Shawnna Bolick

Shawnna Bolick
Bolick in 2022
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 21, 2023
Preceded bySteve Kaiser
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 20th district
In office
January 14, 2019 – January 9, 2023
Serving with Judy Schwiebert
Preceded byPaul Boyer
Succeeded byAlma Hernandez
Personal details
Born
Shawna Matthews[1]

1975 (age 48–49)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseClint Bolick

Shawnna Bolick (born 1975) is an American politician who is a member of the Arizona Senate from the 2nd district since July 2023. A Republican, she was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 20 from 2019 to 2023.

Political career

Before being elected to the Arizona legislature, Bolick was a consultant to the Arizona Charter School Association and the Goldwater Institute.[2] She ran unsuccessfully for Arizona House seats in District 11 and District 28 before winning a 2018 election for the 20th District.[2][3]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she opposed the expansion of mail-in voting.[4]

On July 21, 2023, she was sworn in after being appointed to the Arizona Senate by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.[5]

Attempt to overturn the 2020 election

After Joe Biden won Arizona in the 2020 presidential election[6][7] and President Donald Trump refused to concede and made claims of voter fraud,[8][9][10][11][12] Bolick urged Congress to throw out the presidential election results from Arizona and give the state's electoral college votes to Trump.[2]

She also introduced legislation in January 2021 to rewrite the election laws in Arizona to give the state legislature the power to reject the election results "at any time before the presidential inauguration" (i.e., even after the results were certified by the Secretary of State and by the governor and the electoral votes counted by Congress).[13][14] At the time, the legislature was controlled by the Republican Party.[14] Some contend that the bill is inconsistent with the state constitution.[13] Bolick's legislation would also prevent judges from throwing out baseless court cases without evidence; the cases would instead have to be adjudicated by a jury.[13]

The bill, Arizona House Bill 2720, died in committee.[15]

Bolick was a candidate in the 2022 Arizona Secretary of State election, but lost to State Representative Mark Finchem in the Republican primary.[16] On July 19, 2023, she was selected by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to replace Steve Kaiser following his resignation from the Arizona Senate.[17]

Overturning the 1864 Territorial Abortion Law

Main article: Abortion in Arizona

Following the Arizona Supreme Court's decision to reinstate an 1864 territorial abortion law, Shawnna Bolick was the first legislative Republican (alongside Senator T. J. Shope) who voted to repeal the ban, which contained no exceptions for rape or incest.[18] On May 1, 2024, Bolick and Shope voted with all Democrats in the State Senate to repeal the ban on a vote of 16–14, one week after the State House voted 32–28 to repeal the ban.[19][20]

Personal life

Bolick moved to Arizona in 2001.[2] She is married to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick.[21][13] Justice Bolick is a longtime friend of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is godfather to Bolick's son.[22] She has two children.[2]

References

  1. ^ https://bolickforarizona.com/meet-shawnna [bare URL]
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford, Andrew (June 22, 2021). "Shawnna Bolick enters crowded race for Arizona secretary of state". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Arizona primary election results 2018". The Arizona Republic. August 28, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Arizona Republican Lawmakers Dismiss, Ignore Calls For Emergency Expansion Of Voting By Mail". KJZZ. April 15, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Silavong, Kit (July 19, 2023). "Shawnna Bolick to fill Senate seat, representing parts of north Phoenix". Arizona Family. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "Presidential Election Results: Biden Wins". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Izadi, Elahe (November 8, 2020). "First CNN, then within minutes, most other news organizations called the race for Biden". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 11, 2021). "Experts warn that Trump's 'big lie' will outlast his presidency". CNN. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Block, Melissa (January 16, 2021). "Can The Forces Unleashed By Trump's Big Election Lie Be Undone?". NPR. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Snyder, Timothy (January 9, 2021). "The American Abyss". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Ben-Ghiat, Ruth (January 26, 2021). "Opinion: Trump's big lie wouldn't have worked without his thousands of little lies". CNN.
  12. ^ Castronuovo, Celine (January 8, 2021). "Biden says Cruz, other Republicans responsible for 'big lie' that fueled Capitol mob". The Hill.
  13. ^ a b c d Fischer, Howard (2021). "Proposed law would allow Arizona Legislature to overturn presidential election results". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Arizona GOP lawmaker introduces bill to give Legislature power to toss out election results". NBC News. January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  15. ^ "Arizona House Bill 2720".
  16. ^ Duda, Jeremy (June 22, 2021). "Shawnna Bolick, author of bill to reject voters' presidential choice, running to be top elections official". AZ Mirror. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  17. ^ MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (July 19, 2023). "Bolick appointed to Arizona Senate". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Dias, Elizabeth; Browning, Kellen (April 17, 2024). "Arizona Republicans Splinter Over Repeal of 1864 Abortion Ban". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Shugerman, Emily (May 1, 2024). "Two Republicans Break Ranks to Repeal Arizona's 1864-Era Abortion Ban". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  20. ^ Gomez, Gloria Rebecca (April 24, 2024). "AZ House has voted to repeal the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Supreme Court". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  21. ^ Pineda, Paulina (November 8, 2017). "Shawnna Bolick launches third run for state legislature". The Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  22. ^ Rosenblatt, Dillon (May 20, 2022). "Emails show Ginni Thomas asked GOP lawmaker Shawnna Bolick for help overturning Biden's Arizona win". The Arizona Mirror.