Ben Toma

Republican | Arizona

Candidate Profile*

Conservative

*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Ben Toma


Party

Republican


Election Year

2022


Election

General


Race

State Rep., Dist. 27


Incumbent

Yes


Links

Ben Toma websitesBen Toma phones Ben Toma emailFacebookX

EDUCATION

Arizona State University, Phoenix, BA, Interdisciplinary Studies

WORK & MILITARY

(Candidate did not provide)

AFFILIATIONS

(Candidate did not provide)

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

Peoria City Council, 2

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

(Candidate did not provide)

SCORECARDS

CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS


LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS

ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
CONSERVATIVE (3)

*Arizona Free Enterprise Club

*Center for Arizona Policy Action (CAP Action)

*Patriot Parents

OTHER (10)

*Arizona Nurses Association PAC

*Greater Phoenix Chamber

*National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Arizona

*Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

*Arizona Police Association

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (4)

Debbie Lesko (2018)

Frank Carroll (2018)

Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2018)

Trent Franks (2015)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (7)

Arizona Chamber of Commerce (2021)

Arizona Free Enterprise Club (2020)

Arizona Leadership Fund (2022)

Arizonans for Stronger Universities (2020)

David Cook (AZ) (2020)


QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?

To save the life of the mother

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).

Strongly Agree

I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Strongly Disagree


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.

Strongly Disagree

Under what circumstances can government close churches?

None


NATIONAL SECURITY

What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?

This is more of a federal question, but our contribution at the state level is doing everything we can to secure our borders and make it more difficult for bad actors to gain access to the homeland.

I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.

Strongly Disagree


HEALTHCARE

What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.

C matches mostly closely

Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?

I oppose any Covid-19 vaccine mandates, be they from governments, schools, or employers.


ECONOMY

What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?

I authored the largest tax cuts in Arizona history in 2021 and have always worked to simplify the code and flatten the rates. The goal is to eliminate the state income tax altogether.

What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?

We have already cut spending, and taxes, and created an outstanding economic environment in AZ. That's why we enjoy record surpluses. We don't need to cut spending to balance our budget, we are hard at work figuring out how to cut taxes to return these surpluses to the taxpayers. When the economy hits a downturn, which will happen someday thanks to a national recession or the economic cycle, we have already maxed out our Rainy Day Fund to help ease the state through that future crisis as well. All that said, we're always on the hunt for wasteful spending, duplicative programs, or programs that no longer work, so we can cut waste anytime we possibly can.

Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.

Strongly Disagree


IMMIGRATION

The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.

Strongly Agree

Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?

Immigration should only be allowed when it is in the best interests of the United States, and then it should be limited to those who meet our needs and who can be counted on to be self-sufficient. New citizens should want to be Americans and be sincere when they take the oath of citizenship.


EDUCATION

I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.

Strongly Agree

And I have a 100% voting record in support of it!


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.

Strongly Agree

I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.

Strongly Disagree


2ND AMENDMENT

What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?

None. Responsible gun ownership ensures public safety.

Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.

Strongly Disagree


ABOUT YOU

What do you think is the general purpose of government?

Well security comes first, so police at the local level, border security at the national level, and our military at the international level. With the police comes our laws and courts to enforce them, so the justice system is a necessity. Government exists to secure our God-given rights and to protect us from those who would interfere with them or deny them to us.

When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?

Very Conservative

Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).

Gosh, I wouldn't know where to start, but a number of groups have legislative scorecards and I rank very highly on issues ranging from life to 2nd Amendment to taxes, etc.

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.

No

What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?

I'm not a politician. I'm a husband, a father, and a regular guy trying to make a difference. Thanks to the good Lord I find myself in a position where I have gotten to make a real and positive difference for millions of Arizonans and it it both humbling and rewarding. I'm going to keep doing the best I can to make Arizona the best place to live, work, raise a family in, or retire to.


VALUES

Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.

Strongly Agree

I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.

Strongly Disagree

Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition

Strongly Agree

I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.

Strongly Disagree

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I am a Christian


ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Strongly Disagree

I championed the Voter ID referral that will on the ballot this cycle.

What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?

We are already working on, and in some cases passing, laws to ensure Voter ID, eliminate ballot harvesting, secure chain of custody for ballots, ensure accurate and verifiable counts, etc.


EQUALITY

Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?

No, although left-wing groups do foment hate in a way that periodically threatens domestic tranquility. Most Americans aren't racist at all.

Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.

Strongly Disagree


ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.

A

I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.

Strongly Agree

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