Andy Yates
Andy Yates (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 2nd Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.
Yates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2022
See also: Arizona's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2
Eli Crane defeated incumbent Tom O'Halleran and Chris Sarappo in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Eli Crane (R)  | 53.9 | 174,169 |
 | Tom O'Halleran (D) | 46.1 | 149,151 | |
 | Chris Sarappo (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 76 | |
| Total votes: 323,396 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2
Incumbent Tom O'Halleran advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tom O'Halleran | 100.0 | 71,391 |
| Total votes: 71,391 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Randall Friese (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eli Crane | 35.8 | 38,681 |
 | Walter Blackman | 24.4 | 26,399 | |
 | Mark DeLuzio | 17.1 | 18,515 | |
 | Andy Yates | 6.9 | 7,467 | |
 | John W. Moore | 6.8 | 7,327 | |
 | Steven Krystofiak | 5.5 | 5,905 | |
 | Ron Watkins | 3.5 | 3,810 | |
| Total votes: 108,104 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Marissa Mitchell (R)
- Myron Lizer (R)
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Andy Yates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Yates' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Andy has a proven record of advancing democracy, promoting good governance, and encouraging free market economics while serving America's strategic interests in the most challenging political and security environments around the globe. His work overseas, experience operating a small business in Arizona, and his longstanding commitment to volunteerism have developed his deep appreciation for what it means to be an American. He understands that our hard-won freedoms must never be taken for granted, and that our country's destiny to be a "shining city on a hill" is forever linked to the protection of those freedoms.
- Constitutional Conservatism
- Immigration Reform
- Standing up to China
Constitutional Conservatism--I believe in the wisdom of our nation's founders, as clearly outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America. Of special significance is the Tenth Amendment's directive that all powers not expressly allocated to the federal government remain under individual states' discretion.
Conservatism is built on the bedrock of traditional American values and the institutions of family, church, and civic organizations. Edmund Burke once wrote that society is "a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born."
Immigration Reform--Following the completion of the border wall, the United States should reform our immigration system to be primarily merit-based—attracting the world’s best and brightest—strategically utilizing immigration to position America’s innovation economy for the 21st century and beyond. Additionally, more temporary work visas are needed to provide American firms, farms, and small business owners with the workers they need to grow the economy.
Standing up to China--On its current trajectory, China poses unparalleled threats to the United States and our allies. If not checked, these threats will have wide-ranging economic, technological, military, and human rights effects.
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.
Campaign website
Yate's campaign website stated the following:[1]
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Constitutional Conservatism I believe in the wisdom of our nation's founders, as clearly outlined in the Constitution of the United States of America. Of special significance is the Tenth Amendment's directive that all powers not expressly allocated to the federal government remain under individual states' discretion. Conservatism is built on the bedrock of traditional American values and the institutions of family, church, and civic organizations. Edmund Burke once wrote that society is "a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born." While many of today’s politicians have made their careers trading in pessimism and outrage, I believe America is best served by a positive Conservative vision for our country's future in the spirit of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan; an inspirational vision built on the bedrock of perpetual optimism, mature judgment, and reverence for history. China On its current trajectory, China poses unparalleled threats to the United States and our allies. If not checked, these threats will have wide-ranging economic, technological, military, and human rights effects. China’s rapid military expansion, its proclivity for bullying its neighbors, its state-sponsored manipulation of crucial technologies/resources, as well as its persecution of its own citizens, all point to a global struggle—with the highest possible stakes—between America’s and China’s vision of the future. The U.S. must remain steadfast in its support of Taiwan, its commitment to conducting freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea, to stopping intellectual property theft, and to ending illegal trade practices, etc. I applaud recent steps taken by Japan, Australia, and India to join America in “the Quad” to reign in some of China’s worst impulses while improving the resiliency of global supply chains, advancing more secure technological standards, and bolstering the rule of law. Similarly, the U.S. has made progress in curtailing the rollout of 5G equipment developed by China’s Huawei. Many of our closest allies—especially in Europe—had until recently been on a disastrous path of embedding insecure Chinese tech as the cornerstone of their Internet infrastructure. Though this is just the beginning of the struggle to keep China from attacking the “digital sovereignty” of the U.S. and our allies, signs are promising that other nations are starting to take such threats posed by China more seriously. Unlike more isolated states with little economic heft such as Iran, China will undoubtedly remain a significant actor on the global stage, both economically and diplomatically. This means the U.S. must be proactive in seeking out common ground with China to address shared concerns. For instance, the cooperation of both nations is required to