Tag Archives: Copper Corridor

Meet Our Candidates: Barbara McGuire for State Senate, LD 8

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The Arizona general election will be held on November 4, 2014. Reproductive health care access has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive justice. To acquaint you with our endorsed candidates, we are running a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” Make your voice heard in 2014!

Portrait photograph of Barbara McGuire.[L]egislative District 8 is another of Arizona’s geographically expansive districts, reaching west to Maricopa, northeast to Globe, and south to Oracle and San Manuel. State Sen. Barbara McGuire has deep roots in this district, which gives her a practical and nuanced understanding of what her constituents want and need. As she seeks another term in the Arizona State Senate, she hopes to continue to advocate for the needs of rural Arizonans as well as a government that is “efficient, accountable, and responsive.”

Sen. McGuire took the time for an interview on September 25, 2014.

“Women’s health care needs are as individual as they are, and no one knows their issues and needs better than they do.”

How has your commitment to serving Arizona grown over the past two years? On the policy level, what has happened during that time to give you hope, and what has happened to strengthen your convictions?

I am honored to have served two terms in the House and a term as a senator. I have always had the desire to make people’s lives better. My 25-plus years as a Salvation Army Unit director, along with my time served as a legislator, have given me the venue to do just that. On the policy side, I have witnessed and participated in halting harmful legislation, and promoting and sponsoring beneficial legislation. I am said to be the most bipartisan legislator at the state Capitol. To be effective, you have to find common ground and move forward from there. It is not a one-size-fits-all legislature by any means. I treasure the relationships I have built over the years, and it gives me hope that, in being well received on both sides of the aisle, we will be able to work together to solve the important issues Arizona will face in the coming years.

Last legislative session, you voted against HB 2284, which now permits the health department to inspect abortion clinics without a warrant. How do you explain to constituents the unique nature of abortion care and the need for heightened privacy and safety for patients?

If there is no guarantee of privacy then women will be hesitant to use these facilities and perhaps choose a path that may result in leaving them unable to have children in the future or even end in their death. Continue reading →

Meet Our Candidates: Barbara McGuire for State Senator, LD 8

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Portrait photograph of Barbara McGuire.The Arizona general election will be held on November 6, 2012, with early voting starting on October 11. After the many recent legislative challenges to reproductive health care access, both nationally and statewide, the importance of voting in November can’t be overstated. To help voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive health and freedom. Along with those endorsements, we are spotlighting our endorsed candidates in a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” To vote in the general election, you must register to vote by October 9 — and can even register online. Make your voice heard in 2012!

[B]arbara McGuire is a lifelong resident of Arizona, though with recent redistricting, the exact number of her district has changed. Born in Ray-Sonora, Arizona, she served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2006 to 2010, representing the former Legislative District 23. She is currently seeking election to the Arizona Senate in the newly drawn Legislative District 8, an area that extends as far north as Globe, as far south as Oracle and San Manuel, as far east as the border of Graham County, and as far west as the I-10 corridor.

Rep. McGuire graciously took the time for an interview with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona on October 3, 2012.

“People should be able to make their own health care choices.”

Tell us a little about your background.

As a third generation Arizona native, District 8 has been a big part of my life. I grew up in the Copper Corridor, gained hardworking values in a multi-ethnic mining community, raised my children in the same town, and now spend summers with my grandson in the same community. My mother, brother, and my in-laws all have homes within a few minutes of mine. All the places in District 8 encompass this fantastic sense of family.

Being rooted in the district is an essential element of this position. As I raised my family, I also opened a travel agency, a people-based business. As times have changed, I put more effort into working as the Salvation Army extension unit director for the Copper Corridor and surrounding area. This makes a great difference to many families in need that may otherwise be forgotten because they live in rural areas. I received Salvation Army’s Distinguished Service Award and in 2004 I was named Citizen of the Year by the people in my hometown. It has been an honor serving four years in the House of Representatives. All honors that I truly appreciate! Continue reading →