Debbie Lesko
Republican Representative of Arizona's 8th district
Representative
Arizona, district 8
May 7, 2018 - January 3, 2019
Representative
Arizona, district 8
January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2021
Representative
Arizona, district 8
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
Arizona, district 8
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
- Has represented Arizona’s 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018
- Served in the Arizona State Legislature from 2009 to 2018, including as president pro tempore of the Arizona Senate
- Announced in October 2023 that she would not seek reelection in 2024 and later announced a run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
- Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and moved to Arizona in the 1980s where she owned a construction sales business
- Faced legal issues in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including charges for tampering with government records and multiple bankruptcies
- Became involved in the Peoria Unified School District and ran unsuccessfully for school board in 2006 before being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2008
- Won a 2018 special election to the U.S. House of Representatives, succeeding Trent Franks
- Described as a loyal ally of former President Donald Trump, voting against impeaching him and supporting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results
- Opposes abortion and has proposed legislation related to religious exemptions for contraceptives in health insurance plans and warrantless inspections of abortion clinics
- Rejects the scientific consensus on climate change and has crafted measures to charge separate rates for solar energy customers
- Opposes changes to existing gun laws and universal health care, favoring the repeal of the Affordable Care Act
- Made the construction of a border wall a centerpiece of her 2018 campaign and opposes the Equality Act
- Is a Baptist