Teri Sarmiento
Teri Sarmiento (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 22. She lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Sarmiento completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
Ron Ha'o (R) ran as a write-in candidate.
General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 22 (2 seats)
Incumbent Ben Toma and Frank Carroll defeated Teri Sarmiento and Valerie Harris in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 22 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ben Toma (R) | 31.6 | 65,310 |
| ✔ |  | Frank Carroll (R) | 31.3 | 64,729 |
 | Teri Sarmiento (D)  | 18.8 | 38,895 | |
 | Valerie Harris (D) | 18.3 | 37,832 | |
| Total votes: 206,766 | |||
| = 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 22 (2 seats)
Valerie Harris and Teri Sarmiento advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 22 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Valerie Harris | 55.5 | 13,418 |
| ✔ | | Teri Sarmiento | 44.5 | 10,778 |
| Total votes: 24,196 (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 22 (2 seats)
Incumbent Ben Toma and Frank Carroll defeated Matt Bullock and John Heep in the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 22 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ben Toma | 34.5 | 21,502 |
| ✔ | | Frank Carroll | 26.6 | 16,599 |
| Matt Bullock | 22.6 | 14,084 | ||
| John Heep | 16.3 | 10,142 | ||
| Total votes: 62,327 (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
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Teri Sarmiento completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sarmiento's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
My top three legislative priorities are education, healthcare, and increasing economic opportunity for all Arizonans. As a mother of two boys, I believe that every Arizona child is entitled to an equitable public education. The state legislature has cut funding for education, while providing tax loopholes to special interest groups. I would work to close those loopholes, fund education on par with the national average per-student, and provide increased funding for teachers and support staff. I have a special interest in improving healthcare in the state. When my uncle was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, I watched my aunt and uncle lose everything--their business, their home, and their savings. After declaring bankruptcy, my aunt was forced to divorce my uncle so he would have access to the health care he desperately needed. I aim to provide all Arizonans access to affordable healthcare. I also support expansion of health care programs like CHIP and AHCCCS. Finally, I will work to provide increased economic opportunities in the Northwest Valley, an area that was hard-hit by the great recession. Ninety-percent of the residents of Peoria and Surprise drive out of the community to work each day. There should be more job opportunities for them to work closer to home, and to use their talents in their own communities. To support West Valley workers, I will work to expand STEM industries in the Northwest Valley, and promote expansion of public transportation.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am passionate about providing quality education for Arizona students. After the governor and legislature systematically cut education funding, it is time for a change. I support closing special interest tax loopholes, and using the revenue to fund education. Finally, I am so proud to see that 270,000 Arizonans support the Invest in Ed initiative. Although this initiative is not perfect, it is heartening to see that Arizonans have made education a priority. I am also passionate about gun violence prevention. Last month, on June 13th, I got a call saying my brother had taken his own life. As career law-enforcement officer, my brother was the picture of a responsible gun owner. But he kept his own mental health issues hidden from his family, and everyone who loved him. His death was preventable - just like so much of our gun violence in America. I aim to reduce gun violence by treating it as a public health issue. Firearms should be regulated, just as we regulate tobacco or seatbelts. I support a repeal of the Dickey amendment, and encourage research into the causes of gun violence. I support background checks on all gun purchases, closing the gun show loophole, restricting the sale of automatic/semi-automatic weapons, and registering firearms at each point of sale. In addition, I encourage increased funding for mental health treatment and prevention. I hope that by making these changes, I will save another family from having the same experience.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
My father grew up poor in the depression and spent many years working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. He saw his share of hardship, lost a son, fought in a war, and yet never seemed to let it affect him. At age 81 he lost my mother. Instead of crumbling away, he made lemonade out of lemons and seemed to grow even stronger and more resilient, always keeping a smart and quick sense of humor. When he’s not target shooting or painting he’s working on a book entitled ‘Bad Ass Meditation’. I want to be just like my dad when I grow up.
What legacy would you like to leave?
That of an effective, nameless, public servant.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
When I was 4 years old I remember a serviceman coming to our front door to tell my father that my brother Roger had died in service to our country. He had been married for 28 days.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Beginning in the 6th grade through the end of high school, I taught private clarinet and saxophone lessons. My best student, the neighbor girl next door, went on to make me proud by becoming a Music Therapist and playing clarinet with the local opera’s pit orchestra. It sure beat scooping ice cream or babysitting!
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
My coffee maker. Because that’s where super powers come from.
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
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2018
- Arizona House of Representatives
External links
Footnotes
