David Schapira

David Schapira

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Arizona House of Representatives

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Arizona State Senate District 17

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Elections and appointments

Last election

August 28, 2018

Education

Bachelor's

George Washington University, 2001

Personal

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Personal website

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David Schapira (Democratic Party) was a member of the Arizona State Senate, representing District 17. Schapira assumed office on January 10, 2011. Schapira left office on January 10, 2013.

Schapira (Democratic Party) ran for election for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. Schapira lost in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2018.

Schapira is a former Democratic member of the Arizona State Senate, representing District 17 from 2011 to 2013. He served as State Senate Minority Leader. He also served in the Arizona House of Representatives, representing the 17th District from 2007 to 2011.

Biography

Schapira's professional experience includes owning Democracy Online Campaigns and working as a high school teacher, political consultant and aide to Senator Tom Daschle.

He was once a staff member of the American Cancer Society and also served as a member of the Key Club and Kiwanis Youth Group.

Committee assignments

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Schapira served on these committees:

• Appropriations Committee, Arizona Senate

• Subcommittee on Rural Issues, Education and Natural Resources

• Education Committee, Arizona Senate
• Senate Ethics Committee, Arizona State Senate
• Banking and Insurance Committee, Arizona Senate (2012 only)
• Capital Review Committee, Arizona State Legislature
• K-12 School District Receivership Study Committee, Arizona State Legislature

Issues

Sponsored legislation

Schapira's sponsored bills include:

• HB 2292 - compulsory attendance; age; increase
• HB 2299 - smoking in vehicle with minors
• HB 2383 - Election Day voter registration
• HB 2544 - schools; sex education

For a full listed of sponsored bills see the House website.

Elections

2018

See also: Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2018

General election

General election for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

Kathy Hoffman defeated Frank Riggs in the general election for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Hoffman (D)	51.6	1,185,457
		Frank Riggs (R)	48.4	1,113,781

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,299,238 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

Kathy Hoffman defeated David Schapira in the Democratic primary for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Hoffman	52.3	254,566
		David Schapira	47.7	232,419

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 486,985 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction

Frank Riggs defeated Robert Branch, incumbent Diane Douglas, Tracy Livingston, and Jonathan Gelbart in the Republican primary for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frank Riggs	21.8	124,872
		Robert Branch	21.8	124,623
		Diane Douglas	21.2	121,452
	Submit photo	Tracy Livingston	20.2	115,778
	Submit photo	Jonathan Gelbart	14.9	85,511

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 572,236 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2012

See also: Arizona's 9th Congressional District elections, 2012

Schapira ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 9th District. He was defeated by Kyrsten Sinema in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2012.

U.S. House, Arizona District 9 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kyrsten Sinema	40.8%	15,536
David Schapira	30%	11,419
Andrei Cherny	29.3%	11,146
Total Votes		38,101

2010

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2010

Schapira was eligible but did not seek re-election in 2010. He instead sought election to the district 17 seat of the Arizona State Senate. He defeated Democratic Wendy Rogers, Libertarian Garrett Chartier-Dickie, and Green Party candidate Grand Pa Goshorn in the November 2 general election.

Arizona State Senate, District 17 General Election (2010)
Candidates		Votes
David Schapira (D)		21,783
Wendy Rogers (R)		18,827
Garrett Chartier-Dickie (L)		1,277
Grand Pa Goshorn (G)		784

2008

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Schapira and Ed Ableser were elected to the 17th District Seat in the Arizona House of Representatives, defeating opponents Mark Thompson (R) and Wes Waddle (R).

Schapira raised $45,888 for the campaign, Ableser raised $48,652, Thompson raised $35,895, and Waddle raised $41,613.

Arizona State House, District 17 (2008)
Candidates		Votes
Ed Ableser (D)		30,467
David Schapira (D)		33,210
Mark Thompson (R)		23,437
Wes Waddle (R)		18,461

Campaign themes

2012

Schapira's campaign website listed the following issues:

• Sustainability

Excerpt: "Arizona’s greatest resource is the beauty and diversity of its land. David has a strong record of supporting environmental standards that keep our air, land and water clean. During his service in the Arizona State Legislature, David earned an “A” grade every year from both the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club."

