Email: john@johnhuppenthal.com

Website: www.johnhuppenthal.com

Endorsed By: Jeb Bush, former Republican governor of Florida; state Sen. Russell Pearce; Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio; Don Covey, Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools; the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Congressman Trent Franks; 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate Len Munsil; Nancy Alexander, former Superintendent of the Sedona-Oak Creek School District; and Marv Lamar, Superintendent of a Joint Technological Education District.

Background: John Huppenthal is a Northern Arizona University graduate with a MBA from Arizona State University.  His political career began in 1984 as a member of the City Council of Chandler.  In 1992 he joined the state House of Representatives, where he served until 2004.  Currently, he is a member of the State Senate and serves as the majority whip and the chair for the Committee on Education Accountability and Reform.  In that position, he helped pass legislation that eliminated teacher tenures, allowed teachers to remove misbehaving students from the classroom, decreased the amount of time necessary to terminate the employment of non-performing teachers, and supported merit pay.  He believes that math, science and reading skills should be the core focus and strongly opposes bilingual education.   Relying on extensive research and studies, Huppenthal has had significant influence on the Arizona education system for 17 years.