Diane Douglas is an American politician who served as Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2019. She was elected on November 4, 2014, edging out her Democratic opponent, David Garcia, by one percentage point.[1]
Diane Douglas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21st Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – January 7, 2019 | |
| Governor | Doug Ducey |
| Preceded by | John Huppenthal |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Hoffman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Raritan Valley Community College Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BA) |
Douglas succeeded John Huppenthal, whom she defeated for the party's nomination in the Republican primary on August 26, 2014. Immediately after her election, Douglas faced a recall effort by voters who claimed that she was not qualified for the position.[2]
Early career and education
editBorn in Plainfield, New Jersey, Douglas earned an Associate degree in business from Somerset County College and a Bachelor of Arts in business and marketing from Rutgers University.[3]
Career
editPrior to serving as Superintendent of Public Instruction, Douglas worked in accounting and financial analysis for several firms. She has also spoken at conferences sponsored by AZ Right to Life and Americans for Prosperity.
Douglas was the subject of a recall effort while serving on the Peoria Unified School District board in 2010 due to a conflict of interest. Douglas was also serving as the treasurer of the axthetax.com coalition, which was opposed to a temporary one cent Arizona sales tax to fund education. Douglas lost to Gary Sherwood in 2012 for the Sahuaro District of the Glendale, Arizona City Council by 330 votes.[4]
Superintendent of Public Instruction
editDouglas was elected as the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014. She was subsequently sworn into office on January 5, 2015, succeeding John Huppenthal, who lost in the Republican primary on August 26, 2014.[5][6]
In her first year in office, a recall effort failed to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.[7] However, as of August 2016, Douglas's approval rating was just 16 percent.[8] In the 2018 elections, Douglas lost her re-election bid in the Republican party primary despite being the incumbent, finishing third in a closely contested race in which the top four candidates all received approximately 20% to 22% of the vote.[9] She was eventually succeeded by Democrat Kathy Hoffman.
Electoral history
edit| Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Republican Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Diane Douglas | 290,719 | 58.4 |
| Republican | John Huppenthal (inc.) | 206,744 | 41.6 |
| Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Diane Douglas | 740,273 | 50.6 |
| Democratic | David Garcia | 724,239 | 49.5 |
| Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Republican Primary Election, 2018[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Frank Riggs | 124,872 | 21.8 |
| Republican | Bob Branch | 124,643 | 21.8 |
| Republican | Diane Douglas (inc.) | 121,452 | 21.2 |
| Republican | Tracy Livingston | 115,778 | 20.2 |
| Republican | Jonathan Gelbart | 85,511 | 14.9 |
References
edit- ^ "Douglas wins Arizona schools superintendent race".
- ^ FOX. "Effort continues to recall Diane Douglas". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- ^ "Candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas". 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ Javier, Jeffrey (30 March 2010). "Peoria Unified board member accused of dual loyalties". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ "AZ Supt. of Public Instruction: Douglas wins top post, Garcia concedes".
- ^ "Arizona election results: Arizona education official John Huppenthal loses re-election bid - ABC15 Arizona". Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- ^ "Chairman: Effort to recall Superintendent Diane Douglas fails".
- ^ "Poll: Arizona schools chief Diane Douglas' approval rating remains at only 16 percent".
- ^ a b "State of Arizona Official Canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State.
External links
edit- Official website, Superintendent of Public Instruction