Lea Marquez Peterson
Lea Marquez Peterson (Republican Party) is a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission. She assumed office on May 30, 2019. Her current term ends on January 6, 2025.
Marquez Peterson (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the Arizona Corporation Commission. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024. She advanced from the Republican primary on July 30, 2024.
Marquez Peterson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Peterson was appointed to the office by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) on May 31, 2019, to replace former member Andy Tobin.[1]
Biography
Peterson was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1992 and a master's degree from Pepperdine University in 1996. Peterson's professional experience includes serving as the Arizona Corporation Commissioner. She served as president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber from 2009 to 2018. Peterson's organizational affiliations include serving as an advisory member for the National Small Business Development Council, as a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners—greater Tucson chapter, serving on the investment board of the Pima County Workforce, and serving on the Arizona Judicial Council. [2]
Elections
2024
See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2024
General election
General election for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
The following candidates are running in the general election for Arizona Corporation Commission on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Lea Marquez Peterson (R)  | |
 | Ylenia Aguilar (D) | |
 | Jonathon Hill (D) | |
 | Joshua Polacheck (D) | |
 | Rene Lopez (R) | |
 | Rachel Walden (R) | |
 | Mike Cease (G) | |
 | Nina Luxenberg (G) | |
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| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill, and Joshua Polacheck advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ylenia Aguilar | 35.7 | 333,598 |
| ✔ | | Jonathon Hill | 32.9 | 307,490 |
| ✔ | | Joshua Polacheck | 31.5 | 294,180 |
| Total votes: 935,268 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Rachel Walden, Rene Lopez, and incumbent Lea Marquez Peterson advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rachel Walden | 36.6 | 376,507 |
| ✔ | | Rene Lopez | 32.3 | 332,360 |
| ✔ | | Lea Marquez Peterson | 31.0 | 319,115 |
| Total votes: 1,027,982 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Christy Kelly (R)
Green primary election
Green primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Mike Cease and Nina Luxenberg advanced from the Green primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Cease (Write-in) | 50.4 | 179 |
| ✔ | | Nina Luxenberg (Write-in) | 49.6 | 176 |
| Total votes: 355 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2020
See also: Arizona Corporation Commission election, 2020
General election
General election for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Arizona Corporation Commission on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anna Tovar (D) | 17.5 | 1,450,194 |
| ✔ | | Lea Marquez Peterson (R) | 17.5 | 1,449,963 |
| ✔ |  | James O'Connor (R) | 17.3 | 1,434,236 |
 | Eric Sloan (R) | 16.7 | 1,379,804 | |
 | William Mundell (D) | 15.7 | 1,295,836 | |
 | Shea Stanfield (D) | 15.3 | 1,264,909 | |
| Christina Gibson (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 411 | |
 | Patrick Finerd (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 232 | |
| Total votes: 8,275,585 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Anna Tovar, William Mundell, and Shea Stanfield advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Anna Tovar | 39.3 | 531,400 |
| ✔ | | William Mundell | 30.7 | 416,099 |
| ✔ | | Shea Stanfield | 30.0 | 406,044 |
| Total votes: 1,353,543 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bridget Bellavigna (D)
- Paul Newman (D)
- John Dougherty III (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission (3 seats)
Eric Sloan, incumbent Lea Marquez Peterson, and James O'Connor advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona Corporation Commission on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eric Sloan | 50.7 | 516,786 |
| ✔ | | Lea Marquez Peterson | 44.8 | 456,065 |
| ✔ | | James O'Connor (Write-in) | 4.5 | 45,544 |
| Total votes: 1,018,395 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Farnsworth (R)
- Kim Owens (R)
- Neil DeSanti (R)
- Nick Myers (R)
- Avery Block (R)
- Patrick Tucker (R)
- Boyd Dunn (R)
- Roger Pencek (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Marquez Peterson's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Arizona District 2
Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Lea Marquez Peterson in the general election for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ann Kirkpatrick (D) | 54.7 | 161,000 |
| Lea Marquez Peterson (R) | 45.2 | 133,083 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 69 | ||
| Total votes: 294,152 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ann Kirkpatrick | 41.9 | 33,938 |
 | Matt Heinz | 29.6 | 23,992 | |
 | Mary Matiella | 9.4 | 7,606 | |
 | Bruce Wheeler | 8.4 | 6,814 | |
