Michael Butts

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was last updated during the official's most recent election or appointment. Please contact us with any updates.
Michael Butts
Image of Michael Butts
Roosevelt Elementary School District, At-large
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Winton Woods High School

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 2012

Graduate

Northern Arizona University, 2020

Personal
Birthplace
Cincinnati, Ohio
Profession
Administrator
Contact

Michael Butts is an at-large member of the Roosevelt Elementary School District in Arizona. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Butts ran for election for an at-large seat of the Roosevelt Elementary School District in Arizona. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Butts (Democratic Party) also ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 11. He was disqualified from the Democratic primary scheduled on July 30, 2024.

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

Biography

Michael Butts was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He earned a high school diploma from Winton Woods High School, a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2012, and a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University in 2020. His career experience includes working as an elementary education administrator.[1][2]

Elections

2024

School board

See also: Roosevelt Elementary School District, Arizona, elections (2024)

General election
General election for Roosevelt Elementary School District, At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Roosevelt Elementary School District, At-large on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Victoria Castro-Corral
Victoria Castro-Corral (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
19.4
 
15,820
Image of Michael Butts
Michael Butts (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
17.5
 
14,265
Image of Tatiana Peña
Tatiana Peña (Nonpartisan)
 
16.4
 
13,328
Image of James Gonzalez
James Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
15.8
 
12,888
Image of Christianne Ortega
Christianne Ortega (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
12.6
 
10,250
Image of Sandra Jerez
Sandra Jerez (Nonpartisan)
 
10.7
 
8,746
Image of Hannibal Muhammad
Hannibal Muhammad (Nonpartisan)
 
7.3
 
5,989
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
215

Total votes: 81,501
Candidate Connection = 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 did not identify endorsements for Butts in this election.

State House

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)

Incumbent Oscar De Los Santos and incumbent Junelle Cavero defeated Cesar Aleman and Joseph Dailey in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Oscar De Los Santos
Oscar De Los Santos (D) Candidate Connection
 
37.4
 
47,727
Image of Junelle Cavero
Junelle Cavero (D)
 
34.8
 
44,318
Image of Cesar Aleman
Cesar Aleman (R) Candidate Connection
 
14.0
 
17,786
Image of Joseph Dailey
Joseph Dailey (R)
 
13.8
 
17,654

Total votes: 127,485
Candidate Connection = 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 11 (2 seats)

Incumbent Oscar De Los Santos and incumbent Junelle Cavero defeated Izaak Ruiz in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on July 30, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Oscar De Los Santos
Oscar De Los Santos Candidate Connection
 
47.0
 
11,592
Image of Junelle Cavero
Junelle Cavero
 
36.2
 
8,922
Image of Izaak Ruiz
Izaak Ruiz
 
16.8
 
4,148

Total votes: 24,662
Candidate Connection = 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
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)

Joseph Dailey and Cesar Aleman advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on July 30, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joseph Dailey
Joseph Dailey
 
54.4
 
3,886
Image of Cesar Aleman
Cesar Aleman Candidate Connection
 
45.6
 
3,257

Total votes: 7,143
Candidate Connection = 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 did not identify endorsements for Butts in this election.

2022

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)

Oscar De Los Santos and incumbent Marcelino Quiñonez defeated Tatiana Peña in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Oscar De Los Santos
Oscar De Los Santos (D) Candidate Connection
 
41.1
 
30,524
Image of Marcelino Quiñonez
Marcelino Quiñonez (D)
 
40.4
 
30,009
Image of Tatiana Peña
Tatiana Peña (R)
 
18.5
 
13,744

Total votes: 74,277
Candidate Connection = 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 11 (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Oscar De Los Santos
Oscar De Los Santos Candidate Connection
 
26.8
 
7,723
Image of Marcelino Quiñonez
Marcelino Quiñonez
 
22.2
 
6,403
Image of Naketa Ross
Naketa Ross Candidate Connection
 
19.0
 
5,477
Image of Michael Butts
Michael Butts Candidate Connection
 
12.5
 
3,584
Wesley Leasy
 
10.9
 
3,140
Shams Abdussamad
 
8.5
 
2,453

Total votes: 28,780
Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)

Tatiana Peña advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tatiana Peña
Tatiana Peña
 
100.0
 
5,178

Total votes: 5,178
Candidate Connection = 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 finance


