Paul Boyer (politician)

Paul D. Boyer[2] is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate representing District 20 from 2019 to 2023. He previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019, including serving as the Chair of the Arizona House Education Committee.[3]

This article is about the Arizona state legislator. For other uses, see Paul Boyer.
Paul D. Boyer
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 20th district
In office
January 14, 2019 – January 9, 2023
Preceded byKimberly Yee
Succeeded bySally Ann Gonzales
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 20th[1] district
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 14, 2019
Serving with Anthony Kern
Succeeded byShawnna Bolick
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBeth
ResidencePhoenix, Arizona
Alma materArizona State University West
Arizona State University
Websiteboyeraz.com

Early life, education and career

Born to Fred and Sharon and a native of Arizona's West Valley, Boyer attended Deer Valley High School.[4]

Boyer earned his bachelor's degree in English and his MA in communication studies from Arizona State University West. He previously taught at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy and Veritas Preparatory Academy.[5] Both are part of the Great Hearts Academies.[6]

Previously, Boyer served as an official spokesman and policy advisor for House Majority at the State Capitol, the legislative liaison for the Arizona Department of Corrections, and a spokesman for Mesa Public Schools.[1]

Political positions

Voting rights
Boyer in 2015

In April 2021, Boyer voted to purge approximately 200,000 individuals from Arizona voter rolls because they had not voted in two consecutive election cycles.[7] He had previously joined the Democrats in February 2021 in the Arizona Senate in blocking Michelle Ugenti-Rita's Senate Bill to purge the voter rolls.[8]

In February 2021, Boyer was the only Republican that joined the Democratic caucus in the Arizona Senate to vote against holding the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in contempt for not following a subpoena of the senate. The Senate had subpoenaed access to all voting machines and copies of all mail ballots in Maricopa County in a pursuit to prove allegations of widespread irregularities in the 2020 presidential elections. The Board of Supervisors believes that subpoena to be unlawful.[9]

Boyer supported an audit into Arizona's election results in the 2020 presidential election, although two previous audits that were partial recounts did not find any fraud. After an audit was initiated, Boyer said that he was embarrassed by the audit and that "It makes us look like idiots." He went on and said “Looking back, I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to be a state senator at this point.”[10]

In response to Boyer's criticisms of the audit, Trump called him a "RINO" and "nothing but trouble", and endorsed former Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern, who has announced plans to challenge Boyer in the Republican primary in 2022.[11] In November 2021, Boyer announced he would retire at the end of his term rather than seeking re-election.[12]

Guns

Boyer supports measures to limit gun control. In 2016, he introduced legislation to prevent the use of smart gun technology in Arizona. This technology adds additional safety measures that must be met in order for the gun to fire, such as fingerprint recognition or requiring the shooter to wear a special ring.[13] He received an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.[14][15]

Elections
  • 2012: With incumbent Republican Representatives Jeff Dial and Bob Robson, redistricted to District 18, and with incumbent Republican Representative Carl Seel, redistricted from District 6, Boyer ran in the three-way August 28, 2012, Republican primary, placing first with 12,224 votes,[16] and won the first seat in the November 6, 2012, General Election with 37,143 votes, above incumbent Representative Seel and the Democratic nominees, former Representative Jackie Thrasher and Tonya Norwood.[17]
  • 2014: Boyer and Anthony Kern defeated Democrat Amy Schwabenlender on November 4. Boyer was the top vote-getter in the election with 25,610 votes.[18]
  • 2016: Boyer and Anthony Kern were unopposed in the Republican primary.[19] They defeated Democrat Chris Gilfillan on November 8. Boyer was the top vote getter in the election with 39,780 votes.[20]
  • 2018: In the General Election, Boyer defeated Democrat, Douglas Ervin, for a seat in Arizona's State Senate from District 20, by 35,170 votes to 32,352 votes.

Electoral history
Year Office District Republican Democrat
2018 Arizona Senate District 20 Paul Boyer 35,170 Douglas Ervin 32,352
2016 Arizona House of Representatives District 20 Paul Boyer 39,780 Chris Gilfillan 35,117
2014 Arizona House of Representatives District 20 Paul Boyer 25,610 Amy Schwabenlender 19,779
2012 Arizona House of Representatives District 20 Paul Boyer 37,143 Jackie Thrasher 30,342

References
  1. "Paul Boyer". Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  2. "Paul Boyer's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  3. Laurie Roberts (April 5, 2017). "Roberts: 7 Arizona lawmakers who got one right". The Arizona Republic.
  4. "About Paul". Paul Boyer State Senate.
  5. "House Member". www.azleg.gov.
  6. "Senator Paul Boyer responds to being deemed out of order by Senate president". KAET.
  7. "Bill purging Arizona early voting list clears Senate". Associated Press. 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  8. Oxford, Andrew (February 16, 2021). "Bill to cut Arizona's permanent early-voting list fails, leading to drama in state Senate". Arizona Central. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  9. Oxford, Andrew; Fifield, Jen (February 8, 2021). "Arizona Senate fails in attempt to hold Maricopa County supervisors in contempt over election audit". Arizona Central. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  10. Wines, Michael (2021-05-09). "In Arizona, a Troubled Voting Review Plods On as Questions Mount". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  11. @realLizUSA (22 July 2021). "NEW!"Republican Arizona State Senator Paul Boyer, a RINO if there ever was one, is doing everything in his power…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. Dunham, Torrance (November 24, 2021). "Arizona Republican state Sen. Paul Boyer to not seek reelection next year". KTAR News. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  13. Jasmine Spearing Bowen (November 7, 2017). "Arizona has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the country". Cronkite News. Arizona PBS. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017.
  14. "Please Vote Boyer, Bolick, & Kern on November 3". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  15. "On the Issues". Paul Boyer State Senate.
  16. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  17. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2012 General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 24, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  18. http://apps.azsos.gov/election/2014/General/Canvass2014GE.pdf
  19. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 Primary Election Aug. 30, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  20. "State of Arizona Official Canvass 2016 General Election November 8, 2016" (PDF). Phoenix, Arizona: Secretary of State of Arizona. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
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