 | Billy Kovacs | 6.6 | 5,350 | |
 | Barbara Sherry | 2.6 | 2,074 | |
 | Yahya Yuksel | 1.6 | 1,319 | |
| Total votes: 81,093 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- William Foster (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2
Lea Marquez Peterson defeated Brandon Martin, Casey Welch, and Danny Morales in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arizona District 2 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lea Marquez Peterson | 34.2 | 23,571 |
 | Brandon Martin | 28.7 | 19,809 | |
 | Casey Welch | 21.0 | 14,499 | |
 | Danny Morales | 16.1 | 11,135 | |
| Total votes: 69,014 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Marilyn Wiles (R)
Campaign themes
2024
Videos for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 8, 2024 |
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 8, 2024 |
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 8, 2024 |
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released August 7, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lea Marquez Peterson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Marquez Peterson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Lea Márquez Peterson currently serves on the Arizona Corporation Commission and is the past Chairwoman. During her tenure she has fought hard for affordable utility rates and has focused on ensuring energy reliability. She was appointed by the Governor in 2019 and later won election to a four year term in 2020. Lea is the first Hispanic woman to serve in a statewide seat in the history of Arizona.
In her role as a Commissioner, Lea co-chairs the national NARUC/NASEO advanced nuclear taskforce and is vice chair of the national NARUC water utility committee. Additionally, she serves on the advisory council for EPRI, a global energy think tank, and is the Vice chair of the board that works on regional interconnection on the west coast (WIRAB).
Lea has served her community and state in a number of leadership positions. She is the former President and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber and has owned several small businesses. She lives in Tucson with her husband and 2 children.
- Energy Reliability for Arizona - During her tenure, Commissioner Márquez Peterson created the Arizona Energy Reliability Summit to ensure utilities are prepared in the short term for Arizona’s hottest days and hosted meetings of the Commission to discuss California's rolling blackouts and the impact on Arizona’s energy and utility prices. Additionally, she represents Arizona in her service as the vice-chair of the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory board which advises the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission , the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Western Regional Entity on matters pertaining to electric grid reliability in the Western Interconnection.
- Utility rate affordability - Commissioner Márquez Peterson has worked diligently to provide financial relief for customers and ensure energy reliability. She recently voted in support of more than $200 million dollars in revenue reductions in the APS rate case to save money for ratepayers. Additionally, she amended the recent TEP rate case to lessen the residential utility rate impact by $24 million dollars. During the global pandemic, she led initiatives to rebate $40 million dollars to customers of APS and TEP and supported a moratorium on utility disconnections to assist families that were struggling financially.
- Integrity - One of the first actions, Commissioner Marquez Peterson led while serving as Chairwoman was the development and approval of a Code of Ethics for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Prior to her service, the Commission was embroiled in turmoil regarding corruption and attempts by regulated utilities to influence the elections. The Code of Ethics encourages the use of the Clean Elections Campaign program for Commissioner candidates to ensure that regulated utilities do not have undue influence on the elections and requires additional disclosures of conflict of interest. Additionally, the Commissioner regularly posts her calendar publicly and follows open meeting protocol carefully to ensure transparency.
Since joining the Commission in 2019, Commissioner Marquez Peterson has been a fierce advocate for holding utilities accountable and fighting for affordable, reliable energy.
She is committed to energy reliability and has led on the creation of an Energy Reliability Summit. Many of Arizona's vulnerable populations would be in great risk if energy shortages impacted delivery especially during the hot summer months.
She is passionate about an "all of the above approach" to Arizona's energy resources and the importance of advanced nuclear technologies in the future.
Additionally, she prioritizes the affordability of utility rates for residential and small commercial customers.
Commissioners are elected in the state of Arizona which is an important differentiation to other states. The core responsibility of the elected statewide position is to represent the ratepayers and vote on the more than 40 utility rate cases the Commission analyzes each year.
