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Christopher Leone
Christopher Leone (independent) ran for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 23. Leone lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Leone completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Christopher Leone earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Boston University in 1983, a master's of business administration from The Wharton School of Business in 1990, and a master's in mass communication from Arizona State University in 2012. Leone's career experience includes working as a commercial and residential real estate developer. He is a founding member of Unite America, which describes itself as "a movement of Democrats, Republicans, and independents who are committed to bridging the growing partisan divide in order to tackle our largest challenges and leave a better country to future generations."[1][2]
Elections
2018
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Arizona State Senate District 23
Michelle Ugenti-Rita defeated Daria Lohman and Christopher Leone in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 23 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R) | 57.1 | 67,852 |
 | Daria Lohman (D) | 38.2 | 45,344 | |
 | Christopher Leone (Independent)  | 4.7 | 5,603 | |
| Total votes: 118,799 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 23
Daria Lohman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 23 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daria Lohman | 100.0 | 18,681 |
| Total votes: 18,681 (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 State Senate District 23
Michelle Ugenti-Rita defeated Timothy Jeffries and Kristina Kelly in the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 23 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michelle Ugenti-Rita | 41.4 | 15,347 |
| Timothy Jeffries | 34.9 | 12,951 | ||
| Kristina Kelly | 23.7 | 8,792 | ||
| Total votes: 37,090 (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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gavin Searles (R)
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christopher Leone completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Leone's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Education, healthcare, and public safety
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Education is at the foundation of our representative democracy and the engine for an economy where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Education includes our K12 public school system, workforce development, and higher education.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
My father and mother. Thomas Paine. Ronald Reagan. Barbara Bush. Andrew Ng.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
Reinventing Government by Osborne & Gaebler
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Honesty, manners, and a passion for the public interest.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I work well with both Democrats and Republicans. I'm comfortable listening to others without having to agree with them.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
At the state level, formulating a budget that prioritizes education, healthcare, and public safety, putting these area on a long-term financial footing, insulated as much as possible from future disruptions.
What legacy would you like to leave?
The understanding that there are always more than two solutions to a problem, you only have to give yourself the chance to think.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The end of the Vietnam War, 15 years old
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Boardwalk cook at Max's Famous Hotdogs
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving, food without presents
What is your favorite book? Why?
Scott & Amundsen - their race to the South Pole
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Bilbo from the Hobbit
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
A clean kitchen in the morning
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Welcome to New York by Swift
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Losing weight
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
The speed as which legislation moves through the chambers, the Senate is much slower.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Yes and no. It does not require a higher degree to be an effective legislator.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Education, healthcare, and public safety including online
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
A citizen legislature that is focus on the tasks at hand and a governor that is responsive to all members and willing to lead on important issues.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Absolutely, each legislator is a representative of the people who elected him or her. The problems we face, however, are the same and require that we work together to solve them.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
An independent commission tasked with forming compact, competitive districts
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Education, health, energy
If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?
NA
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
NA
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Bob Worsley
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Yes, US Senate
Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?
I've heard the stories of several parents who have lost their children, young men and women, to the opioid crisis. I was shocked and angered to learn that the U.S. Post Office has been a big part of the problem, distributing these drugs to the criminals that sell them.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
Ideology is a fine starting point for government legislation, but it can never be an endpoint. Yet, that has been the goal of both major parties for almost two decades. As a result, we've ended up with legislation that is piecemeal or worse. Independents can change that. We are not bound by any party's ideology, and can integrate the best ideas from all parties when crafting legislation. It’s not a foreign idea. Whether we're choosing employment benefits, putting an investment portfolio together, or just making a fruit salad, Americans intuitively combine elements to maximize taste, ROI, and advantage with the least amount of effort and cost. It's who we are. We don't need another party or ideology to effect change. We only need to elect Independents to state and federal legislatures to create a balance of power between the Republican and Democratic parties. It's called the Fulcrum Strategy. I come with a clean slate, and a passion for good government. It is time to put the public interest back on the table.[3] |
” |
| —Christopher Leone[2] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Unite America, "Our Mission," accessed September 28, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on July 7, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
