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Ron Gould (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron Gould
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 10, 2013
Preceded byLinda Binder
Personal details
BornRonald Charles Gould
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionSmall business owner

Ronald Charles Gould (born August 31, 1965) is a small business owner and a former Republican member of the Arizona Senate from Lake Havasu City, representing the 3rd Senate District from 2005 until 2013.

Early life, education, and business career

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Gould was born and raised in Orange County, California, but moved to Arizona in 1995. He was a councilman from Lake Havasu City. He has been a small business owner of an air conditioning and heating company since 1984.[1]

Arizona Senate

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Elections

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In 2004, he decided to run for the open seat Arizona Senate's 3rd District. In the Republican primary, he defeated State Representative Joe Hart and Bill Wagner 40%-30%-30%.[2] In the general election, he won his first term unopposed.[3]

In 2006, he won re-election to a second term with 62% of the vote.[4] In 2008, he won re-election to a third term with 63% of the vote.[5] In 2010, he won re-election to a fourth term with 72% of the vote.[6]

Termed out of the state Senate, he decided to pursue a congressional seat in Arizona's 4th District.

Tenure

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The Goldwater Institute, Americans for Prosperity, and the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers rate him as the most conservative Arizona State Senator.[7] He voted for the controversial anti-illegal immigration bill Arizona SB 1070.[8] Gould sponsored legislation that would've allowed concealed carry permit holders to carry firearms at public university and community college campuses, as is the law at most government buildings in Arizona.[9] He sponsored SB 1309 that would change the law to get "Arizona citizenship," a baby must be "a child of at least one parent who owes no allegiance to any foreign sovereignty, or a child without citizenship or nationality in any foreign country." He also sponsored SB 1308, which would seek to add a distinction on "birth certificates, certifications of live birth or other birth records ... between a person born in the party state who is born subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and a person who is not born subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."[10]

Committee assignments

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2011–2012
  • Appropriations Committee (vice chair)
  • Finance Committee
  • Government Reform Committee
  • Judiciary Committee (chair)
  • Water, Land Use and Rural Development Committee
2009–2010
  • Appropriations Committee
  • Finance Committee
  • Retirement and Rural Development Committee (chair)

2012 congressional election

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In the wake of redistricting, Gould announced on December 1, 2011, that he will form exploratory committee to run for the newly created Arizona's 4th congressional district.[11] A month later, he officially entered the race.

Gould lost the primary to incumbent Paul Gosar, who had represented the 1st Congressional District prior to the 2012 redistricting.

Controversies

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In 2010, Ron Gould walked out of Republican Governor Jan Brewer's State of the State Speech in objection to a proposal that would have temporarily raised sales taxes.[12]

Guns on campus

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Ron Gould sponsored "Guns on College Campus" legislation which would prohibit college administrators from banning guns on college campuses throughout Arizona.[13] Reports showed that the bill would cost the universities $13 million in one time fees and $3 million in yearly costs if administrators prohibited weapons in classrooms, but the bill did not appropriate any additional money to cover the cost.[14] The bill ultimately failed to pass and Gould declared it "dead" in May 2012.[15]

Personal life

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He lives with his wife, Janice, and his three children: Ronald Jr, Robert, and Rachael.

References

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  1. ^ "Member Page". Azleg.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  2. ^ "AZ State Senate 03 - R Primary Race - Sep 07, 2004". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  3. ^ "AZ State Senate 3 Race - Nov 02, 2004". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  4. ^ "AZ State Senate 03 Race - Nov 07, 2006". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  5. ^ "AZ State Senate 03 Race - Nov 04, 2008". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  6. ^ "AZ State Senate 03 Race - Nov 02, 2010". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  7. ^ "Ron Gould for State Senate". Rongould.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  8. ^ "Format Document". Azleg.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  9. ^ "Gov. Brewer Vetoes Birther Bill, Guns on Campus". Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
  10. ^ "Arizona Legislators|File 'Birther' Laws". Courthousenews.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  11. ^ Mike Sunnucks (December 1, 2011). "State Senator Ron Gould exploring congressional run". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Help Center - the Arizona Republic".
  13. ^ Rau, Alia (2011-12-28). "Arizona legislators renew push for guns on campus". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  14. ^ "Guns-on-campus plan would cost Arizona schools millions". Content.usatoday.com. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  15. ^ Mar. 27, 2012 03:51 PM Associated Press (2012-03-27). "Arizona guns-on-campus bill is dead, lawmaker says". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)