Sanda Clark for LD19 House: I Lived in a Dictatorship, like the MAGAs Want

Sanda Clark of Green Valley, a Democrat who is running for Arizona House in rural LD19, spent her first 14 years under the dictatorship in Romania. She was told by the repressive government what to read, what classes to take and how to vote. The secret police arrested anybody who spoke out. Spies were everywhere — classmates, neighbors and even family members could be informers. Everyone was monitored, and no one had any privacy.

Republicans plan an authoritarian regime, with cameras in the classrooms, ending Medicare and Social Security in five years, eliminating personal and reproductive rights, overthrowing past elections, ordering teachers not to teach about slavery and racism, eliminating voting by mail, and pardoning violent Oath Keepers who violently took over the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“I was born in Bucharest, Romania, and my family fled Romania so that I would have the opportunity to grow up in the free world,” she said. “I don’t understand why today the opposition party has to be belligerent and advocate for taking over through real fighting. They advocate fighting on the streets. They advocate a civil war,” she said. ” I grew up in a communist country. I don’t want my country or Arizona to become that,” she said.

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“I am running to protect public education, reproductive rights, our precious water, and democracy itself.”

“I definitely hope it never comes to that choice. This election is a clear choice between Americans who work for a living, who want the best for their families — and those who really believe that the rule of law only applies as they go along, and nothing matters accomplishing your role.”

“Since our past presidential administration, a lot of people have chosen to live in an alternative universe and facts.”

Rural, Republican District

“Because LD-19 was created to elect Republicans, with a 22% advantage, no Democrat was willing to run. That was simply unacceptable to me. When Ukrainians, young and old are willing to die to protect freedom, staying home at this moment is wrong. Handing over seats without a fight is unacceptable,” she says.

When the Dobbs decision overthrew the right to an abortion, “I was absolutely horrified,” she said. “I cannot help but think of the grandchildren, who are just growing up, who have lesser rights and protection than we have had all our lives.” (The Arizona Court of Appeals on Oct. 7, 2022, temporarily enjoined the territorial law that bans nearly all abortions in the state.)  Clark supports Democratic Attorney General candidate Kris Mayes, who said she will not prosecute anyone for having an abortion.

In contrast, Republicans want to arrest the woman and doctor involved, and put them in prison, as in a dictatorship.

Clark opposes the Rosemond Copper mine. “Once you deface the Santa Rita, it is not going to return the beauty we have now. So I am really opposed to it,” she said. “It interferes with wildlife and all of the debris that some out from mining affects the air that we breathe. And secondarily, how about all the water they are using, which is in such short supply.”

She supports “public education and teacher pay to have good in an area where companies want to move into. You must have an excellent public education,” she said. “But Arizona is#48 when it comes to quality education for teacher pay is $49.”

Arizona has an affordable housing shortage. “I have to see who are the builders that are willing to make less profits and to build for the poor,” she said. I’m interested in working with people who are interested in retrofitting existing buildings into low-income housing.”