Campaign themes

2024

School board

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Michael Butts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Butts' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Michael’s father is a City of Cincinnati bus driver and his mother is an entrepreneur. Together, they emphasized the importance of getting an education. Michael joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. while attending Arizona State University. After graduating, Michael spent five years teaching fifth grade social studies and 12th grade humanities electives. He completed his Masters’ in Educational Leadership through Northern Arizona University. He served the students of the Osborn Elementary School District as an administrator for two years before accepting his current role as Assistant Principal with the Agua Fria Union High School District. Michael is expecting to graduate with a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University in the Spring of 2025.
  • All students deserve the opportunity to demonstrate academic excellence. All students deserve adapted curriculum to meet their individual learning needs.
  • All teachers deserve to receive compensation commensurate with their education, teaching experience and current industry market rates.
  • All parents deserve the opportunity to participate in academic improvement conversations.
Helping all students achieve academic excellence.
The character of a political candidate emanates from their individual life experiences. I value ethical and collaborative decision making, transparent communication and building trust with constituents.
The core responsibilities of a school board member are to responsibly manage fiscal resources, collaborate with all stakeholders such as students, families, and school employees. I also believe that all decisions need to centered around helping students achieve academic success.
I delivered newspapers to my neighbors using my bicycle.
The core responsibilities of a school board member are to responsibly manage fiscal resources, collaborate with all stakeholders such as students, families, and school employees. I also believe that all decisions need to centered around helping students achieve academic success.
Students, families and school staff.
I place importance on building relationships with all stakeholders by being accessible and open-minded.
I believe that instructional practices should be rooted in research based strategies.
Students should feel safe and engaged with their learning environment.
Students should have access to mental health services within the school community.
Students should feel safe and engaged with their learning environment.
I believe creating a great place to work is the number one way to recruit faculty, staff and administration.

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 House

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Butts did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Candidate Connection

Michael Butts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Butts' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Michael went to work for his community, at the early age of 16, volunteering as the president for at-risk inner city kids. Later, Michael took on the responsibility of being a community leader by becoming a Cincinnati Police Officer. Michael is the great grandson of Willie Lee Abernathy Jr., and the great great grandson of Willie Lee Abernathy Sr., both former Baptist Pastors. As a distant nephew of the Civil Rights icon, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, Michael felt an even greater call to leadership. He felt that call was in Phoenix, Arizona and thus relocated his family in 2006. While pursuing his education at Arizona State University, Michael joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity in 2011. In 2017, Michael was approached to lead as an educator. He taught high school for two years and Social Studies to fifth grade students for three years. Michael established mentors for fifth grade students with state leaders such as Senator Rebecca Rios. Developing leaders resonated with Michael in such a way that he obtained his Masters’ in Educational Leadership through Northern Arizona University while continuing to teach. He received his Administrator Certification and is now supporting the initiatives of Osborn School District.
  • As a father and husband, I understand the importance of commitment to building lifelong relationships. I am community leader that is committed to being visible, accessible and transparent.
  • As a servant leader, I value the spirit of collaboration and endeavor to listen to all voices and opinions. Together we can resolve the current challenges we have here in Arizona.
  • As your representative, I pledge to do all that I possibly can to bring your concerns to the State Capitol so that our laws reflect our collective cultures.
Public Safety

As a former officer, I plan to support both our law enforcement and our community by investing funds toward mental and substance abuse responders.
Support law enforcement officers with increased and ongoing training in community policing techniques.
Support investment and increased mental health and PTSD counseling and treatment for our officers.
Criminal Justice Reform
Greater citizen and private oversight of police and corrections agencies with greater ability and power to investigate police misconduct.
Support police and sentencing reforms that have disproportionate rates of incarceration for minority populations, while eliminating Department of Corrections contracts for private prisons.
Support drug policy reform aimed at keeping nonviolent drug offenders out of prisons and in treatment programs
Education
Increase school funding and pay for teachers, with heavier investment in title one schools.
Ensure adequate and fair school choice models and schools are accessible to all districts, particularly title one choices.
Invest in programs aimed at the physical and mental well-being of our students through extra-curricular activities, counseling, and healthy eating.
Neighborhoods / Quality of Life
Invest in programs designed to keep rents affordable while investing in our most vulnerable neighborhoods.
Penalize negligent property owners who facilitate sub-standard rental properties which don’t meet current codes and standards.

Invest in increased
I started delivering our neighborhood newspaper at the age of fourteen with just a bike and a drive to generate my own spending money.

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.


Michael Butts campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Arizona House of Representatives District 11Disqualified primary$0 $610
2022Arizona House of Representatives District 11Lost primary$19,694 $19,084
Grand total$19,694 $19,694
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal 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


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 30, 2022
  2. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 17, 2024


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
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
Lupe Diaz (R)
District 20
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
Lisa Fink (R)
District 28
District 29
District 30
Republican Party (33)
Democratic Party (27)