irresponsible. Our recently-passed budget spent roughly a billion dollars more than last year's, and even the more conservative budget proposal negotiated by the caucus grew overall state spending by 9 percent, twice as fast as population growth plus inflation. In real dollars, state spending climbed 77 percent in the 1990s, and consistently outpaced state population growth and inflation: Arizona's population averaged 2.9 percent annual growth, and yet spending increased by an average of 6.9 percent per year. At this rate, we may be following California's perilous economic lead, with massive amounts of debt that will burden us in the years to come.

TAC: If elected, will you support Informed Consent/Woman's Right to Know legislation in 2005?

BS: Yes. I have co-sponsored this legislation in the past, and I have always voted in favor of it.

TAC: Do you consider yourself pro-life?

BS: I have always been pro-life.

TAC: Do you support or oppose the ballot proposal to get rid of funding for Clean Elections?

BS: I wholeheartedly support efforts to eliminate funding for Clean Elections, which is a misnomer and unconstitutional, in my view. Considering that a single "special interest" can gather the $5 bills necessary for a candidate to qualify for taxpayer dollars, it hardly reduces the role of "special interests" in government. The arguments made in favor of Clean Elections are often breathtakingly disingenuous and illogical.

TAC: Do you support or oppose the Protect Arizona Now initiative?

BS: I support Prop. 200 and was one of its early supporters.

TAC: Do you support marriage as between one man and one woman?

BS: Yes. I voted for, and co-sponsored, Rep. Nichols' postcard to Congress on this issue.

TAC: How do you foresee the presidential election in Arizona? Will Bush or Kerry win the state?

BS: If Republicans recognize the gravity of the situation, and get to the polls, Bush will win handily.

TAC: Will judicial reform in Arizona go through any time soon?

BS: I believe a ballot initiative is our only hope. And I believe judicial activism (which a Kerry Administration will embrace) is one of the greatest threats to our form of constitutional government.

TAC: General comments: Please comment on any issue not addressed above:

BS: Some parting thoughts: To me, being a conservative and being in public office means working to ensure that government is respectful of life, liberty and property. It means fighting to ensure that government does not squelch citizens' entrepreneurial spirit or dampen their role as responsible moral agents engaging in self-government, as our Founders intended. And it means being mindful of what is, and what is not, the proper role of government.