Commissioners must be analytical, thoughtful, educated on the important issues and responsive to the public being impacted.
As a Commissioner over the last five years, it has been important to me to communicate regularly about our work at the Commission with ratepayers via online videos, written publications and frequent public speaking events. As an elected official, transparency in our work and integrity in all of our actions are key traits every Commissioner must prioritize. The Arizona Corporation Commission operates under the Open Meeting Policies of the state to ensure transparent actions.
Ultimately, a Commissioners challenge for electric utility regulation is to balance the needs of Arizona's ratepayers, the financial health of the regulated utility and the resources needed to serve Arizona's electric grid reliably.
My first job was working with my father at his insurance agency in Tucson. He operated a successful agency with about a dozen employees. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs in Southern Arizona, and aspired to be a small business owner myself when I was a young girl. My grandparents lived in the mining community of Clifton/Morenci and owned several businesses including a tortilla factory, Mexican restaurant and turquoise shop. We were taught to work hard and to take initiative to earn our way. It was expected that my brother and I would support our family business, and we both worked for my parents for periods of time. My father owned an Allstate Insurance agency for more than 35 years and my mother operated a community theatre group.
My first responsibility at his office was to 'cold call' his clients and encourage them to make appointments with my father to learn about additional services. Over time he hired several of my friends to assist with the call volume. The experience was helpful in teaching me about follow-through, and the importance of punctuality and providing the results I was being measured by. I worked for my father for two years while I was in high school.
This experience was helpful to me in running my own campaigns in the future (we make a lot of phone calls!) and as a small business owner. In my late 20's, I went on to own a chain of gasoline stations and convenience stores with my husband in the Tucson area and my parents were helpful in operating my business.
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.
2020
Lea Marquez Peterson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Marquez Peterson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have been a small business owner for decades and am the former President of one of the largest chambers in Arizona. I've worked with thousands of small business owners in Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties and bring my perspective living in Southern Arizona for over 40 years to the issues that are before the Corporation Commission. My work as a Commissioner focuses on economic prosperity for families and businesses across the state. As a Commissioner, I've led efforts to ensure affordability of our utilities and streamlining business incorporation to make it easier to do business in Arizona. I live in Tucson with my family and am the only Commissioner based outside Maricopa County. Learn more about my background at www.VoteforLea.com
- Affordability for Arizonans
- Fighting for Arizona's economic prosperity
- Streamlining business processes to make it easier to do business in Arizona
The affordability and trust of utility services are the most significant issues that the
ACC is facing, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial challenges
facing Arizonans in every County, and the dramatic changes that have been occurring
in Arizona's energy landscape across the last several years.
I have been a rate-paying customer for much longer than I have been a public servant
at the ACC, and I have seen the impacts utility decisions can have on low and fixed-
income customers, small businesses, and jobs, as well as on the environment and
Arizona's clean air and water supply. These are issues that I have addressed as a
Commissioner and will continue to make a top priority to protect Arizonans if voters
retain me as a Commissioner.
The ACC is written into our State's constitution and is considered the fourth batch of government. The work we do regulating the utility industry impacts every family and business in the State. We are a five member board that is elected statewide.
I greatly admire my mother. Though we do not always agree politically, she taught me to speak my mind with confidence and to always ask questions.
I've grown up and had a career in a District that is split politically - 1/3 Democrat, 1/3 Republican and 1/3 Independent. I've accomplished my goals with bi-partisan efforts and have prioritized stakeholder engagement. My mother's Influence taught me to research and to be able to defend my position while acting with fairness and integrity.
The most important characteristic an elected official should have is integrity. There are often challenges and decisions to be made that require careful consideration and the weighing of options. Integrity ensures that the best decision is made that benefits the public good and does not create a conflict of interest.
Tenacity
Integrity
Follow-through
Passion
Empathy
Complex problem solving skills
Friendliness
-Ensuring Arizonans receive affordable and reliable utilities
- Provide just and reasonable rates
- Streamline Business processes for incorporation
- Providing excellent customer service
Pragmatic, fair Commissioner that focused on the affordability of utilities for all of Arizona while ensuring a 100% clean energy future for our state.
