Linda Busam

This page was last updated during the official's most recent election or appointment. Please contact us with any updates.

Linda Busam

Nonpartisan

Western Maricopa Education Center District 2

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

James Kaltenbach

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Luther North High School

Other

Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, 2007

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign YouTube

Linda Busam is a member of the Western Maricopa Education Center in Arizona, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Busam (Republican Party) ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 27. She lost in the Republican primary on July 30, 2024.

Busam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Linda Busam was born in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a high school diploma from Luther North High School and additional education from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in 2007. She has been affiliated with the Republican National Hispanic Assembly and Peoria Police Citizens Academy.

Elections

2024

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 27 (2 seats)

Lisa Fink and Tony Rivero defeated Deborah Howard in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 27 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Fink (R)	34.8	51,499
✔		Tony Rivero (R)	34.4	50,976
		Deborah Howard (D)	30.8	45,601

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 148,076
= 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 27 (2 seats)

Deborah Howard advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 27 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deborah Howard	100.0	12,629

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,629
= 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 27 (2 seats)

Lisa Fink and Tony Rivero defeated Brian Morris and Linda Busam in the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 27 on July 30, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Fink	33.5	12,739
✔		Tony Rivero	27.6	10,512
	Submit photo	Brian Morris	24.9	9,474
		Linda Busam	13.9	5,303

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,028
= 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

To view Busam's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Busam in this election.

2022

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

General election

The general election was canceled. Linda Busam (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Kaltenbach (Nonpartisan)

2020

See also: Peoria Unified School District, Arizona, elections (2020)

General election

General election for Peoria Unified School District, At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Peoria Unified School District, At-large on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rebecca Hill (Nonpartisan)	14.5	35,100
✔		David Sandoval (Nonpartisan)	14.1	34,196
✔		Bill Sorensen (Nonpartisan)	13.3	32,298
		Linda Busam (Nonpartisan)	13.2	32,008
	Submit photo	Kirk Hobbs (Nonpartisan)	12.7	30,792
		Davita Solter (Nonpartisan)	9.3	22,567
	Submit photo	Kacie Franklin (Nonpartisan)	8.8	21,434
	Submit photo	CJ Williams (Nonpartisan)	7.3	17,687
	Submit photo	Devon Updegraff-Day (Nonpartisan)	6.3	15,307
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	837

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 242,226
= 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

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Linda Busam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Busam'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.

Public Service is a privilege and a trust.

Throughout the years, I have demonstrated a  genuine care for people and have served my  community in humility and unselfish service. • West-MEC District 2 Governing Board Member • Former Member-at-Large for the

               Maricopa County Republican Committee

• Former LD21 2nd Vice Chair • Member of the Republic National Hispanic

               Assembly

• Serves on the Peoria Citizens Police Academy

               Alumni

• Earned multiple awards for Precinct

               Committeeman of the Year & Most 
               Outstanding Party Worker in  Maricopa County

• Married for 46 years and Widow of 4 years • Have a wonderful son with a family of 4

• Arizona Resident for 26 years

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?

• Equip Law Enforcement with the necessary tools to secure our borders, and ensure public safety
• Reduce the cost of living, and create opportunities for affordable housing
• Protect school choice and parental rights. Safeguard our children from the Woke Agenda

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Educational and humanitarian concerns. Undertake the challenges of rising crime, fentanyl crisis, sex trafficking, and homelessness brought on by open borders.

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

The Bible is my compass. You will understand my political philosophy by reading 1 Samuel chapter 8, and Romans chapter 13.

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

Integrity, ethics, and humility. The true heart of leadership is servanthood.

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

My ethics and integrity will not be compromised in service to the people of Arizona. I am NOT a politician, nor do money and power have sway over me.

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

To uphold the oath to the U.S. & AZ Constitution, and represent constituents.

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

I was raised by a single parent on welfare in the hopeless projects of Cabrini Green in Chicago IL. At the time, Chicago was known as one of the most segregated cities in the nation, which was further aggravated by expanding welfare and the sole focus of the Great Society program in its attempt to combat poverty. It created more bureaucracies and threw money at problems without producing results. In reality, its goal was to create a permanent voting block of African Americans, just as we are doing today by giving freebies to all illegal immigrants to capture their vote.

I lived through the race riots when I was 10 years old, first during President John F Kennedy’s assassination on November 22nd, 1963, and again with the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr on April 4th, 1966 when I was 13 years old and again with the assassination of Robert F Kennedy on June 5th, 1968 at 15 years old.

I have seen and lived through many atrocities. But one of my most memorable events was walking with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with my Mom and my little brother David during the Chicago Crusade Civil Rights Movement in 1965. Both my Mom & I were pictured on the cover of Jet Magazine in our blue, and red flowered babushkas.

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

My 1st summer job was babysitting when I was 12 years old.

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

Having an open, honest relationship while remaining firm in my conservative convictions.

