1Early life2U.S. House of Representatives2.1Elections2.22018 special election2.32018 general election2.3.1Campaign finance complaints2.4Tenure2.5Committee assignments2.6Caucus memberships3Electoral history4Political positions4.1Abortion4.2Economy, taxes and regulation4.3Education4.4Environment and energy4.5Gun control4.6Health care4.7Immigration4.8LGBT rights5Electoral history6See also7References8External links
Early life[edit]
Lesko was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and grew up nearby, the daughter of Don and Delores Lorenz. She received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin and in the 1980s moved to Arizona, owning a construction sales business. She left an abusive marriage in the 1990s and later married Joe Lesko.[4][5]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Elections[edit]
2018 special election[edit]
Main article: 2018 Arizona's 8th congressional district special election
Debbie Lesko was the Republican nominee for the special election held to replace Congressman Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment. She faced the Democratic candidate, physician Hiral Tipirneni, in the general election on April 24.[6]She was endorsed by President Donald Trump who said that Lesko was a "conservative Republican".[7] It was the closest contest in what is now the 8th since 1976, when Bob Stump won what was then the 3rd District with just 47 percent of the vote[8] (the district was renumbered as the 2nd in 2003, and has been the 8th since 2013).
She won the election on April 24, beating Democratic candidate Hiral Tipirneni with 52.6% of the vote to Tipirneni's 47.4.[3] The win was by a narrower margin than expected,[9] with observers suggesting that it was indicative of a coming Democratic wave in the 2018 mid-term elections.[10][11] Indeed, it was the closest race in the district since Bob Stump, then a Democrat, won his first term in what was then the 3rd District with only 47.5 percent of the vote[12] (the district was renumbered as the 2nd in 2003 and has been the 8th since 2013).
According to the Associated Press, the election sent "a big message to Republicans nationwide: Even the reddest of districts in a red state can be in play this year."[13]
2018 general election[edit]
Lesko faced a rematch with Tipirneni in a bid for a full two-year term and won with a slightly wider margin, taking 55.5% to Tipirneni's 44.5 percent.[14] It was still the closest general election in the district in 42 years, and the closest that a Democrat had come to winning a full term in the district since Stump switched parties in 1982.
Campaign finance complaints[edit]
In January 2018, Lesko's campaign committee, Re-elect Debbie Lesko for Senate, gave $50,000 to Conservative Leadership for Arizona, a federal PAC authorized to spend independently of other campaigns. It was created eight days before taking the money from Lesko's state campaign committee.[15] The new PAC raised almost no other cash, records show, and the PAC used the money to support Lesko with yard signs, while her congressional campaign spent heavily on TV ads. Phil Lovas, a candidate in the Republican primary, complained to the Federal Election Commission and Arizona Attorney General alleging multiple violations in February 2018.[15]
The PAC maneuver also prompted criticism from the other Lesko opponent in the Republican primary, Steve Montenegro, who accused Lesko of "illegally funneling money into her SuperPAC and knowingly lied about it by filing false campaign reports."[15] A second complaint alleging federal campaign finance law violations was filed against Lesko in March 2018 by the Campaign Legal Center alleging that her transfer of $50,000 from her state campaign to an independent group that spent nearly all the cash backing her congressional run was illegal.[16]
Tenure[edit]
Committee assignments[edit]
Committee on Homeland SecuritySubcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and CommunicationsSubcommittee on Transportation and Protective SecurityCommittee on Science, Space, and TechnologySubcommittee on Research and TechnologySubcommittee on Environment
Caucus memberships[edit]
Air Force CaucusArmy CaucusBaby CaucusBorder Security CaucusBipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence, Co-ChairCandy CaucusColorado River CaucusCongressional Caucus for Women's Issues, Republican ChairCongressional Military Family CaucusCreative Rights CaucusCybersecurity CaucusDirect Selling CaucusDefense Communities CaucusExplosive Ordnance Disposal CaucusFragile X CaucusGeneral Aviation CaucusHouse Freedom CaucusHonorary Girl Scouts Troop Capitol HillInternational Religious Freedom CaucusJoint Strike Fighter CaucusLung Cancer CaucusMilitary Family CaucusMissile Defense CaucusNative American CaucusPro-Life CaucusRepublican Study CommitteeSmall Brewers CaucusSuburban CaucusTaiwan Caucus]]United Service Organizations Congressional CaucusValues Action TeamVictims’ Rights CaucusWestern CaucusWomen's Congressional Staff Association
Electoral history[edit]
Republican special primary results, Arizona 2018[17]PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanDebbie Lesko27,04735.37%RepublicanPhil Lovas18,65224.39%RepublicanSteve Montenegro18,10623.68%RepublicanBob Stump4,0325.27%RepublicanClair Van Steenwyk1,7872.34%RepublicanChristopher Sylvester1,4901.95%RepublicanDavid Lien1,3411.75%RepublicanRichard Mack1,1911.56%RepublicanMark Yates8711.14%RepublicanChad Allen8241.08%RepublicanBrenden Dilley8231.08%RepublicanStephen Dolgos3770.49%Write-in80.01%Total votes76,459100%Arizona's 8th congressional district special election, 2018[18]PartyCandidateVotes%±RepublicanDebbie Lesko96,01252.37%-16.18%DemocraticHiral Tipirneni87,33147.63%N/ATotal votes183343 100% N / ARepublican 保持共和初步结果,亚利桑那2018 [19] PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanDebbie莱斯克(在位)73,77677.17%RepublicanSandra E. Dowling21,82522.83%总票数95601 100%亚利桑那州的第八国会选区,2018 [20] PartyCandidateVotes%共和党黛比·莱斯科(现任)168,83555.46%民主希拉尔·蒂皮尔尼尼135,56944.53%写入13