Rachel Walden
Non-Partisan | Arizona
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
Arizona State University, Tempe, Bachelor of Science, 1997-2000
Arizona State University, Tempe, Graduate School (ABT), 2002-2004
WORK & MILITARY
Law Offices of Wahl & Ribadeneira, Legal Assistant, 2000-2002
Arizona State University, Teaching & Research Assistant, 2002-2004
The Vanguard Group, Client Administration - Institutional, 2004-2017
AFFILIATIONS
LD 16 to LD10, Precinct Committeeman, 2021-2026
NARUC, Committee on Water, 2025-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Mesa Public Schools Governing Board Member, 2023-2026
Arizona Corporation Commissioner, 2025-2026
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Arizona Women of Action PAC
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Students First Coalition
Arizona Women of Action
LD 9 Republicans
LD 10 Republicans
Dobson Ranch Republicans
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (6)
Nick Myers (2025)
Walter "Les" Presmyk (2025)
Warren Petersen (2025)
Andy Biggs (2024)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2023)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (8)
Barbara Parker (2024)
Barby Ingle (2024)
Jedidiah "Jed" Lyons (2024)
Jerone Davison (2024)
Kevin Thompson (2024)
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Complete list of candidate's Campaign Finance Reports can be found on the Maricopa County Elections website.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?
Schools need to notify the parents or legal guardians of any issue that impacts their children, which includes pregnancy. The school should work with the family on an academic plan so the student can complete their education.
ECONOMY
Student loan forgiveness unfairly shifts the financial burden to those not responsible for student debt.
Strongly Agree
I worked and paid off my student loans on my own. I took the loans and they were not the responsibility of everyone else.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Government funding of K-12 education is necessary for education to remain free and have equal access to learning. It's in the best interest of society to have an educated citizenry. However, pre-school is a personal choice and not necessary to receive a quality education so should not get tax-payer funding. State college should be as low tuition as possible for practical degrees. Degrees without a path to a career should not get tax-payer funding.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
With regard to public schools, what does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
The primary goal of public education is to teach core competencies, promote intellect, and help students realize their potential for learning. There are many religions that are practiced in the state. A school should not challenge or promote one religion over another or use its authority or resources to challenge or promote religious views.
IMMIGRATION
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enhances the safety and security of communities by identifying and detaining illegal aliens.
Strongly Agree
EDUCATION
Abortion and gender-affirming providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
Absolutely not! Schools should not work with third party agencies to promote or challenge anyone's values, lifestyles, mental health issues, or reproductive matters. Schools are institutions of learning only.
Consequences for bad behavior create a safe and orderly environment, which is essential for student learning.
Strongly Agree
I have supported my school district's discipline matrix that provides uniform, actual consequences for bad behavior.
Educators should give students a thorough education in America's founding documents and cultivate American patriotism.
Strongly Agree
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
The Dept of Education oversees educational laws and programs. Closing the Dept will shift the responsibilities to the states, such as the enforcement of civil rights. States may need to add resources to take on these additional responsibilities, but that could improve oversight to have it close to home. Federal funding could continue without the Department and could be allocated with conditions in Congressional appropriations.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- abortion methods and side effects; abstinence; consent; contraceptive methods; human anatomy/the reproductive system; physical and emotional health outcomes; sex acts and pleasures of sex; sexual orientation and gender identity; stages of pregnancy and fetal development
I was on the Board when we eliminated teaching sex ed. Materials are available for parents online.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, American History, Civics, Vocational Learning, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Information Technology, Art and Music, Foreign Language
Public schools should prioritize academic achievement and building character necessary to preserve American traditions and self-government.
Strongly Agree
School choice creates competition, and that competition will push public schools to improve their educational systems.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Biological males should be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
All people deserve to be free. I believe in the fundamental principles the nation was founded upon; that we are endowed by God "with certain unalienable rights." It is necessary and moral to fight for these rights in the face of tyranny and despotism. The role of Government exists to uphold these rights, and not to bestow them.
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
I began a lawsuit in my district for hiding gender transitions from parents. Agenda driven politics and policies have no place in education.
I support the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
Strongly Agree
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
Mental health conditions such as anorexia and gender dysphoria need to be treated, not affirmed.
Strongly Agree
School library books that have literary value, as determined by experts, should be exempt from obscenity laws.
Strongly Disagree
My school district was the first to pass a policy banning sexually explicit materials as defined by Arizona law for school and classroom libraries. There is an abundance of books of excellent literary value that do not contain sexually explicit material. Schools do not need to offer every book ever published. Books are readily available digitally for people to decide on their own what to read without having to have obscene materials in school.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
Did not answer
What political party are you affiliated with?
Republican
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to immigration and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
I support individual freedom, limited government, prudency in spending, free markets without government interference or government subsidies, a strong national defense, our rights shall not be infringed, and the National Firearms Act of 1934 must be repealed. Many government agencies could be closed and outsourced to the private sector via contracts. The defense industry is an excellent example of this. Equality is best preserved when we uphold and enforce all laws both state and federal.
2ND AMENDMENT
Faculty who are licensed to carry and have had ongoing training should be allowed to carry guns at school in order to respond to an active shooter situation.
Strongly Agree
Your 2A rights should not end because you are at work. However, from listening to experts and law enforcement, the best method to not have a school shooting is have metal detectors (which I voted for and we have in my district). Additionally, law enforcement experts say the best way to keep your class safe in such an event is to always have a locked door and stay inside the locked classroom.
