By Staff Repoter |

A lawmaker who has seen his share of competitive election contests is key to maintaining Republican control of the Arizona State Senate.

State Senator J.D. Mesnard is running for re-election to Arizona Legislative District 13, which covers Chandler, Gilbert, and Sun Lakes in the East Valley of the Phoenix-metro area. Mesnard first entered the state legislature in January 2011 in the Arizona House of Representatives, and he served eight years in that chamber, including two years as the Speaker of the House. In November 2018, after being termed out of the House, Mesnard won his election to the state Senate.

While Mesnard has spent considerable time in the Arizona Legislature, his interests and passions are well rounded and give him insights into his work for the people of his district. His campaign website informs readers that his “compassion for those less fortunate – who struggle in places outside of the greatest country on earth – led him to help establish Voices of the World, a non-profit Christian charity whose mission includes providing humanitarian aid to the poor and destitute of the world.” He serves as the Treasurer and one of the Board Members of this organization, which is based in Queen Creek.

The leadership board of Voices of the World, per information provided on its website, “is made up completely of volunteers who have a heart to see missionaries sent and supported to all corners of the world.” The organization appears to focus on the African country of Mozambique, for the health care challenges faced by citizens in its capital, Maputo, sharing that there is an “urgent need for a healthcare approach that not only addresses medical needs but also fosters a compassionate, supportive environment to help patients and their families cope with the immense physical and emotional burdens of cancer.”

Back in 2013, the organization was instrumental in opening Casa Ahava (“Home of Love”) in Maputo. The house, “is a 19 bed home which is open to Mozambican men and women who journey alone with cancer, especially those who are in late stages.”

The East Valley lawmaker’s compassionate side extends to some of his efforts at the state legislature. On his website, Mesnard writes that he “believe[s] in helping and protecting the vulnerable in our society, whether its women who’ve faced domestic violence, children who’ve been abused, veterans who are trying to return to the workforce, seniors who’ve been exploited, or animals who’ve been mistreated.” He assures voters that he “will continue to take on the challenge of tackling these and other issues as long as I serve in the Legislature.”

Mesnard highlights two bills he wrote in office to illustrate his commitment to the promises he is making to his longtime constituents. The first is HB 2001, which was passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by then-Governor Doug Ducey in 2016, to “modif[y] the statute governing the unlawful distribution of images that depict nudity or sexual activities.” Among several provisions of the legislation, HB 2001 “makes it unlawful to intentionally disclose an image of another person if the person is identifiable from either the image itself or information displayed with the image, and: the person is in a state of nudity or engaged in specific sexual acts, the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, and the image is disclosed with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten or coerce the person.”

HB 2001 passed the Arizona House with a 58-0 vote (with one member not voting and one seat vacant), and the Senate with a 29-0 vote (with one member not voting).

Before the bill sailed through the state House and Senate, Mesnard commented on the purpose of his proposal, saying, “For folks, mostly guys, who are using technology to hurt ex-girlfriends, we really need to put a stop to it. It’s not okay to use things done in a trusting relationship to hurt them. This can damage them personally and professionally. It follows them the rest of their lives.”

The other bill that Mesnard features on this website page is HB 2302, which was passed by the legislature and signed by then-Governor Jan Brewer in 2011, to “require the Secretary of State to establish an Address Confidentiality Program to protect the residential addresses of victims of domestic violence sexual offenses and stalking.” This legislation was passed by the Arizona Senate with a 27-0 vote (with three members not voting), and by the House with a 57-0 tally (with three members not voting).

According to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, Legislative District 13 is one of the most competitive in the state, with a 1.6% vote spread between Republicans and Democrats in the past nine statewide elections. In those contests, Republicans have won five times, compared to four for Democrats.

Mesnard will be facing off against Democrat nominee, Sharon Winters, in the November General Election.

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