Stephen Diehl

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

Stephen Diehl

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Stephen Diehl (independent) ran for election to the Arizona State Senate to represent District 22. He lost as a write-in in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Diehl completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2022

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 22

The following candidates ran in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 22 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Eva Diaz (D) (Write-in)	59.0	6,629
		Steven Robinson (R) (Write-in)	33.1	3,722
		Steven Chapman (D) (Write-in)	4.8	545
		Stephen Diehl (Independent) (Write-in)	0.9	100
	Submit photo	Ryan Benson (R) (Write-in)	0.8	94
	Submit photo	Jeffrey Norwood (R) (Write-in)	0.7	76
	Submit photo	Kenya Raymond (D) (Write-in)	0.5	59
	Submit photo	Paul Valach (D) (Write-in)	0.1	7
	Submit photo	Richard Weed (R) (Write-in)	0.0	5
	Submit photo	Justin Crawford (D) (Write-in)	0.0	4

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,241
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deniece Platt (R)
• Diego Espinoza (D)
• Bryan Kilgore (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 22

Diego Espinoza defeated Richard Andrade in the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 22 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Diego Espinoza	52.6	6,224
		Richard Andrade	47.4	5,600

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,824
= 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

Stephen Diehl completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Diehl'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.

I immigrated to Arizona in 2012 from Missouri because I believed in continuing the dream of America's frontier West. I believe in investing in our future, by properly educating our children with skills and knowledge to solve any problems that stand in their way. I believe that we have tough times ahead, and we will need a new perspective that will encourage a better standard with the American people.

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?

• Proper infrastructure is key to sustainable growth.
• Schools need to work with parents, not against them.
• Homelessness is not solved by money alone, or the creation of new ghettos.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I care about the mental health problems affecting our youth. The fact that the suicide rate is so high in our children is disturbing. This is a direct reflection on the world we built. The economy is the biggest concern for most working Americans than any other issue. Government policy effects the free market, and we need to protect the markets to avoid planned and protectionist policies from grinding hard working Americans into the ground.

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

An elected official is different from traditional statesmen, who are typically born into their titles. Being elected means the vetting process has to pass through the eligible voting public while maintaining a vetted status throughout the duration of the term. It is important to reserve a calm, and plebian stature. It is important to never presume importance over other people, and to admit humility when ignorant of topics. This however is the 21st century, not the 19th. I have not a clue as to how a modern politician should behave, or if principles are even necessary.

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

The legislator is the voice of the will of the people, and the governor is the chief guardian of the republic. We are all civil servants acting in the best interests of all, but not every interest is a viable option.

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

Infrastructure. In all likelihood the next few years will either define our greatness, or be a lesson in future warnings. We must be able to have safe and reliable means of providing if we are to maintain any growth in our communities.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Having a single representative council system streamlines the passing of future laws, but it can to easily resemble a soviet in which an oligarchy merely dictates policy, rather than a check on the efficacy of the proposal. Two (or multiple) assemblies that represent two (or multiple) separate fraternities of people in which a proposal must pass each assembly is a much slower method of passing laws, however (at least in theory) a more viable proposal is then submitted to the executive.

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

It is only beneficial so long as the experience isn't in the form of maintaining their titles, but actually serving in the interests of their people.

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

Its important to be able to work with other legislators, especially when attempting to create a proposal that is non bi-partisan.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

No preference.

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?

When our government shut down the markets for covid, I heard several small business owners who complied with the lockdown were forced to close their doors. One in particular ran a restaurant and he and his family lost everything, and foreclosure on his home was ongoing. This sort of bad government practice is why we are in the position that we are in today.

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

No.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Leadership means working as a team to accomplish a goal, but that does not mean it requires half measures that provide no solutions. I will not vote on an issue I know only compromises our children's future for the sake of political convenience today.

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.

See also

2022 Elections

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Footnotes

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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)