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Christopher Gilfillan
Christopher Gilfillan (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 20. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Gilfillan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 (2 seats)
Incumbent Anthony Kern and Shawnna Bolick defeated Hazel Chandler and Christopher Gilfillan in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anthony Kern (R) | 26.2 | 34,249 |
| ✔ |  | Shawnna Bolick (R) | 25.9 | 33,848 |
 | Hazel Chandler (D) | 24.4 | 31,979 | |
 | Christopher Gilfillan (D)  | 23.6 | 30,855 | |
| Total votes: 130,931 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 (2 seats)
Hazel Chandler and Christopher Gilfillan defeated Patrick Church and Dan Anderson in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Hazel Chandler | 37.7 | 8,429 |
| ✔ | | Christopher Gilfillan | 27.1 | 6,053 |
| Patrick Church | 22.3 | 4,987 | ||
| Dan Anderson | 12.8 | 2,869 | ||
| Total votes: 22,338 (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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 (2 seats)
Incumbent Anthony Kern and Shawnna Bolick advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 20 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anthony Kern | 56.8 | 13,801 |
| ✔ | | Shawnna Bolick | 43.2 | 10,483 |
| Total votes: 24,284 (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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christopher Gilfillan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gilfillan's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Public Education Funding Small Business/Jobs Government Accountability
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Coming from a family of teachers, I have been a dedicated education advocate who considers students the top priority for Arizona and LD 20. I want to restore the $700 million in cuts we've seen since the Recession. After placing us nearly last in per pupil spending, the Legislature needs to step up for schools. We need designated funding sources, not just promises, in the areas of safety, personnel, facilities, curriculum, and technology, including joint technical and career education (JTED and CTE) so students graduate ready to enter the workforce. There are thousands of small businesses in LD 20 and they are critically important. As a person who helped entrepreneurs survive and thrive past their ribbon cutting, I want to ensure we have an environment where small businesses can thrive on a level playing field with big corporations, have access to R and D funding to grow and be able to find the employees with the skills they need. Finally, we need a transparent government and elected officials that are held accountable. Before I was a lawyer I was a newspaper editor, so I want more sunshine in Arizona, not less. We can start by ending dark money spending and requiring politicians to report any financial interests when advancing legislation. Let's work together to see that the needs of all Arizonans are met, our businesses thrive, and our government works for us.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I come from a family of public school teachers and am a community organizer around this cause. Professionally, I earned my degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and my law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. Seeking a career in public service, I used my law degree to fight for families whose royalty rights were ignored by oil and gas companies. Locally, my wife Julie and I volunteer, supporting education initiatives and assisting small business owners. Education Funding Coming from a family of teachers, I'm a dedicated education advocate who considers students the top priority for Arizona and LD 20. I want to restore the $700 million in cuts we've seen since the Recession. After placing us nearly last in per pupil spending, the Legislature needs to step up for schools. We need designated funding sources, not just promises, in the areas of safety, personnel, facilities, curriculum, and technology, including joint technical and career education (JTED and CTE) so students graduate ready to enter the workforce. Health Care Good health care needs to be accessible for all. In fact, I worked tirelessly to make sure protections were in place for us and want to ensure that we keep cost-effective policies for Arizona's families. I advocated in passing affordable health care for everyone for years, and want to continue that passion at the legislature. Small Business I worked in business development for many years in Arizona and there are thousands of small businesses in LD 20 that are critically important. I want to ensure we have an environment where small businesses can thrive on a level playing field with big corporations, have access to Research and Development funding to grow and be able to find the employees with the skills they need. Government Accountability Finally, we need a transparent government and elected officials that are held accountable. Prior to being a lawyer, I was a newspaper editor. I spent my time tracking the corrosive influence of money on politics, and want to make sure your tax dollars are spent wisely. We can start by ending dark money spending and requiring politicians to report any financial interests when advancing legislation. Let's work together to see that the needs of all Arizonans are met, our businesses thrive, and our government works for us. Extra Extra! Read the Gilfillan Gazette for more about Chris's plan. http://bit.ly/GilfillanGazette1 Representative Leadership I served on the boards of directors for my local Rotary Club and Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministries. I was also a member of the Charles Clark Inn of Court for lawyers and judges. Locally, I am a parishioner of St. Jerome's Catholic Parish, and my father is a Catholic deacon. Then, using my community organizing experience, this past year I served as Field Director for Legislative District 20. Endorsements Our campaign has been endorsed by many bipartisan organizations, including the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, the Arizona Tech Council and education advocacy group Stand for Children. We also have the honor of being endorsed by former House minority leader Eric Meyer and former State Senator Stan Furman. Recently we were endorsed by the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Teamsters, the Local Pipefitters, and the Arizona Nurses Association.
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.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Arizona House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
