Rep. Seaman’s First Term In House Features Radical Record On Border, Crime, And The Economy

by Staff Reporter | Jul 25, 2024 | Economy, News

By Staff Reporter |

A radical Democrat legislator is seeking a return to a middle-of the-road Arizona district in the upcoming November General Election.

State Representative Keith Seaman is running for reelection in Arizona Legislative District 16. Seaman assumed office in January 2023 after narrowly finishing second in the district in the November 2022 General Election results, beating Republican challenger Rob Hudelson by 644 votes. Seaman now represents the district in the State House of Representative alongside his seatmate, Representative Teresa Martinez, a Republican.

Though the district is more moderate, Seaman has been anything but, as attested by his first term in the state house. On his campaign website, Seaman lists endorsements from left-leaning organizations, such as Arizona Education Association, Save Our Schools Arizona, National Organization for Women Arizona, and Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter.

Seaman’s votes in the Arizona Legislature show a pattern of being soft on crime. He voted against HB 2435, which would have “require[d] a person who is convicted of a third or subsequent organized retail theft offense to be sentenced as a category two repetitive offender” (2024). He also voted against SB 1583, which would have mandated that “a level one sex offender who commits specified sexual offenses is required to register on the internet sex offender website if the offender was sentenced for a dangerous crime against children” (2023). Additionally, he voted against SCR 1021, a ballot referral, which would “statutorily require an adult who is convicted of a class 2 felony for any child sex trafficking offense to be sentenced to natural life imprisonment” – should voters approve it in the upcoming November General Election.

The Democrat legislator also made controversial votes related to the border crisis facing his state. He opposed HB 2621, which would have deemed that the trafficking of fentanyl across Arizona’s border is a public health crisis. He also spurned SCR 1042, which “proclaim[ed] the Legislature’s support for the people and government of the state of Texas in its efforts to secure [the U.S.] southern border.”

He also took a stance against policies that would lead to economic prosperity in Arizona. Seaman voted no on SB 1260, which would have “reduced the state’s small business income tax rate to 2.5%” (2023). And he opposed SB 1370, the lemonade stand bill, which would have exempted a minor or a person who has not graduated from high school from the requirement to obtain a TPT license and pay TPT (use tax and local excise taxes) if the person’s business gross proceeds of sales or gross income is less than $10,000 per calendar year.

Seaman has also proven to be an ardent opponent of Arizona’s historic school choice program. Last year, he joined several of his colleagues in the legislature’s Teacher Caucus to castigate the ESA program. He posted, “As a retired educator, I support our public schools and will fight to ensure that they receive the funding they need. Arizona taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund private institutions while public schools struggle with budget cuts and a lack of resources for students.”

On the education front, Seaman voted against HB 2629, which would have “establish[ed] November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day and require[d] the State Board of Education to create a list of recommended resources for mandatory instruction on the topic in certain public school courses.” He also registered a vote against HB 2779, which would have “specifie[d] that the State Board of Education, must require, in course of study and competency requirements, that students be taught about the Holocaust and other genocides for at least three school periods, or the equivalent, on at least two separate occasions during any of the 7th-12th grades.”

It wasn’t just what Seaman opposed that made him too radical for the district; it was also what he promoted that flew in the face of a likely majority of his constituents. Seamon cosponsored HB 2610, which would have created a state-owned bank (2023). He cosponsored HB 2068, which would have repealed designating school sports by biological sex (2023). And he cosponsored HB 2653, which would have established that “restaurants and other food service establishments in this state may only serve water and disposable straws to customers on request” (2023).

Arizona Legislative District 16 is one of the most competitive in the state with a 3.6% vote spread between Republicans and Democrats in the last nine statewide elections, according to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. However, in those nine statewide elections, Republicans have emerged victorious in all nine.

Representative Seaman’s daughter, Stacey, is attempting to join him in the legislature next year. She is running for state senate and will go head-to-head against incumbent T.J. Shope for the right to represent Arizona Legislative District 16 constituents for the next two years.

Seaman is again the only Democrat running in the Legislative District 16 primary, as his party again attempts to gain an advantage in the General Election with this single-shot approach. He will face two Republicans who will emerge from a crowded primary later this month. Those Republicans are Martinez, Hudelson, Chris Lopez, and Gabriela Saucedo Mercer.

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