Rick Gray (born in Omaha,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

) is an American politician and former member of the

Arizona Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...

as well as a former Republican member of the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State ...

representing District 21. Gray previously served consecutively from January 10, 2011 until January 14, 2013 in the District 9 seat. In 2016, Gray ran for a seat on the

Arizona Corporation Commission The Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Arizona Constitution. Arizona is one of only fourteen states with elected commissioners. The Arizona Constitution expl ...

, but placed fourth in the Republican primary. In 2018, Gray was appointed to fill the Arizona State Senate seat vacated by

Debbie Lesko Debra Kay Lesko (née Lorenz; born November 14, 1958) is an American politician and a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing since 2018. The district is in the West Valley portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area ...

after she resigned to run for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Early life and education

Gray was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a dual major of Organizational Leadership and Biblical Studies from

Grace University Grace University was a private Christian university in Omaha, Nebraska. The university included undergraduate programs and the Grace University College of Professional and Graduate Studies. The university ceased all academic operations in May 20 ...

in Omaha,

Elections

* 2014 Gray and Tony Rivero were unopposed in the Republican primary. Gray and Rivero defeated Esther Duran Lumm in the general election. Republican Bryan Hackbarth was removed from the ballot before the primary, while Helmuth Hack (L) withdrew from the race. Gray received 29,589 vote
(PDF)
* 2012 Redistricted to District 21 with fellow incumbent Representative

, and with incumbent Representatives Thomas Forese and

J. D. Mesnard Javan Daniel "J.D." Mesnard (born May 15, 1980 in Tampa, Florida) is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona Senate representing District 13 since 2023. He previously represented District 17 from 2019 to 2023. Mesnard spent ...

redistricted to District 17, Lesko and Gray were unopposed for the August 28, 2012 Republican Primary; Lesko placed first, and Gray placed second with 12,515 votes; Gray won the five-way November 6, 2012 General election, with Lesko taking the first seat and Gray taking the second seat with 39,791 votes against Democratic nominees Carol Lokare, Sheri Van Horsen (who had run for Legislature seats in 2006, 2008, and 2010) and a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be pos ...

. * 2010 When Republican Representative

Rick Murphy Rick Murphy was a Republican member of the Arizona State Senate, representing District 21 (previously District 9) from 2011 to 2015. He has been a realtor since 1992 and is a small business owner. He served in the Arizona House of Representative ...

ran for Arizona Senate and left a District 9 seat open, Gray ran alongside incumbent Republican Representative Debbie Lesko in the three-way August 24, 2010 Republican Primary, placing second with 9,055 votes; in the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, Lesko took the first seat, and Gray took the second seat with 28,459 votes against Democratic nominee Shirley McAllister, who had run for the seat in 2002. * 2016 Gray ran for a seat on the

, alongside

Andy Tobin Andrew M. Tobin (born June 27, 1958) is the Director of the Arizona Department of Administration. He formerly was a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission and also served in the Arizona House of Representatives from the state's 1st district ...

and Al Melvin, but placed fourth in the Republican primary election. * 2018 Gray was appointed by the republican state senate to Debbie Lesko's seat when she resigned to run for Congress. * 2020 Gray ran unopposed for reelection to his district 21 seat and won. He is now also the Arizona State Senate Majority Leader.

Personal life

Gray is married to Lisa Gray and has four children. He resides in Sun City.

References

External links

Official page
at the

Arizona State Legislature The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the ...

Campaign site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Rick 21st-century American politicians Republican Party Arizona state senators Grace University alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives People from Sun City, Arizona Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Year of birth missing (living people)