contain North Korea, grow the global economy, conserve natural resources, and prevent nuclear proliferation. Second Amendment As a gun owner, hunter, and avid target/clay shooter, I wholeheartedly support the Second Amendment of our Constitution. A people without the means to defend themselves is at the mercy of both criminal attack and state tyranny—two phenomena that are both currently on the rise. As the U.S. Constitution clearly states, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” To continue to safeguard our rights while simultaneously keeping firearms away from would-be criminals, we must empower law enforcement with the tools required to enforce existing laws. Immigration America’s border wall should be completed without delay. Every sovereign nation is entitled to determine who is permitted to enter its borders. Construction of the wall should never have become so politicized; it should have always been a commonsense element of our nation’s immigration system. In fact, both Republican and Democratic administrations have previously extended the border wall. Every day the border remains insecure is another day in which the extensive immigration reform that we urgently need is made untenable. The American people cannot be expected to trust Congress to overhaul our country’s immigration policies while there is increasing lawlessness at the border. Once the wall is complete and some trust is restored between Americans and their elected representatives, countless opportunities exist to improve our nation’s immigration policies. Immigrants have always been and will continue to be integral to America’s prosperity. However, it’s not too much to ask for immigration to occur legally in adherence with the rule of law that so many Americans have sacrificed to uphold. The United States should reform our immigration system to be primarily merit-based—attracting the world’s best and brightest—strategically utilizing immigration to position America’s innovation economy for the 21st century and beyond. Additionally, more temporary work visas are needed to provide American firms, farms, and small business owners with the workers they need to grow the economy. Arizona’s labor shortage is well documented in crucial sectors like construction, agriculture, and the service industry. These shortages must be addressed to ensure that our state continues to prosper. Our current immigration system is almost laughable for how little it concerns itself with economic considerations, instead relying on chain migration and random lotteries. To be competitive in the global economy, we can no longer afford to rely on the haphazard policies of the past. Law Enforcement Violent crime in America is undeniably on the rise. In fact, between 2019-2020, the national murder rate increased by 30%. Whether this ongoing spike is a result of racial tensions' affect on policing, to financial/social disruption caused by COVID-19, or some combination of these and other factors, our immediate concern must be to keep Americans safe. In the absence of public safety, meaningful criminal justice reform (e.g., lowering incarceration rates, expanding drug treatment programs, improving reintegration processes to decrease recidivism) will remain out of reach. With this in mind, now is the time to redouble our support for the law enforcement officers that risk their lives for us each day. This requires providing officers with the training, financial resources, and equipment required to fulfill their duty on behalf of every member of the communities they serve. This likely means more, not fewer law enforcement officers are needed so they have time to develop positive relationships with community members. Unfortunately, congressional democrats have heaped scorn on law enforcement, stoked mistrust, and made threats towards the very men and women who protect the public from chaos. We’re now experiencing what this approach has wrought—rising crime and increasing fear It’s time to take a more constructive approach. Law enforcement should be empowered, not discouraged, to meet their full potential for robust, effective, transparent, and accountable policing. Pro-Life I wholeheartedly support the right to life and welcome the recent indications from the Supreme Court that authority over the issue will soon be returned to the individual states. A matter of such importance should never have been decided by unelected judges. Democratically elected representatives of the American people should be responsible for setting public policy; to do otherwise undermines the will of voters and politicizes our judicial system. Military + NATO Military spending should not be thought of as preparing for war but as investing in peace. By maintaining the largest, most highly trained, most technologically advanced fighting force in the world, we are actively dissuading all but the most reckless from even attempting to match our might. And those that do try are more likely to go bankrupt than to ever rival U.S. military prowess. The U.S. currently spends approximately three times that of China on defense; however, we must never become complacent in our investment in national security. If America's commitment to our armed forces is ever perceived as wavering, even briefly, our enemies will take heart and initiate their plans for aggression. Congress has an essential role in this process by passing timely, responsible budgets for military spending each year. Looking ahead, we should pay special attention to developing "breakthrough capabilities" and prioritizing unit-by-unit readiness to enable our military to meet the challenge of future wars. With seven military bases, home to thousands of active-duty soldiers, Arizona has direct experience when it comes to maintaining operational readiness. Also important, though sometimes overlooked, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the many internationally focused organizations they fund should also be well resourced. This will enable the Department of Defense to focus on what it does best—achieving military objectives—and leave international development priorities to civilians. For instance, my former employer, the International Republican Institute, has offices across the globe that assist other governments in becoming more responsive to their