Jennifer Jermaine

Jennifer Jermaine

Democratic Party

Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor: Jay Tibshraeny (R)

Prior offices:

Arizona House of Representatives District 18

Years in office: 2019 - 2023

Predecessor: Jill Norgaard (R)

Successor: Nancy Gutierrez (D)

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

San Diego State University, 2003

Graduate

Arizona State University, 2014

Personal

Profession

Nonprofit management

Jennifer Jermaine (Democratic Party) is a judge for San Marcos District of the Maricopa County Justice Court in Arizona. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Jermaine (Democratic Party) ran for election for the San Marcos District judge of the Maricopa County Justice Court in Arizona. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

Representative Jermaine graduated with a bachelor's degree in international business from San Diego State University in 2003, and later graduated with a master's degree in public administration and nonprofit administration from Arizona State University in 2014. She has held a variety of positions throughout her career, including serving as executive director at an orphanage, serving as a job coach at Odyssey Service Corps, and serving as executive director at STAZ Advocacy Network.

Elections

2022

Justice of the Peace

See also: Municipal elections in Maricopa County, Arizona (2022)

General election

General election for Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District

Jennifer Jermaine won election in the general election for Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Jermaine (D)	95.9	60,664
		Other/Write-in votes	4.1	2,600

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 63,264
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District

Jennifer Jermaine advanced from the Democratic primary for Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Jermaine	100.0	21,318

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,318
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sherwood Johnston (R)

State House

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

Jennifer Jermaine did not file to run for re-election.

2020

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 (2 seats)

Incumbent Jennifer Jermaine and incumbent Denise Epstein defeated Bob Robson, Don Hawker, and Chris Wilson in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Jermaine (D)	29.5	70,049
✔		Denise Epstein (D)	26.4	62,607
		Bob Robson (R)	23.3	55,140
	Submit photo	Don Hawker (R)	20.8	49,298
	Submit photo	Chris Wilson (Constitution Party) (Write-in)	0.0	62

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 237,156
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 (2 seats)

Incumbent Jennifer Jermaine and incumbent Denise Epstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Jermaine	50.6	26,131
✔		Denise Epstein	49.4	25,525

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51,656
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 (2 seats)

Bob Robson and Don Hawker advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bob Robson	95.3	20,838
✔	Submit photo	Don Hawker (Write-in)	4.7	1,026

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,864
= 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

• Alyssa Sheahan (R)

Endorsements

To view Jermaine's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2018

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 (2 seats)

Incumbent Denise Epstein and Jennifer Jermaine defeated incumbent Jill Norgaard and Greg Patterson in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Epstein (D)	28.3	52,992
✔		Jennifer Jermaine (D)	26.9	50,253
		Jill Norgaard (R)	23.7	44,269
	Submit photo	Greg Patterson (R)	21.2	39,578

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 187,092
= 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 18 (2 seats)

Incumbent Denise Epstein and Jennifer Jermaine defeated Ladawn Stuben in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Epstein	43.7	15,486
✔		Jennifer Jermaine	37.1	13,150
		Ladawn Stuben	19.1	6,763

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,399 (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 18 (2 seats)

Incumbent Jill Norgaard and Greg Patterson defeated Farhana Shifa and Don Hawker in the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 18 on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jill Norgaard	44.2	16,290
✔	Submit photo	Greg Patterson	25.1	9,230
		Farhana Shifa	18.8	6,910
	Submit photo	Don Hawker	11.9	4,401

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,831 (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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jennifer Jermaine did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jennifer Jermaine completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jermaine'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.

Jennifer Jermaine is the current State Representative from Arizona's Legislative District 18: Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Ahwatukee. Jennifer is the Chairwoman for the statewide taskforce investigating missing and murdered Indigenous people and sits on the Government, Elections, and Military and Veteran's Affairs committees. She has spent the last 18 years in the nonprofit industry and is currently the Executive Director of the We the People Summit, which empowers individuals to strategize and collaborate to influence public policy. She holds a Master's in Public Administration from ASU and decided early on that her calling was to work for positive change in the public sector. Her legislative focus is on restoring education funding, protecting our civil rights, and honoring our shared values. Jennifer decided to run for re-election because our state should be a place of safety, opportunity, and prosperity for all.

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?

• Restore education funding
• Protect and expand civil rights
• Responsive and available to the people of LD18

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Voting rights, governance of state agencies, public education, Tribal relations, and being a good steward of public money.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and my Mother. They are strong women who have broken glass ceilings.

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

Detail oriented, constituent focused, active listening, ethical

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

Hard worker, detail oriented, active listener, research focused, ability to empathize with others.

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

To listen to your constituents and actively work for your constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Meaningful policy to prevent violence against women and children and state agencies that coordinate and collaborate to help constituents connect to services and resources.

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

Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, 2nd Grade

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

Barista, 2 years

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggled with access to healthcare as a young adult.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The most important difference is the size of each chamber. The larger House chamber in Arizona brings more diverse voices and viewpoints to examine public policy.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it is beneficial to have legislators who understand the functions and principles of government but not necessarily direct government experience.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Recovery from the COVID19 crisis and restoring public education funding.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

They should serve as a check and balance on each other.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, in general, it is beneficial to have a professional and courteous relationship with your co-workers.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor Arizona's existing Independent Redistricting Commission.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Government Committee - I hold a Master's in Public Administration and have focused on the systems and structures of our state agencies

Elections Committee - I'm passionate about protecting voting rights and expanding access and ability to vote

Military and Veterans Affairs Committee - I am skilled at navigating the VA system and connecting Veterans with the right agencies to get their earned benefits

Study Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls - There has been a long history of violence against Native women and girls. Systems and structures within multiple government jurisdictions complicate these issues.

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?

I am currently a Committee Chair and am focused on fulfilling that role.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ken Clark, Victoria Steele, Lela Alston, and Diego Espinoza have been my legislative mentors.

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?

As the Chair for the Study Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, I have heard many painful and moving stories that are driving my current work.

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.

State legislative tenure

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2021-2022

Jermaine was assigned to the following committees:

• Government and Elections Committee
• Federalism, Military Affairs, and Elections Committee

2019-2020

Jermaine was assigned to the following committees:

• Government and Higher Education Committee
• Land, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs
• Elections Committee (Decommissioned)

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Arizona

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arizona scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2022

In 2022, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 10 to June 25.

• Arizona Free Enterprise Club: Senate and House

Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform.

• Center for Arizona Policy Action: Senate and House

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues.

• Children's Action Alliance

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues.

• Club for Growth Foundation

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.

• Humane Voters of Arizona

Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues.

• National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• Progress Arizona

Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's policy platform.

• Secular Coalition for Arizona

Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy.

• Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

• The Arizona Center for Economic Progress

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic policy.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 11 to June 30. Children's Action Alliance Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to family issues. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Secular Coalition for Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 13 to May 26. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Secular Coalition for Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on secular policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Arizona State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 28. Center for Arizona Policy: Senate and House Voting Records Legislators' votes are recorded by the Center for Arizona Policy on bills related to family issues. Humane Voters of Arizona Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

2022 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jay Tibshraeny (R)	Maricopa County Justice of the Peace San Marcos District 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Jill Norgaard (R)	Arizona House of Representatives District 18 2019-2023	Succeeded by Nancy Gutierrez (D)