Bernadette Greene Placentia

Bernadette Greene Placentia

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Arizona District 8

Elections and appointments

Next election

August 4, 2026

Personal

Birthplace

Galesburg, Ill.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Political operative

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Bernadette Greene Placentia (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 8th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 4, 2026.^[source]

Greene Placentia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bernadette Greene Placentia was born in Galesburg, Illinois. She attended the University of Arizona. Her career experience includes working as a truck driver and political operative.

Elections

2026

See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8

Jillian Barfield, Bernadette Greene Placentia, and Jessie Martines are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on August 4, 2026.

		Candidate
		Jillian Barfield
		Bernadette Greene Placentia
	Submit photo	Jessie Martines

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8

Incumbent Abraham Hamadeh and Amanda Rose are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on August 4, 2026.

		Candidate
		Abraham Hamadeh
	Submit photo	Amanda Rose

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024

Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (July 30 Republican primary)

Arizona's 8th Congressional District election, 2024 (July 30 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Arizona District 8

Abraham Hamadeh defeated Gregory Whitten in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abraham Hamadeh (R)	56.5	208,269
		Gregory Whitten (D)	43.5	160,344

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 368,613
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jeremy Spreitzer (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8

Gregory Whitten advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gregory Whitten	100.0	47,406

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,406
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sheila Bilyeu (D)
• Marc Lewis (D)
• Bernadette Greene Placentia (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 8 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abraham Hamadeh	29.9	30,686
		Blake Masters	25.7	26,422
		Ben Toma	21.0	21,549
		Trent Franks	16.3	16,714
		Anthony Kern	4.8	4,922
		Patrick Briody	2.3	2,336
		Isiah Gallegos (Write-in)	0.0	35

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 102,664
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Debbie Lesko (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Greene Placentia in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bernadette Greene Placentia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Greene Placentia's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a former long-haul truck driver & small fleet/small business owner with over 27 years and 3.5 million miles experience and I bring a different perspective to Congress. After Bidenomics ended my trucking career, I worked as a Campaign Mgr for multiple candidates, responsible for all aspects of their campaigns. I believe in bringing back Representative Democracy, and I am tired of the professional politicians and elitists of both Parties making irresponsible decisions & implementing useless legislation while they enrich themselves & amass power. My career gave me the opportunity to spend time in every part of America and to meet every American, so I understand the issues, concerns and worries affecting the majority of us and will therefore introduce common-sense, implementable solutions that will actually solve problems and improve the lives of everyday Americans. I hold my Democratic ideals close but my allegiance will always be to the People, not to a Party. I’m a pro-choice, pro-union, pro-Ukraine, life-long gun owner & Conservative Democrat. I support strengthening our borders & protecting American jobs while respecting the Rights of others. I’ll fight to protect SS, Women’s healthcare rights, secure our water resources & support public schools and will work to ensure every American has the opportunity & resources to achieve their dreams. I believe in supporting our Veterans, & will fight to protect the most vulnerable amongst us, like our children and the elderly.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am one of you. I’m not a professional politician, I’m a no bullshit, tell it like it is, working class candidate that won’t waste time fighting culture wars but will instead focus on solving problems for regular Americans.
• I will fight to protect Social Security, expand Medicare and Medicaid, support our public schools, our Veterans and I want to increase support for Law Enforcement via better pay, better training, better equipment and better access to mental health care while eliminating those that have no business carrying a badge. We need to secure our border, but recognize the need for legal workers. We need to reengage with our Allies to fight Chinese & Russian aggression, and reclaim America’s position as a global leader.
• I strongly believe in Representative Democracy; 25% of the Senate and 67% of the Supreme Court went to schools just .04% of Americans can get into. Over 60% of Congresspeople are multimillionaires before they get to Congress, and nearly 100% of them have doubled their net worth within 4 years of taking office. We have Representatives that have never lived outside of an area with mass transit, and most do not know the price of eggs, or gas. What chance does a high school graduate have of ever buying a home? We need to offer more opportunities for training and affordable educational opportunities for everyone; the tax breaks for billionaires needs to end, and we need to start paying down our debt without cutting essential social services.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Reducing the flow of illegal drugs into our country; securing safe, reliable drivers that are responsible for moving 82% of all of America’s freight. Expanding Medicare and Medicaid, protecting Social Security for future generations; defending women’s healthcare choices; supporting Ukraine; expanding Unions and workers rights and increasing worker pay.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Read my interview by George Packer in the Aug 2024 issue of The Atlantic Monthly magazine (section 8).

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Above all I value integrity and abhor hypocrisy,

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To Represent the American People, not to unilaterally support their Party.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That if elected, every constituent believes that I always tried to get the best for them, that even if they disagree with me on a specific policy point they never doubt my concern, my willingness to fight on their behalf.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Challenger explosion in January 1986.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Waitress

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

In theory, that each Representative is a voice for their constituents and will represent their beliefs and protect them. Unfortunately, too many Representatives nowadays are loyal only to their Party.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

To recognize that we as a people are being divided by corporations and the uber-wealthy and that we are in danger of surrendering our Democracy to wannabe Dicatator’s.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I strongly support term limits- 2 six year Senate terms, 6 two year House terms, ten year terms for Federal judges including the Supreme Court.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely

What committees interest you?

Transportation, trucking, immigration/border, drug prevention.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe strongly in transparency and believe there is excessive waste and some fraud in our government institutions, however, the current attempt by an unelected, out of touch billionaire to eliminate waste has resulted in chaos, cost more money, and destroyed lives. Every Representative should be required to hold quarterly town halls in their community and be held accountable by their constituents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2024

Bernadette Greene Placentia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Greene Placentia's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

26 year Veteran solo long haul owner op trucker, wife, adoptive mom, lifelong gun owner, prochoice & fierce protector of all rights of all our citizens. “We were not born into a Political Party, we were born into a country.”

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Secure Our Borders Without Sacrificing Our Humanity
• Restore, Protect & Defend Women’s Reproductive Right, Voting Rights, 2nd Amendment & LGBTQIA+ Rights
• Term Limits & Age Caps

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Trucking Issues, Better VA Healthcare, Advocating for affordable continuing education and helping our educators. Safe-guarding Social Security. Combating misinformation and extremism. Police Reform to include better training, better pay and increased screening.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, Courage, Honesty, Strong work ethic

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Tom Petty “Won’t Back Down”

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, I do not.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Party Extremism; manipulation by media; uncontrolled Artificial Intelligence and unethical political leadership.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Strongly support!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Bernadette Greene Placentia campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Arizona District 8	Candidacy Declared primary	$0	N/A**
2024*	U.S. House Arizona District 8	Withdrew primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Arizona District 8

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Personal

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Footnotes

[show]

Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ruben Gallego (D)

Mark Kelly (D)

Representatives

District 1

David Schweikert (R)

District 2

Eli Crane (R)

District 3

Yassamin Ansari (D)

District 4

Greg Stanton (D)

District 5

Andy Biggs (R)

District 6

Juan Ciscomani (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

Abraham Hamadeh (R)

District 9

Paul Gosar (R)

Republican Party (6)

Democratic Party (4)

Vacancies (1)