citizenry, developing local civil society's capacity, and working with foreign political parties to eschew the politics of patronage and instead become issue-based entities. NATO remains a crucial bulwark against Russian aggression in Europe. Especially as the U.S. shifts more attention to the Pacific Theater, having the time-tested alliance of NATO standing guard over the European continent and beyond is vital. With NATO holding the line against long standing threats, the U.S. can more readily address the threats of tomorrow, namely Chinese militarism and cyber threats (e.g., state-sponsored hacking, weaponizing artificial intelligence/big data, etc.). While it's frustrating that our NATO allies perennially spend less than 2% of their respective GDPs on military spending, in a future worst-case scenario in which China and Russia begin actively cooperating to undermine the West, we will be extremely thankful for our continued commitment and investments in NATO. Public Land Federal government control of public land has an outsized impact on western states which particularly affects Arizona’s rural counties. Though it is cost-prohibitive for Arizona to assume responsibility for all federally managed land due to the high cost of wildfire mitigation, it is likewise undesirable for over 40% of Arizona to be controlled from Washington, DC. With this in mind, I will work with local stakeholders and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to explore opportunities for greater local input and oversight of public land within our state. Arizonans deserve to be heard and have their recreational and economic rights to public land protected. Big Tech Though Congress’s first instinct should always be to refrain from government intervention into the operations of specific companies, it has become increasingly clear that certain companies, like Meta (formerly Facebook), currently have too much power in our public/political discourse. Within a truly competitive marketplace, Meta would likely have been supplanted years ago as the leading social media platform, but instead, they bought up potential rivals (e.g., Instagram and WhatsApp) before they could threaten the company's dominance (Meta has acquired 86 companies since 2005). More recently, Snapchat and TikTok along with perennial rivals Twitter and YouTube (owned by Google) have eroded Meta's market share—especially among younger consumers—but the fact remains that a handful of large tech companies have amassed undue influence and have proven time and time again that they are working against the public’s interest. What began as "free" services that were broadly welcome are now exacting heavy tolls on consumer choice, privacy, free speech, and the mental health of America’s youth (e.g., body dysmorphia, cyberbullying, radicalization). Another concerning issue raised by Big Tech is the power they exert over small businesses. For example, how Google's search algorithm prioritizes national brands over small business listings and how Meta uses sales data collected from ads purchased by small businesses to improve its own sales algorithms but doesn't share that data with those that initially purchased the ads. A more transparent and decentralized tech industry is now overdue. While it is tempting to call for the wholesale breakup of these companies, my preferred solution would instead be to implement practical, targeted solutions to reign in the worst infractions. For example, holding Big Tech more accountable for the content/disinformation they publish, increasing consumer privacy protections, and making it easier for users to transfer their data to whichever online platform they prefer. Broadband Far too many Arizonans lack sufficient internet access. This is especially true in rural Arizona. As COVID-19 made abundantly clear—though, the issue predates the pandemic—broadband internet is vital to community resilience in education, healthcare, and business. The rural communities across the country that are connected to broadband internet have seen their unemployment rates drop as the technology enables residents to work from home in well-paid jobs in growing industries. I support long-overdue investments in broadband infrastructure throughout our state. Among other things, these investments should take the form of technical/financial “last mile” support and grant funding to enable rural communities to achieve the connectivity they require and deserve. The passage of the new infrastructure bill should finally make this a reality. Still, Arizona’s congressional delegation must remain vigilant to ensure our state’s rural communities receive their fair share of the allotted funding immediately—rural Arizonans have waited long enough to take part in the opportunities created by broadband-enabled technologies. Agriculture Representing three of Arizona's five C’s (cattle, cotton, and citrus), agriculture has long played a considerable role in our state's economy and way of life. Today, agriculture provides billions of dollars and almost 150,000 jobs to our state. I will work with Arizona’s farmers and ranchers to guarantee they have the resources required (water, transportation networks, market access, labor, etc.) to continue this proud tradition. My wife, Sarah, grew up on a farm, so we have firsthand knowledge of just how difficult and rewarding farming in America can be. I will seek to open new consumer markets for Arizona’s agricultural products while simultaneously combating dishonest, uncompetitive trade practices by other nations. Lastly, we should learn from the supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 and promote the development of more local and resilient food supplies throughout Arizona. Afghanistan A thorough accounting is needed to explain how the U.S. withdrawal could have been so disastrously managed by the Biden administration. While the whole world was surprised by how quickly the Taliban seized Afghanistan’s capital, the administration knew how many Americans and Afghan allies remained in the country; all the while continuing to pull out the diplomats and armed forces necessary to conduct an orderly evacuation. Regardless of how one feels about the Afghan war, there is no excuse for the chaos I personally experienced as the Taliban took Kabul last August. Our most