Ryan Starzyk

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ryan Starzyk

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Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 4, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Nova Southeastern University, 2012

Graduate

Arizona State University, 2014

Ph.D

Georgia State University, 2019

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

2003 - 2007

Personal

Birthplace

Hartford, Conn.

Religion

Agnostic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Ryan Starzyk (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 24. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020.

Starzyk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ryan Starzyk was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Starzyk served in the United States Air Force from 2003 to 2007. He earned a bachelor's degree in paralegal studies from Nova Southeastern University in 2012, a master's degree in legal studies from Arizona State University in 2014, and a doctorate in business administration from Georgia State University in 2019.

Starzyk's career experience includes working as a notary in Arizona. His professional credentials include certifications as an information privacy manager and as a SCRUM Master. He has served as the director at large for the Phoenix Pride Community Foundation, and as a member of the American Legion.

Elections

2020

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 24

Incumbent Lela Alston defeated Ray Michaels in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 24 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lela Alston (D)	70.9	66,719
	Submit photo	Ray Michaels (R)	29.1	27,402

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,121
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 24

Incumbent Lela Alston defeated Ryan Starzyk in the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 24 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lela Alston	64.0	18,071
	Submit photo	Ryan Starzyk	36.0	10,169

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 28,240
= 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 24

Ray Michaels advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 24 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Ray Michaels (Write-in)	100.0	690

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 690
= 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

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ryan Starzyk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Starzyk'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.

Ryan Starzyk is a proven business and community leader, with a substantial background in management, analysis, research, and strategic planning. From 2003-2007, Ryan served honorably in the United States Air Force and was decorated for meritorious service while on deployment in Iraq as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his military service, Ryan transitioned to a successful career in business leadership, serving as a legal analyst, researcher and compliance advisor for large-scale corporations. He is an International Association of Privacy Professionals Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and a Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master (CSM®). Ryan's previous experience includes work in the legal profession, as well as professional experience in the hospitality industry. He holds a master's degree in Legal Studies from Arizona State University and a doctorate in Business Administration from Georgia State University. Ryan's passion for public policy and his experience as a combat Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces have led him to a desire to continue his public service in the Arizona Senate. No stranger to community service, Ryan currently serves on the board of directors of Phoenix Pride, and he is a longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights. He has been a vocal supporter of repealing Arizona laws that seek to further stigmatize already marginalized communities, and a proponent of strong policies that seek to ensure that the rights and equity of all individuals are protected at the local, state and federal level. Ryan resides in Central Phoenix with his partner of over 12-years and is active in his local neighborhood and community, as well as in Democratic Party politics in Arizona Legislative District 24, where he is seeking to be the Democratic Party nominee for the Arizona Senate in 2020.

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?

• Education Creates Opportunity. We need to stop teaching our kids a test and start delivering education that prepares young people for tomorrow's jobs and helps build businesses that boost Arizona's economy. I will advocate for smaller class sizes, teacher assistants in every classroom and increased funding for our schools to make sure we set ourselves up to be a national education leader.
• Mental Health Matters. Having someone to talk to can make a profound difference, it did for me. I will firmly advocate to make sure every Arizonan has the ability to see a mental health professional. Almost 200,000 people in Arizona suffer from serious psychological distress. We must do better to support our fellow citizens and provide mental health services to everyone.
• Veterans Deserve Better. Veterans need us, over 200 Veterans take their own lives every single year in Arizona. 22 every single day. I will advocate for our Veterans to have the support and services they need in order to be successful by increasing outreach programs and doubling the number of benefit counselors. Our Veterans served this country, we must take better care of them.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a lifetime member of the LGBTQ+ community, there is still a lot of work to do. There is no question that each and every person should be treated with dignity and respect. NO MATTER WHAT. I do identify as a gay male and know what it is like to feel marginalized. We must put a stop to racial, gender, sexual orientation and all other forms of discrimination. Treatment of Transgender members of our society is unfathomable. I know many amazing, hard working and dedicated transgender members in our society and do not look at them any differently than anyone else I know. They are human beings, like you, like me. We all have our differences, but still share the common purpose of being human first. Protecting transgender rights is a TOP-PRIORITY.

Renewable Energy & Economic Opportunity. Climate change is real. We must address it, but first have elected officials that understand the reality. Renewable energy is good for the environment and better for economic growth. Solar & wind generated power can create good paying jobs right here in Arizona.

Protecting A Woman's Right To Choose. A woman's right to choose should not be up for debate. Women have the right to make choices about their own health care just as men do.

Too many innocent people have died and will continue to without comprehensive changes to gun policy. Background checks have bi-partisan support. Arizona elected officials continue to ignore this.

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

Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think

Conscious Capitalism, With a New Preface by the Authors: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business
The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

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

Accountability. Integrity. Transparency. Equity and inclusiveness. Competence.

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

During my time in the military, I was bullied almost every single day because I am gay. After the military, and being deployed to Iraq multiple times, I found myself struggling with substance abuse, being angry, dealing with severe PTSD. It took years to recover, to fight, and to find peace again. My partner Ivan was there for me during this difficult period. He pushed me, loved me, never gave up. To his credit, he has managed to stick by me for over 12-years and counting.

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

The problem we see with our current system of government is legislators with a lack of perspective. I firmly believe we need fresh perspectives, as often as possible to address the challenges of our generation.

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 a candidate for state senate, canvassing neighborhoods, I talked with a mother whose son was a marine and deployed during the initial invasion into Iraq. She told me her son left as a genuine, caring and loving human being, but came back raging, angry, ready to fight everyone around him, including his own mother. This was me at one point too. Her son still to this day struggles with the ailments of war, being arrested and unable to cope with the fact that his PTSD exists. The stigma is real, and we must fight harder to combat it, for the sake of our veterans and for the sake of her son.

She nearly cried when I told her I was a Veteran, who wants to help people like her son, and fight to make sure we offer and provide the services needed to address such painful experiences from war. Our nations veterans are coping with some of the most difficult issues one can imagine, over 200 Veterans in Arizona alone take their own lives every single year, 22 Veterans nationwide take their own lives every single day. It is because of this that I will fight to increase services for Arizona Veterans, and try to save as many lives as possible.

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.

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Arizona State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Warren Petersen

Majority Leader:Janae Shamp

Minority Leader:Priya Sundareshan

Senators

District 1

Mark Finchem (R)

District 2

Shawnna Bolick (R)

District 3

John Kavanagh (R)

District 4

Carine Werner (R)

District 5

Lela Alston (D)

District 6

Theresa Hatathlie (D)

District 7

Wendy Rogers (R)

District 8

Lauren Kuby (D)

District 9

Kiana Sears (D)

District 10

David Farnsworth (R)

District 11

Catherine Miranda (D)

District 12

Denise Epstein (D)

District 13

Javan Mesnard (R)

District 14

Warren Petersen (R)

District 15

Jake Hoffman (R)

District 16

Thomas Shope (R)

District 17

Vince Leach (R)

District 18

Priya Sundareshan (D)

District 19

David Gowan (R)

District 20

Sally Gonzales (D)

District 21

Rosanna Gabaldón (D)

District 22

Eva Diaz (D)

District 23

Brian Fernandez (D)

District 24

Analise Ortiz (D)

District 25

Tim Dunn (R)

District 26

Flavio Bravo (D)

District 27

Kevin Payne (R)

District 28

Frank Carroll (R)

District 29

Janae Shamp (R)

District 30

Hildy Angius (R)

Republican Party (17)

Democratic Party (13)