Remember where we were when Doug Ducey took office…
Arizona Republic: Doug Ducey, Arizona's governor for tough times
In the 2014 race for Governor the Arizona Republic endorsed Doug Ducey as “Arizona’s Governor for Tough Times,” and said, “Once again, we face daunting challenges — not just in mopping up the red ink, but in setting the state on a course of real economic recovery. Arizona needs leadership that can guide the state through the difficult terrain of budget deficits while helping foster real, lasting economic growth.”
Here’s an overview of what’s been accomplished.
The economy has undergone transformation. Jobs are plentiful and major companies have moved here or expanded here, capped by TSMC’s recent announcement. Arizona’s economy is on a roll.
Today, Arizona has 5,000 fewer government jobs than it did in December 2014 before Governor Ducey took office, but nearly 500,000 additional private sector jobs.
As of 2020, the population has grown by more than 536,000 people, so we’re serving more people with fewer government employees.
Governor Ducey: “We think that this message — of someone that's from the private sector that built a company and now wants to shrink a government and grow an economy — is a winning message."
Since 2015, Arizona has added more than 496,200 jobs, including 39,000 manufacturing jobs and 63,000 construction jobs. This compares to the preceding nearly 8-year period when Arizona lost a net 69,000 jobs, including a loss of 25,000 manufacturing jobs.
All Arizonans have benefitted from Governor Ducey's leadership of Arizona's economy. Between 2015 and 2020, the state's poverty rate declined from 17.4% to 12.8%, tied for the fastest poverty rate decrease during that time. And the number of people in poverty in Arizona dropped by more than 226,000 between 2015 and 2020, while the number of unemployed Arizonans has dropped by 61,059 over the same period.
Arizona has eliminated or improved over 3,365 regulations since 2015 — the equivalent of a $183 million tax cut.
Highest Rainy Day Savings Fund balance in state history = $1.4 billion
Lowest flat tax in the nation at 2.5%
Paid down total debt obligations owed through FY 2031 by $3.3 billion, leaving the State with only $603 million owed through FY 2031.
Unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since before the Great Recession.
K-12 education funding
Total additional = over $11 billion
Per-pupil increase is at a record high
In the last 8 years, Arizona has wiped out a million square feet of state office space — the equivalent of more than 17 football fields.
In the last two years alone, the state has eliminated about 750,00 square feet of unneeded cubicles, meeting rooms and offices.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety was one of the most broken agencies in the country. In Feb 2015, Governor Ducey appointed new leadership and the agency has since transformed.
Signed into law his first bill, the first-in-the-nation American Civics Act, requiring all Arizona students to pass a basic civics test to graduate from high school.
19 states have followed suit.
Solved Arizona’s budget crisis by cutting over $1 billion in spending, without raising taxes or decreasing investment in K-12 education.
The 2015 Legislative Session was the shortest since the moon landing.
Settled a decade-long education lawsuit and avoided a likely constitutional crisis by negotiating a settlement that results in Prop 123. (Laws 2015, 1st Special Session, Chapter 1)
Landed his first major economic development deal: Apple announces a $2 billion expansion in Mesa during the governor’s first month in office.
Signed legislation to permanently index Arizona’s income tax brackets to inflation, effectively eliminating a hidden tax increase Arizonans had faced every year. (Laws 2015, 1st Special Session, Chapter 91)
Launched the Arizona Border Strike Force, a collaboration between state and local law enforcement targeting drug and human trafficking.
Terminated director of Weights and Measures for proposed “sting operation” against ride-sharing companies during the Super Bowl.
Subsequently eliminates the department entirely.
Led the first Arizona governor-led trade mission to Mexico in nearly a decade — his first economic development trip upon election.
Led an economic development and water technology trip to Israel.
Highlighted by Fred Barnes as “The Consummate Happy Warrior” in the Weekly Standard
Ducey named “Arizonan of the Year” by The Arizona Republic
Attended Paris Air Show to promote Arizona’s aerospace industry.
Ducey blasted California Gov. Jerry Brown’s criticism of Arizona’s gun laws.
Terminated Arizona's relationship with private prison operator Management & Training Corporation (MTC) at the Arizona State Prison Kingman Complex following riots.
Also instructed Corrections to assess operations at all private prisons throughout Arizona to strengthen accountability.
Appointed Independent and former Goldwater Institute litigator Clint Bolick to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Established the Arizona Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Task Force to clear the backlog of thousands of untested rape kits in Arizona.
In 2017, additional funds were committed in the state budget to fully clear the backlog.
Recruited Lucid Motors to Casa Grande for its innovative electric vehicle manufacturing operation that included creating more than 2,000 new jobs.
Arizona was selected after a competitive process — 13 states and 60 sites were considered.
Passed Prop 123, which added $3.5 billion to K-12 education funding over 10 years without raising taxes.
Concluded his second successful legislative session, including support for the sharing economy, eliminating red tape for short-term rentals, advocating for ride-sharing services to be available at Sky Harbor airport; and establishing the Office of Economic Opportunity. (Laws 2016, 1st Special Session, Chapter 208)
Eliminated the “Grandma Penalty” for kinship care.
