Marco Lopez, Dem Candidate for Governor, on Education, Jobs, Healthcare, and Guns

Edited by Anne Simmons.

Marco Lopez is running for Governor in the Democratic Primary. He spoke at the June 21, 2021 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson. He is:

• An international business consultant
• The former mayor of Nogales, elected at age 22 right out of college
• Former director of the Arizona department of Commerce appointed by Gov. Janet Napolitano
• Chief of US Customs and Border Protection during the Obama administration.

In 2011, Marco started his own small business to bring investments to the U.S. His work has brought high-speed internet to low-income families, closing the digital divide. He also started the award-winning Skybridge Arizona development at the Phoenix-Mesa Airport, which helps American companies export their products to Mexico – and has created almost 15,000 jobs in Arizona.

His campaign focuses on three issues:

• Education — Marco’s plan is for every child to graduate with a high school diploma and a community college degree.
• Jobs — Arizona should be the solar capital of the world, with a clean energy economy.
• Access to healthcare — he says 11% of the population does not have healthcare coverage.

Gun Violence

Responding to many questions about gun safety, Lopez said he has assigned Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods to develop his policy. A hunting gun owner himself, Lopez said he wants Arizona to have responsible gun ownership coupled with investments in mental health.

New research by Pew Internet found that just over half of Americans (53%) say gun laws should be stricter than they currently are, a view held by 81% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents but just 20% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Similarly, while nearly three-quarters of Democrats (73%) say making it harder to legally obtain guns would lead to fewer mass shootings, only 20% of Republicans say this, with most (65%) saying this would have no effect.