My husband and I had the honor of attending George W Bush' inauguration and the experience will last a lifetime. It was very cold but we were lucky to have seats. Being from Arizona, we dressed as warmly as we could. It was a moving experience to see a President inaugurated and to feel the incredible patriotism in the audience. It was an honor to represent the residents of my district.
My first job was scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I enjoyed interacting with customers and stayed at the job for 5 years while in high school and my first year of college. I was promoted within a year to Manager and enjoyed hiring friends, managing and making cakes.
Commissioners have a responsibility to represent the needs of Arizona's ratepayers while fulfilling the duty of the office. I believe the most important responsibility is to engage with constituents throughout the state - in rural and urban counties to best focus on their needs and to ensure affordable and reliable utility services.
Arizonans are often not aware that the Commission also regulates against security fraud and oversees all business incorporation in the state. Both functions are important to the State and people should be more aware of the services.
Each Commissioner brings their experience to the position and I don't believe prior government experience is necessary. In fact, my experience as a small business owner and my work in economic development has been beneficial to my position. Political experience is valuable in that the position is elected and it requires a statewide election.
Experience working with diverse groups of people and analyzing complex problems is valuable as a Commissioner.
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.
2018
Campaign website
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ARIZONA JOBS Lea has always held the belief that the best way to help solve poverty is a growing economy with good paying jobs. As President & CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Lea has worked tirelessly to create jobs and attract new businesses to Southern Arizona. Lea knows firsthand that job creation is all about empowering businesses with the tools and training they need to succeed and getting government out of the way. In Congress, Lea will work to continue to fight for a strong pro-business environment and to help equip individuals with the skills needed to make a better future for themselves and their families. THE BORDER First and foremost, the border must be secure to protect our families by stopping the flow of both human traffickers and drugs across our border. The Border must be secured by any solution that makes sense – that means a wall, more border patrol officers and the use of technology. Lea believes that border security is also a humanitarian issue and we must do all that we can to stop horrible atrocities that are happening in the Southern Arizona desert that come with human trafficking and drug smuggling. At the same time, as a nation we need to continue to invest in our international ports of entry to ensure that we have efficient channels to increase commercial trade. HEALTHCARE As the CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber, Lea has seen firsthand how the costs of healthcare have skyrocketed for workers and small businesses. Millions of Americans have been impacted by this flawed system that hasn’t worked for our families nor the insurance companies. In Arizona, we’ve lost our options as insurance companies have abandoned Obamacare — we all have a family member or close friend who have been impacted. Lea supports repealing and replacing Obamacare with a system that works — and that means those with pre-existing conditions need to be able to obtain quality healthcare at a fair price. TAXES & SPENDING For the sake of our economy, job growth, and future generations, Washington’s overspending and rising debt must be fixed. In 2017, our national debt exceeded $20 trillion–and it’s still growing! Lea was a supporter of Tax Reform and its positive impact on families across America as well as our small business community. Lea knows that we still have more to do and we have to get government spending under control in Washington. As a member of Congress, she will support a measure that will halt Congressional pay until a balanced budget is submitted. MILITARY & VETERANS American service members put their lives on the line to protect our freedom and security. They deserve the best training and equipment when they’re in the service and the best care when they’re done. Lea will always support our military and will work to pass legislation to help veterans return to civilian life, receive better treatment from the VA and the job training and resources to get good quality jobs. Lea understands it is also vital to support our Southern Arizona military infrastructure that accounts for over 5 billion dollars in economic activity to our region. She currently serves as a member of the DM50 and Southern Arizona Defense Alliance. Lea will be a passionate advocate in supporting this vital industry in Southern Arizona.[3] |
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Campaign advertisements
The following is an example of an ad from Peterson's 2018 election campaign.
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Arizona Corporation Commission |
Officeholder Arizona Corporation Commission |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Tucson.com, "Ducey names Tucson's Lea Marquez Peterson to Corporation Commission," Updated June 8, 2019
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 13, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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