Emily RichardsonAfter five years in office, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (D) decided to leave Arizonaās ninth Congressional District to run for the United States Senate.
Now, Steve Ferrara (R) and Greg Stanton (D) are competing to be the new Representative from CD 9.
While there are currently no polls for this race, according to an analysis of previous races, the district is than the national average.
While in medical school, Ferrara decided to join the Navy to help care for combat casualties. He was then part of the first team deployed to Indonesia after the massive 2004 Asian tsunami. He continued caring for people hurt in combat by volunteering in Afghanistan, where he ātransformed combat casualty care by pioneering life and limb saving endovascular surgical techniques on the battlefield.ā
After, he worked as a National Academy of Sciences Fellow, where he helped draft legislation that transformed Medicare Part B, then became the Navyās Chief Medical Officer.
Ferrara decided to run for Congress as a ācontinuation of a lifetime of service.ā He served in the military for 25 years and āgained a very keen sense of how important Americaās role is in the world and that when America does good, the world does well.ā He said he knows firsthand how to make health care work for everyone.
In Congress Ferrara will ādo what [he] did in the military and [he] does in the operating room: work as a team, not a politician, to solve tough problems and improve lives.ā
Ferrara said his top issues are health care, fixing the VA, and the economy.
āI believe healthcare is our most important domestic issue,ā he said. āAs a practicing doctor, I see people struggle each day to make choices between medicine, food, and rent. Over the last 8 years, deductibles and premiums are out of control. Even people who have insurance still donāt have access to care because they either canāt get an appointment, or they canāt afford the deductible. I have a detailed plan which puts patients and their doctors first, not insurance companies or hospitals like the current system.ā
Ferrara is not only a veteran, but he also worked as a doctor at the Phoenix VA.
According to him, he āknow[s] whatās broken and know[s] how to fix itā because of his time at the Phoenix VA.
āIām going to Congress to ensure veterans have the care they earned and deserve,ā he said. Ā Ā
Ferrara also said having a quality health insurance plan is also a driving factor in our economy.
He believes that making health care more affordable and less burdensome for employers will allow them to provide a menu of affordable options and attract the best talent available.
āThis gives [businesses] the ability to attract top talent using an array of compensation packages that tailor wages and benefits to best serve their employees and their business model,ā he said.
But thatās not all he plans to do for businesses. If elected, Ferrara says he will continue to support reducing tax and regulatory burdens.
āWe must continue the policies that are making our economy work for so many Americans,ā he said. āMore people are working than ever in the past 50 years and they are bringing home more money in their paychecks. The middle class is finally growing again.ā
He thinks citizens in CD 9 should vote for him because heās had a ācareer dedicated to service, improving peopleās lives, running a successful business, and solving tough problems.ā
According to Ferrara, āthe world is more dangerous than any period in the last generation. We need people in Congress with a strong background in foreign policy and the military to help guide us through these challenges. We have fewer Veterans in Congress now than at any time in our history and itās no coincidence that weāve been at war for over 17 years.ā
And lastly, he āabsolutelyā believes he can work across the aisle.
āThere are no partisans in a foxhole or in the operating room. I stayed in the military for 25 years because I loved the fact that we were non-partisan. We only care about solving problems, not political party,ā He said. āWhen I was a Congressional Fellow in the 113th Congress, I worked in a bipartisan way to co-author $200 billion Medicare legislation that passed out of our committee 51-0 and was signed into law by President Obama.ā
Prior to running for Congress, Stanton received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. In 2000, he was elected to the Phoenix City Council for District 6. In 2012, Stanton was sworn in as the Mayor of Phoenix.
Stanton decided to run for Congress because āwe must bring civility and checks and balances back to Washington to ensure long-term economic stability and prosperity for our country. We deserve better from our leaders in Congress and thatās why Iām running.ā
His top issues are working to protect pre-existing conditions, lowering health care costs, investing in infrastructure, and the economy.
Stanton believes that āinsurance companies should not have the ability to charge more for people with pre-existing conditions and the efforts by the current Administration to repeal these protections is cruel.ā
He said, āhealth care costs have skyrocketed in Arizona and Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to make healthcare more affordable and accessible while holding drug companies accountable for high prices.ā
In terms of the economy, Stanton said Arizona needs to work on strengthening the stateās long-term economy.
āWe must start by investing in our infrastructure and education system which will not only create good jobs and support entrepreneurs and businesses now, but also in the future,ā he said. āIt is only through these investments that we will continue experiencing the incredible growth the Phoenix metropolitan area has enjoyed.ā
According to Stanton, our nationās infrastructure is in crisis.
āWe must prioritize a comprehensive infrastructure investment plan that immediately creates jobs and ensures that our nation remains competitive in the global economy.Ā We also must continue to critically evaluate our tax code to ensure that small business owners and entrepreneurs are on a level playing field with everyone else,ā he said.
Stanton says he knows how to be bipartisan, and compromise is something he talks about daily while on the campaign trail.
āAs a big-city Mayor you are constantly measured by your results ā not by the talk shows you appear on or the speeches you deliver,ā he said. āIām ready to come to Washington to generate real change and improve the lives of all Arizonans. To do that, Iāll work with anyone, Republican, Democrat, or Independent who operates in good faith. Real leadership means checking your ego at the door and getting results ā exactly what I will do in Congress.ā
Stanton continued by saying that even though heās a Democrat, he is completely willing to work with President Donald Trump (R).
āIām willing to work with the President on infrastructure to get federal dollars invested in Arizona to improve public transit and bring jobs to our state. Results, not partisanship, are what Arizonans are looking for in Congress,ā he said.
Stanton thinks Arizonans should vote for him because he has a track record as an āeffective, bipartisan leader.ā
āI stand firm on issues critical to all Arizonans. My priorities include: protecting coverage for preexisting conditions, standing up to prescription drug companies to get a better deal for Arizonans, drive economic growth, and champion greater infrastructure investment ā especially for Arizona because we currently are not getting our fair share,ā he said.
The last day to mail in early ballots is Oct. 31 and the election is on Nov. 6, which is only a week away. To find your polling location click . Ā
Madeline Mitchell
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