Affirmed modest amendments to modernize Arizona’s tribal gaming compact.
Launched the #Deadbeat Dad initiative that catches 11 suspected deadbeat parents in the first 6 months.
National Review profiled Ducey in its cover story “Doug Ducey’s Blooming, Booming Desert”
Led the effort to defeat Prop 205, which would have legalized recreational marijuana with almost no guardrails for public safety.
Had it passed it would have been the worst, most permissive marijuana policy in the country, even worse than Colorado’s. Of five states that voted on similar policy, Arizona’s was the only one defeated in 2016.
Filled two seats on the newly expanded Arizona Supreme Court with the appointments of Andrew Gould and John Lopez.
Lopez became the first Hispanic justice on the state Supreme Court.
Cleared the Department of Child Safety inactive case backlog of more than 16,000 cases.
Governing magazine profiled the turnaround of the Department of Child Safety in “How Arizona Fixed Its Broken Child Welfare System in 2 Years”
Conclusion of legislative session:
Passed important $1 billion university bonding in the budget.
Launched the Arizona Teachers Academy, which provides free tuition to teachers who agree to teach in an Arizona public school upon graduation.
Signed legislation terminating state contracts with professional lobbyists and banning state entities from spending on contract lobbyists. Issued an Executive Order on this issue the year before in 2016.
Established “Second Chance Centers” to equip inmates with the skills and resources they need to successfully reenter society
Announced RedtapeAZ.gov as part of the Regulatory Rollback to eliminate unnecessary rules and regulations in state government.
First colt of the year named “Ducey” to thank him for efforts to protect the Salt River Wild Horses.
Successfully hosted Arizona’s first NCAA Final Four championship.
Unemployment dropped to lowest rate in a decade.
Issued an executive order that state agencies implement “Second Chance Box Policies” to allow for prospective employees to disclose any criminal history only after they have been considered for a job in state government. (EO 2017-07)
The New York Times called Arizona “Where Self-Driving Cars Go to Learn”.
Profiled by George Will in his column: “A fresh-faced conservative from Arizona”.
Included the first dedicated teacher pay raise in years in the budget.
Announced that Arizona will be home to SkyBridge, the nation’s first international air cargo hub to house both Mexican and United States customs.
Signed the bipartisan Opioid Epidemic Act to tackle the opioid crisis in Arizona.
Landed Nikola Motor Company electric semi-truck manufacturing headquarters facility – a $1 billion investment.
Passed two critical education funding measures during the legislative session: the extension of Prop 301 and the 20x2020 plan to increase teacher salaries 20% by school year 2020.
Arizona awarded the 2023 Super Bowl by the National Football League.
Delivered a eulogy for Sen. John McCain at the memorial service in the state rotunda.
Appointed Jon Kyl to the US Senate to fill the McCain vacancy, and subsequently appointed Martha McSally to fill out the remainder of the term.
Endorsed during his re-election by the state’s two largest newspapers: the Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Star.
The first time in recent memory the Arizona Daily Star endorsed a Republican gubernatorial candidate
Won re-election by 14 points – a larger margin than his 2014 victory and the most votes for governor in state history – with 44% of the Hispanic vote against David Garcia.
Helped defeat Prop 127, which would have imported California-style mandates for electricity and substantially increased utility bills for Arizona consumers.
Appointed former Democratic gubernatorial opponent Fred DuVal to the Arizona Board of Regents.
Hosted a Congressional Field Hearing on how Arizona is combating the opioid epidemic.
Signed historic legislation ratifying Arizona’s Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), the most significant piece of water legislation in Arizona since the Groundwater Management Act of 1980.
Moody’s awarded Arizona its highest-ever credit rating of Aa1 (the second-highest rating).
It was announced that manufacturing jobs in Arizona exceeded construction jobs, a real milestone for a diversified economy.
Cited by the American Legislative Exchange Council as one of six states that got tax conformity right after passage of federal tax reform.
Appointed James P. Beene to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Conclusion of session:
Brought the balance of Arizona’s Rainy Day Savings fund up to $1 billion.
Signed first-in-the-nation universal occupational licensing recognition so that professionals licensed in other states can immediately get to work in Arizona. (Laws 2019, 1st Special Session, Chapter 55)
Budget included first-ever dedicated funding for school counselors
Led other governors in supporting the passage of the federal USMCA trade agreement.
Arizona Department of Transportation awarded a $90 million federal grant to widen I-17.
Appointed Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to the Arizona Supreme Court
Rebuked Judge Neil Wake for a terrible decision – which was subsequently overturned – against Prop 123.
Called for the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw financial incentives for Nike after the company canceled the release of a founding flag Betsy Ross shoe over “woke” politics.
First economic development trip upon reelection was to Mexico City.
Announced a $12 billion investment by Taiwan Semiconductor to bring its U.S. advanced manufacturing fab to Arizona.