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

Secure borders, education, inflation, affordable housing, water, and protection of the 1st and 2nd Amendment Rights.

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

Yes. I have experience in both and love serving my community.

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

Yes. Building relationships is the foundational block, to work with others and is essential to effect change.

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

I would model myself after Beverly Pingerelli LD28 State Representative. Beverly has a true servant’s heart. She is the epitome of dignity and grace, slow to anger, 100% staunch in her conservative values, and is a member of the Freedom Caucus. I admire her greatly.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. My focus is on local challenges.

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?

On 5/26/24 I attended the Memorial Day, Flags for the Fallen ceremony at the Phoenix National Cemetery.

One of the most touching stories that brought tears to my eyes was that of Sgt 1st Class Diana Pike, a Peoria resident who retired from the Army in 1988 after serving Signal Intelligence.

In 1993, a tragic car accident took the life of her husband Michael, leaving her to be the sole provider while raising two young children.

In 2001, her son Christian enlisted in the Navy, and like her was drawn into the intelligence field. In March 2013, he was mortally wounded during a fierce gun battle in Afghanistan. Diana said goodbye to her only son, Cryptologist Tech Chief Christian Pike. Holding onto the folded American flag that Christian carried with him when he died, she trembled as she said “It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t come home - until I got that phone call.”

Always be thankful to the men & women who sacrificed everything, so that we could be free. We owe them so much!

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes. On 11/5/24 voters will choose to amend the AZ State Constitution limiting the governor’s authority. This Ballot Measure restores the balance of power to the executive and legislative branches of government. In all circumstances, the State Constitution should be upheld.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

One of the issues I would like to work on is eliminating preferential treatment and protective rules for Institutional Investors. It is the primary cause of high rentals and housing shortages. We must make the American Dream attainable for all Arizonans.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

See: http://www.Busam4Arizona.org

What committees interest you?

Education

Health and Human Services

Appropriations

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The Auditor General must conduct audits for public disclosure and lawfully hold those accountable for misuse of public funds.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support changes. Signatures for all ballot measure initiatives should be collected equally from each Legislative District so that the people of Arizona are fairly represented to amend State Statute or Constitutional changes. This will curtail out-of-state big-money interests from flooding certain areas to achieve certain agendas.

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.

2022

Linda Busam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Linda Busam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

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.

---

Linda Busam campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Arizona House of Representatives District 27	Lost primary	$18,049	$16,407
Grand total			$18,049	$16,407
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

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President 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

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Arizona House of Representatives District 27

Website

Facebook

YouTube

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by James Kaltenbach	Western Maricopa Education Center District 2 2023-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Arizona House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Steve Montenegro

Majority Leader:Michael Carbone

Minority Leader:Oscar De Los Santos

Representatives

District 1

Selina Bliss (R)

Quang Nguyen (R)

District 2

Stephanie Simacek (D)

Justin Wilmeth (R)

District 3

Joseph Chaplik (R)

Alexander Kolodin (R)

District 4

Pamela Carter (R)

Matt Gress (R)

District 5

Sarah Liguori (D)

Aaron Marquez (D)

District 6

Mae Peshlakai (D)

Myron Tsosie (D)

District 7

Walter Blackman (R)

David Marshall (R)

District 8

Janeen Connolly (D)

Brian Garcia (D)

District 9

Lorena Austin (D)

Seth Blattman (D)

District 10

Ralph Heap (R)

Justin Olson (R)

District 11

Junelle Cavero (D)

Oscar De Los Santos (D)

District 12

Patricia Contreras (D)

Anastasia Travers (D)

District 13

Jeff Weninger (R)

Julie Willoughby (R)

District 14

Laurin Hendrix (R)

Khyl Powell (R)

District 15

Neal Carter (R)

Michael Way (R)

District 16

Chris Lopez (R)

Teresa Martinez (R)

District 17

Rachel Keshel (R)

Kevin Volk (D)

District 18

Nancy Gutierrez (D)

Christopher Mathis (D)

District 19

Lupe Diaz (R)

Gail Griffin (R)

District 20

Alma Hernandez (D)

Betty Villegas (D)

District 21

Consuelo Hernandez (D)

Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D)

District 22

Lupe Contreras (D)

Elda Luna-Nájera (D)

District 23

Michele Pena (R)

Mariana Sandoval (D)

District 24

Anna Abeytia (D)

Lydia Hernandez (D)

District 25

Michael Carbone (R)

Nick Kupper (R)

District 26

Cesar Aguilar (D)

Quantá Crews (D)

District 27

Lisa Fink (R)

Tony Rivero (R)

District 28

David Livingston (R)

Beverly Pingerelli (R)

District 29

Steve Montenegro (R)

James Taylor (R)

District 30

Leo Biasiucci (R)

John Gillette (R)

Republican Party (33)

Democratic Party (27)