immediate concerns should be fulfilling America’s promise to the Afghans that served as military translators or on countless other U.S. initiatives that they will not be left behind. Though the Biden administration would like to downplay and downgrade its role in Afghanistan, the political void left by the U.S. is already being filled by China, Russia, and Pakistan—clearly not a good outcome for our country’s national security and long-term strategic interests abroad. Lastly, but of paramount importance, Afghanistan must never be allowed to provide safe haven for terrorist organizations bent on harming the U.S. or our allies. Our nation paid too high a price on September 11th 2001 to ever forget what is possible when failed states are left to provide sanctuary to terrorists. Wildfires Wildfires have become more frequent in recent decades and have the potential to wreak havoc on rural Arizona. Moving forward, we must take a comprehensive approach to wildfire management; an approach that balances safety, the environment, and the economy. The ideal solution would be mechanical thinning to lessen the threat of wildfires while simultaneously growing the state’s logging industry. However, the reality is that prescribed burns are also required to keep our forests healthy and our communities safe. As Arizona’s forests return to health, an ever-greater proportion of them should be made available for logging. This public assurance is necessary because, without it, logging companies will not be incentivized to make the investments required to adequately thin and process Arizona’s vast forests. Lastly, we need extensive community consultation/education programs, especially among the rural towns and Tribal Nations most affected by uncontrollable wildfires. Water Arizonans are forever indebted to those who came before us and developed the infrastructure and legal frameworks required so our state would have abundant water resources for generations to come. Temperature rises and droughts are a recurring theme in desert life; thankfully past leaders recognized this fact early and planned accordingly. Their foresight serves as inspiration for what is possible when leaders put aside their differences to achieve a common goal. I am committed to learning from their example with the hope that our great-grandchildren look back on us with the same appreciation as we have for our forebears. Complicating matters, Arizona cannot always tackle problems alone but instead must address water issues in concert with the federal government and the six other Colorado River Basin states (California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming), in addition to Mexico. This means that Arizona’s congressional delegation must be as protective of Arizona’s water rights as our states’ “water buffaloes” have always been. As a Tier 1 Colorado River shortage takes effect for the first time in 2022 (due to Lake Mead’s projected fall to 1,065.85 feet above sea level) and as debate persists over how to address falling water tables outside the state’s Active Management Areas, Arizona farmers and rural residents have much at stake. It should be made clear that true sustainability considers not just environmental but also social and economic impacts on people’s lives. This means that solutions to water shortages should involve more than just decreasing allocations to Arizona farms but also ensure livelihoods are maintained and rural communities are empowered to thrive. To achieve this, state and federal water authorities should expand efforts to help farms transition to water-saving irrigation technologies and drought-tolerant crop varieties that enable farms to maintain yields while simultaneously reducing water usage. This will help provide rural towns across the state with economic opportunities for their residents and allows rural Arizonans to raise their families in the communities they hold dear. These same principles are crucial for Tribal Nations because it empowers them to continue practicing their agricultural heritage even as water resources become scarcer. Lastly, by adopting a holistic approach to guaranteeing our state has the water it needs, all residents (rural and urban) will continue to enjoy the many blessings that inspired so many of us (and our ancestors) to make Arizona home in the first place. Deregulation The growth of government, and the regulatory overreach it spawns, places undue burdens on every American citizen. While these hindrances are typically described in terms of financial costs imposed on taxpayers and industries, an equally important measure is how much time individuals and companies are wasting each year on overly complex compliance requirements. Admittedly, our government does have significant regulatory responsibilities—many of which are perfectly reasonable, even admirable—but even the best-intentioned rules can (and often do) expand far beyond their original mandates to the point of causing more harm than good. There are even instances where the IRS spends roughly the same amount to collect certain taxes as is ultimately raised by them—a clear example of the tendency for government interventions to expand beyond the boundaries of commonsense. The independent tax policy nonprofit, the Tax Foundation, has estimated that Americans spend nine billion hours annually on complying with the tax code. This is extremely troubling because every hour Americans spend on government paperwork is one less hour we spend with our families, pursuing the American Dream, or participating in civic activities. The American people don’t mind contributing their fair share, but as taxes on our time as well as our wallets have continued to grow, citizens are understandably frustrated with the direction our government is headed. Specifically, Congress should strengthen initiatives like the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, the “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs” Executive Order of 2017, efforts to simplify our nation’s tax code, and more generally seek to remove bureaucratic friction whenever possible from the lives of every American.[2] |
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Andy Yates 2022 campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 16, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