Completed the 20x2020 teacher pay raise, even with a shortened legislative session due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stymied big city mayors with executive orders that limited their ability to shut down their economies with government-forced closures during the pandemic. (EO 2020-12)
Invested the first $25 million to bolster hospital staffing in the midst of rising COVID cases at Arizona hospitals. In total, $145 million has been dedicated to supporting hospital staffing in response to the pandemic.
Took executive action to maintain public order in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, including deploying the National Guard and instituting a curfew.
Took part in the first Sandra Day O’Conner Civics Celebration Day, created by Governor Ducey to ensure that students spend at least one day each year learning primarily about civics. (Laws 2020, 2nd Regular Session, Chapter 25)
Announced that Arizona will host the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2026.
Certified Joe Biden as the victor in the Presidential Election in Arizona.
Ducey selected by his fellow governors as Vice-Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Partnered with the Arizona Cardinals and Michael Bidwill to create the State Farm Stadium drive-thru vaccination site, highlighted by President Biden as a model for other states to follow in vaccine distribution.
Ended extended unemployment benefits that encouraged people not to work, and instead replaced them with $2000 bonuses for people who returned to work.
Intel announced its largest private sector investment in Arizona history with a $20 billion manufacturing expansion.
Completed a historic agreement with Arizona’s tribal nations to legalize sports gaming.
Signed legislation to create a 2.5% flat income tax, the lowest flat tax in the nation.
Dramatically expanded telemedicine access for patients, putting Arizona at the national forefront for use of this technology in health care.
Appointed Kathryn Hackett King to the Arizona Supreme Court
By September, Arizona recovered 100% of private-sector jobs lost during the pandemic.
Ducey selected by his fellow governors as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Attended the Inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the US in January.
Criticized the Biden administration’s appointment of Kamala Harris as “border czar” as well as other policy mistakes by the White House.
Ducey called for Secretary Mayorkas’ resignation after the collapse of security at the Southern Border.
Elected to serve on the National Governors Association Executive Committee.
Signed the state budget which eliminated all state income taxes on veterans’ military pensions.
Rich States/Poor States study cited Arizona as # 1 for Economic Performance and # 3 for Economic Outlook.
Accelerated Flat Tax to start January 1, 2023 because economic growth helped hit triggers early.
First-in-the-nation Universal Empowerment Scholarship Accounts made Arizona the “gold standard” for parental and education choice in America.
The Yass Award for best education policy included a $1 million “Ducey Award” for the most exceptional school that successfully expands school choice for parents.
A bi-partisan budget passed with substantial increases in education spending ($1 billion) and the Rainy Day Fund (to $1.4 billion), as well as more than $977 million in debt reduction.
Passed a bill (HB 2822) simplifying both accounting regulation and taxes on manufacturing equipment, setting the stage for continued expansion in the high tech manufacturing sector of the economy.
Passed the second major water bill in four years, with more than $1.2 billion for conservation and development of new water sources to be overseen by an expanded Water Agency.
Arizona funded and ran the largest Summer Camp program in the country for more than 75,000 K-12 school children to tackle the issue of “Learning Loss” caused by COVID disruptions over the last two years.
This program was offered at no cost to families.
Prop 208 declared unconstitutional, overturned by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Began busing migrants to Washington, DC in order to alleviate the crush of migrants at Arizona’s border towns and to get the White House’s attention regarding Border Security.
Began filling in the gaps in the border wall by placing shipping containers on the border.
Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls says, “Yuma is safer now that active areas of open border have been blocked off by shipping containers.”
In an unprecedented display of inter-state cooperation, twenty six governors committed resources to increase border security as part of the American Governors’ Border Strike Force launched by Governor Ducey.
Passed bills protecting children from irreversible gender reassignment surgery and protecting girls sports from unfair competition. (Laws 2022, 1st Regular Session, Chapter 104) (Laws 2022, 1st Regular Session, Chapter 106)
Signed HB 2741 that waives any initial occupational licensing fee for active duty military spouses and honorably discharged veterans.
Honored by the Arizona-Mexico Commission (AMC) for restoring Arizona’s relationship with Mexico.
Attended 9 summits, many of which were with Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich.
Invested $10 million to create a scholarship fund at the Arizona Board of Regents for spouses of military veterans to use at an Arizona community college or university.
The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed Arizona’s census count as one of the most accurate, unlike other states which had serious under-counts or over-counts.
Arizona state government eliminated one million square feet of state office space over the past eight years.
Led a trade mission to Taiwan and South Korea.
Recorded his 100th visit to Southern Arizona, sustaining his pledge to represent all the people and to be governor of the entire state.
Delivered speech at the Reagan Presidential Library as part of its highly-acclaimed “Time for Choosing” series.
“The Arizona Miracle” highlighted in the prestigious “National Affairs” quarterly publication.
Approach to the judiciary highlighted and endorsed as a model for other states to follow by former Arizona Chamber of Commerce CEO Glenn Hamer.
Elected as co-chair of the RGA and declined to run for the U.S. Senate.
Prop 129 (limiting ballot initiatives to a single subject) and Prop 132 (requiring a 60% majority to raise taxes at the ballot) passed, adding protections to Arizona’s initiative process.
