Your questions. Answered.

Lauren’s Campaign

  • Find your district

    Legislative District 8 includes parts of Tempe, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Mesa and the entire Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

  • I’m running to protect a Democratic seat in a district that is unabashedly progressive. There is no path to a Democratic majority in the legislature without this seat. The social justice values I uphold are the values of my district. My campaign is the culmination of my life experiences — as a lifelong Democrat, as an environmentalist and academic, as a local elected official, but especially as a doting grandma who wants her grandbaby Rory to enjoy long-held freedoms and escape the worst impacts of climate change. Read my My Turn column

  • I’m proud to reject any and all contributions from lobbyists, utilities, developers, and corporate special interests.

    Arizona has a registered lobbyist database, where any person who received payment from entities lobbying for or against legislation must register. These lobbyists are different from constituents asking their legislators to pass certain policies because they are specifically paid to represent oftentimes large-dollar entities and interests. While I’m more than happy to meet with lobbyists to discuss policy, I don’t want to feel obligated to support their legislation. That’s why I reject their contributions.

    Utility companies also utilize contributions to candidates as an arm of their legislative outreach/agenda. For the same reason, I reject their money as not to feel beholden to their interests.

    Finally, corporate PACs are organizations (political action committees) established by corporations to push their policy interests. While corporations cannot donate directly to candidates or PACs, these corporate PACs are established to funnel donations from members of the corporation to their political interests. On the other hand, union/grassroots PACs are organizations not connected to the interests of corporations, but rather labor unions or grassroots organizations like the Sierra Club. These PACs are established by the people and advocate for the people: worker protections, climate solutions, and other grassroots policies. I’m proud to stand with the people and reject corporate PAC donations.

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About Lauren

  • I moved to Tempe in 1988, 38 years ago. I raised two amazing young daughters here with my husband Mike, an ASU professor in the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning.

  • I’m a lifelong Democrat and have volunteered in countless campaigns – since I was a teenager, I volunteered in many state and local elections and traveled to six states for the Obama campaign. I’ve been the party chair, vice chair, worked in state legislative races, served as a finance director in a congressional campaign, and ran in two under-the-radar races (Corporation Commission and SRP board). Read my bio or my My Turn column.

  • I managed community outreach for the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. My proudest work was leading the Stardust Center for Affordable Housing and the Family and mentoring dozens of young people in the art and science of climate action and politics. Read more

  • I got my undergraduate degree in history at the University of Chicago and a master’s in public history (focus on early American history) at ASU.

  • The interconnecting issues of climate change, abortion access, public education, affordable housing, worker protections, campaign-finance reform. Learn more

  • Creating an Office of Sustainability and Resilience as well as an Office of Animal Welfare and a Family Justice Commission, championing a 100% renewable energy goal and climate action plans, and an equal pay initiative considered the best in the U.S.

  • Not getting prevailing wage legislation passed to help workers in the construction trades and seeing the weakening of Tempe’s groundbreaking free Pre-K program.

  • Tell me about it! Had it been one person, one vote, I would have won with 75% of the vote (as the at-large candidates did in my district).

    Though we increased voter registration in District 5 by 150%, a vote based on the amount of land you own proved insurmountable. I’m proud that we did win an acreage-based seat in a rapidly urbanizing area of Phoenix, so we are making gains to bring SRP policies in line with its customers who want to see a heightened transition to clean energy!

  • I did! I ran for the most important office no one's ever heard of -- Arizona Corporation Commission. Essentially, it's the state's public utility commission. I was a down -ballot casualty. Please vote for all 3 candidates this year -- Aguilar, Polacheck, and Hill -- for a clean-energy future!