Early life, education, and business career

Schweikert was born in Los Angeles, California, to an unwed mother who, according to Schweikert, almost aborted him but chose instead to put him up for adoption. He grew up in Scottsdale with his adoptive parents and two adoptive siblings. He graduated from Saguaro High School there (1980), then earned a B.A. (finance and real estate, 1985) and MBA (2005) from the Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business.

Schweikert and his wife Joyce live in Fountain Hills.

Arizona House of Representatives (1991-1995)

Schweikert was elected to the Arizona State House of Representatives for District 28 in 1990, and re-elected in 1992. He represented Fountain Hills and part of Scottsdale. He arrived in the wake of the AzScam scandal, and was a committee chairman as a freshman and majority whip in his second term. His consistently conservative record led Republican colleagues to elevate him to Majority Whip.

Local politics (1995-2007)

As chair of the State Board of Equalization, Schweikert was also responsible for overseeing billions of dollars in valuations and tax protests from Arizona citizens and businesses. There was speculation in 1999 that Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull might appoint Schweikert to the Arizona State Corporation Commission. He was appointed chairman of the Arizona State Board of Equalization, a full-time job, where he served from 1995-2003.

He was appointed Chief Deputy Treasurer of Maricopa County in 2004, and was elected Treasurer the same year. He resigned in 2007 to run for Congress again. In 2008 he lost by 10 percentage points, 53%-43%, to Democrat Harry Mitchell in congressional district 5. In 2010 he defeated the two-term incumbent.

U.S. House of Representatives (2011-present)

Elections

1994

He ran for the September 1994 Republican primary in Arizona's 6th congressional district. It resembled the 5th district formed after the 2000 census, but also included most of the northeastern part of the state, including Flagstaff and the Navajo reservation. J.D. Hayworth defeated him 45%-22%. After that defeat, he took time to reconsider and left for a lengthy vacation, which included travel to Calcutta, the Philippines, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam and Serbia.

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2008 § District 5

Schweikert won a six way Republican primary election September 2, 2008 with 30% of the vote, compared to 27% for his nearest rival, Susan Bitter-Smith.

Several organizations endorsed Schweikert in the 2008 election, including the primary election: Club for Growth, the Arizona Police Association, Arizona Right to Life, and the Arizona Medical Association. Schweikert later blamed his defeat on the very bitter primary fight that preceded it. He received more than a half-million dollars from the Club for Growth. He was endorsed by the Arizona Police Association, which includes Chandler, Mesa, and Tempe law enforcement agencies, the Arizona Right to Life, the Arizona Medical Association and the Citizens Against Government Waste's political action committee.

He lost the general election to freshman incumbent Democrat Harry Mitchell, 53%-44%.

2010

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2010 § District 5

Schweikert sought a rematch with Mitchell in 2010, with Libertarian Nick Coons also running. Schweikert won the Republican primary on August 24 with 37% of the vote. Early polling showed the race a dead heat. The Club for Growth decided to again endorse Schweikert after having sat out the competitive primary election.

On November 2, 2010 Schweikert defeated two-term incumbent Congressman Harry Mitchell 52%-43%.

2012

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2012 § District 6

After redistricting, the bulk of Schweikert's former territory became the 9th district, while his home in Fountain Hills was drawn into the newly created 4th district. However, as soon as the maps were released, Schweikert announced he would run in the 6th district. That district had previously been the 3rd, represented by fellow Republican freshman Ben Quayle. However, in a statement announcing his re-election plans, Schweikert pointed out that he'd grown up in Scottsdale—most of which had been drawn into the 6th as well—had represented it in both the state house and in Congress, and owned a second home there. A revised map, however, placed Schweikert's home in Fountain Hills into the reconfigured 6th.

