Arizona Democratic Party on Ben Toma Entering Messy AZ-08 Primary

For Immediate Release
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Contact: Victoria Opperman, communications@azdem.org
Arizona Democratic Party on Ben Toma Entering Messy AZ-08 Primary
ARIZONA- Today, Speaker of the Arizona State House Ben Toma announced that he is entering the messy AZ-08 primary. Chairwoman of the Arizona Democratic Party, Yolanda Bejarano, released the following statement.

“As Speaker of the House, Ben Toma has been the leader of one of the most ineffective and extreme legislative sessions in Arizona history,” said Chairwoman of the Arizona Democratic Party, Yolanda Bejarano. “From passing extreme anti-voting legislation to going to court to try and block access to gender-affirming and reproductive healthcare services, Ben Toma is as MAGA Republican as they come. The AZ-08 GOP primary represents the state of the Arizona Republican party: extreme and unorganized.”

Who is Ben Toma?

Ben Toma is the architect of the Universal State Voucher Program. In 2022, Toma wrote and passed HB 2853. The bill gives Arizona parents the ability to take state money that would go to their local public school and instead use it for private school tuition. When asked what his biggest accomplishment as Speaker was, Ben Toma pointed to the fully funded School Voucher programs, “Of course, protecting ESAs, protecting school choice.” Toma has also pushed for a voucher program with little to no transparency- refusing to answer basic questions about background checks and where funding is going.
Ben Toma is an abortion extremist. As Speaker of the House, Ben Toma has been on the frontlines of defending Doug Ducey’s abortion ban in court. The Ducey abortion ban effectively outlawed all abortions and put doctors at risk of charges of child abuse or endangerment if they provided the procedure.
Ben Toma is anti-LGBTQ. Ben Toma sent a letter to Governor Hobbs calling on her to immediately rescind her Executive Order banning conversion therapy. In the letter, Toma states that “What she calls “conversion therapy” amounts to basic counseling for those struggling with their gender.” Ben Toma is also fighting in court to block Governor Hobbs’s Executive order that pays for gender-affirming surgery for state employees.

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