• Jobs

Excerpt: "The middle class is the engine that drives our economy. In order to create jobs, we have to create demand, and that demand comes from the purchasing power of middle class families. Waiting for the “trickle-down” effect of tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires is not the solution to getting our economy back on track."

• Education

Excerpt: "The strength of America’s economy tomorrow will be shaped by the investment that we make as a nation today. As a former teacher, David has dedicated his life to the belief that every student should have access to quality education, regardless of race, socio-economic status or where they live. For the first time in history, this generation of students will be less educated than their parents."

• Healthcare

Excerpt: "For too long, Washington D.C. has used the healthcare debate to increase the profits of insurance companies on the back of working families across America. David, a cancer survivor, understands the challenges that face middle class Americans struggling with health issues, and knows that Congress can do better than line the pockets of insurance companies. "

• Seniors

Excerpt: "Social Security and Medicare not only represent a sacred promise made to all Americans who have been in the workforce; they are also critical to the economic health of our nation. We must stop those who seek to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher system."

2010

Schapira's website listed the following issues:

• Education

Excerpt: "We must invest in education. It's the best economic development tool for our state's future. In order to improve student outcomes we need smaller class sizes, more access to modern teaching tools and technologies, and competitive wages that attract and retain the best teachers."

• Our Economy

Excerpt: "Small business is the backbone of our state. As a small business owner, David understands what it takes to build something from nothing. He also knows that businesses are the building blocks of a solid economy."

• Your Right to Know

Excerpt: "David will continue his fight to bring the happenings at the state capitol into the daylight. The cigar-filled backrooms do exist, and David is working to swing open the doors because he believes that you have a right to know what your representatives do."

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Schapira and his wife Rosemary have one child.

Scorecards

Goldwater Institute

See also: Goldwater Institute's Legislative Report Card (2012)

The Goldwater Institute releases its "Legislative Report Card" annually for all Arizona legislators. This report card tracks how legislators voted on key votes and assigns them a letter grade based on how closely their votes agree with the Institute's positions. The primary values emphasized in the ratings are whether votes expand or restrict liberty.

2012

Schapira received a score of 41 out of 100 in the 2012 report card for a grade of D- according to the Goldwater Institute’s grading scale. This score was 11 higher than his score on the 2011 report card. Schapira’s 41 in 2012 was the 29th highest grade among all 30 Arizona State Senators.

See also

• Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2018
• Arizona State Legislature
• Arizona State Senate
• Arizona Senate Committees
• Arizona state legislative districts

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction
• David Schapira's personal website
• Senate website
• Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006
• David Schapira on Facebook
• David Schapira on Twitter

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Meg Burton Cahill	Arizona State Senate District 17 2011–2013	Succeeded by Steven B. Yarbrough (R)
Preceded by -	Arizona State House District 17 2007–2011	Succeeded by P. Ben Arredondo

[show]

Current members of the Arizona State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Warren Petersen

Majority Leader:Janae Shamp

Minority Leader:Priya Sundareshan

Senators

District 1

Mark Finchem (R)

District 2

Shawnna Bolick (R)

District 3

John Kavanagh (R)

District 4

Carine Werner (R)

District 5

Lela Alston (D)

District 6

Theresa Hatathlie (D)

District 7

Wendy Rogers (R)

District 8

Lauren Kuby (D)

District 9

Eva Burch (D)

District 10

David Farnsworth (R)

District 11

Catherine Miranda (D)

District 12

Denise Epstein (D)

District 13

Javan Mesnard (R)

District 14

Warren Petersen (R)

District 15

Jake Hoffman (R)

District 16

Thomas Shope (R)

District 17

Vince Leach (R)

District 18

Priya Sundareshan (D)

District 19

David Gowan (R)

District 20

Sally Gonzales (D)

District 21

Rosanna Gabaldón (D)

District 22

Eva Diaz (D)

District 23

Brian Fernandez (D)

District 24

Analise Ortiz (D)

District 25

Tim Dunn (R)

District 26

Flavio Bravo (D)

District 27

Kevin Payne (R)

District 28

Frank Carroll (R)

District 29

Janae Shamp (R)

District 30

Hildy Angius (R)

Republican Party (17)

Democratic Party (13)