Quayle, whose home in Phoenix had been drawn into the 9th but was just outside the boundaries of the 6th, opted to seek re-election in the 6th as well. During the bitter primary campaign, Schweikert was widely criticised for a mailer that accused Quayle of "going both ways", suggesting that he was bisexual. On the reverse, the mailer listed issues on which it claimed Quayle had taken both liberal and conservative positions. Senator Jon Kyl said that "such campaign tactics insult the voters, degrade politics and expose those who stoop to them as unworthy of high office" and Senator John McCain said the mailer was one of the "worst that I have seen" and that it "crosses the boundary of decent political dialogue and discourse." Quayle's spokeswoman called the mailer "utterly false" and "a sleazy smear tactic." Schweikert's spokesman responded that people "should get their minds out of the gutter" because the mailer was "obviously" referring to "'both ways'—as in liberal and conservative." The Arizona Republic asked two political scientists to review the mailer, who both said that they had "never seen anybody accuse someone of flip-flopping that way" and said that it was "difficult to believe" that the sexual suggestion was unintentional.

Although the 6th contained almost two-thirds of Quayle's constituents, Schweikert defeated Quayle in the Republican primary—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—by 53 percent to Quayle's 47 percent. He won re-election to a second term with 62% of the vote.

Tenure

Immigration

Schweikert argues that the state's immediate objective must be to secure the border against smuggling and illegal immigration. After it is "truly secure," lawmakers can proceed to establish a "common sense temporary guest worker program to enable businesses to obtain the employees they need." Additionally, Schweikert firmly opposes amnesty and "sanctuary cities."

Defense

Schweikert has said the government should make providing resources to national intelligence, the military and law enforcement a high priority.

Firearms

Schweikert opposes restrictions on gun ownership. He has received an "A" rating from both the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America. He was endorsed by the NRA in his 2010 election. Schweikert voted in favor of the National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. This act requires all states, regardless of their own laws, to honor concealed carry permits from other states.

Spending

In November 2011, Schweikert wrote a letter to President Obama objecting to $70,000 spent by the State Department on books authored by Obama, asking the President return the royalties. Embassies used the books as gratuity gifts and also to stock libraries in various countries.

Schweikert believes that economic prosperity hinges on balancing the federal budget and making "hard choices" on entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

Abortion

Schweikert is strongly pro-life as proven by his vote for the Title X Abortion Provider Act, an Act that would deny all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. In addition, he voted yes for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act in which the Act would ban any taxpayer from funding abortions. After his birth mother decided against an abortion, she gave birth to him at an unwed mother’s home where he was adopted.

When asked about his stance on abortion, Schwiekert said "In a still struggling economy, when our top priority should be creating jobs and paying down our debt, taxpayers need not be asked to open their checkbooks for such a controversial cause. Especially if that cause is taking the life of an innocent unborn child."

Balancing the budget

Schweikert is against an income tax increase on any tax bracket: he signed Americans for Americans for Tax Reform: The Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a pledge that many GOP candidates signed stating that they will oppose any and all efforts to increase the income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses, and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates. FreedomWorks, a "lower taxes, less taxes, more freedom" interest group, endorsed Schweikert in the 2012 general election.

Environment and energy policy

Schweikert voted yes on Opening the Continental shelf to oil drilling and voted yes for drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in pursuit of coal. He voted to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases.

Schweikert signed the American's For Prosperity "No Climate Tax Pledge" in which he will "oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue".

Committee assignments

For the 114th United States Congress, Schweikert is now serving on the following committees:

• United States Joint Economic Committee
• United States House Committee on Financial Services
  • United States House Financial Services Subcommittee Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises
  • United States House Financial Services Subcommittee Monetary Policy and Trade

The House Republican Steering Committee removed Schweikert from the Committee on Financial Services in late 2012 as part of a larger party leadership-caucus shift. He joined Justin Amash of Michigan and Tim Huelskamp of Kansas in a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, demanding to know why they had lost their "plum" committee posts.

Politico quoted a spokesperson for Republican Congressman Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia as explaining that Schweikert, Amash and Huelskamp were removed for "their inability to work with other members." The spokesperson clarified that Westmoreland "said that it had nothing to do with their voting record, a scorecard, or their actions across the street ." The three were described by Politico and its sourcing of Huelskamp's other colleagues as "jerks" who "made life harder for other Republicans by taking whacks at them in public for supporting the team".

[ Source: Wikipedia ]