Ed Pastor
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Edward Lopez Pastor (Template:IPAc-en; June 28, 1943 – November 27, 2018) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona from 1991 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Arizona's 2nd congressional district from 1991 to 2003, its 4th district from 2003 to 2013, and its 7th district from 2013 to 2015, all of which were anchored in downtown Phoenix.
Early life
Pastor was born in Claypool, Arizona, as the oldest of three children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After high school, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Arizona State University (ASU).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He became a chemistry teacher at North High School in Phoenix and later went on to work as deputy director of the community service group Guadalupe Organization Inc.<ref name=death>Template:Cite web</ref>
After returning to ASU to earn a J.D. degree, he became an assistant to Arizona Governor Raúl Héctor Castro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1976, Pastor was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and he served three terms in that role as a county executive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In 1991, Pastor entered a special election to succeed retiring 30-year incumbent Democrat Mo Udall in the 2nd District, which then comprised the southwestern part of Arizona, including half of Tucson and portions of southern Phoenix.<ref name=AP>Template:Cite web</ref> Pastor won a narrow victory in the four-way Democratic primary, defeating his closest challenger, Tucson mayor Tom Volgy, by 1,800 votes.<ref name=Racedetail>Race detail of 1991 special election primary</ref> He was the only major candidate from the Phoenix share of the district.
He then won the special election a month later with 55 percent of the vote to become the first Latino to represent Arizona in Congress.<ref name=AP/> He was reelected four times without substantive Republican opposition, never dropping below 60% of the vote.<ref name=TDS>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pastor's former territory was renumbered as the 7th District following the 2000 census, but his home in Phoenix was drawn into the newly created 4th District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rather than move to the Phoenix portion of the reconfigured 7th, he opted to run in the 4th.<ref name=AP/> The newly created district was heavily Democratic and majority-Latino, with Democrats having a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in registration, similar to his old district.<ref>azsos.gov Template:Webarchive</ref> He was reelected six times against nominal Republican opposition.<ref>azsos.gov Template:Webarchive</ref>
Tenure
Pastor was one of the nine Chief Deputy Whips for the Democratic Caucus.<ref>majoritywhip.house.gov Template:Webarchive</ref> Following in Udall's footsteps, his voting record was decidedly liberal; for most of his tenure, he was the most liberal member of the Arizona congressional delegation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was well-respected by members of both parties, and had a reputation for bipartisanship.<ref name=AP/>
He was a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was pro-choice, and in 2006 supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 100 percent, according to their records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, NARAL Pro-Choice America-Endorsements endorsed Representative Pastor.<ref>vote-smart.org Template:Webarchive</ref> He voted against the 2002 Iraq Resolution that started the Iraq War.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2011, Pastor voted against the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011.<ref name="votesmart.org">Template:Cite web</ref> He also voted against several bills that would encourage trade between countries such as Panama.<ref name="votesmart.org"/> Furthermore, he voted to encourage the display of "In God We Trust" in public buildings and schools.<ref name="votesmart.org"/>Template:Failed verification
In 2009–2010, Pastor was backed by the National Farmers Union. However, he was not supported by the National Council of Agricultural Employers.<ref name="votesmart.org"/>
Pastor was supported by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund,<ref name=wild/> which works to protect native wildlife and wild areas.<ref name=wild>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Failed verification
Around the mid-1990s, Pastor was backed by the Americans for the Arts Action Fund.<ref name="votesmart.org"/> However, since then, their support has dwindled somewhat.<ref name="votesmart.org"/>
Pastor had a strong stance on civil rights regarding sexual orientation and race.<ref name="ontheissues.org">Template:Cite web</ref> For example, in 2007, he voted to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation and, in 2006, he voted against defining marriage as one man-one woman.<ref name="ontheissues.org"/> Finally, in 2004, he voted against a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.<ref name="ontheissues.org"/> In 2002, the ACLU rated Pastor at 93% for a pro-civil rights voting record.<ref name="ontheissues.org"/>
In February 2014, Pastor announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead retire upon the completion of his term.<ref name="retirement">Template:Cite news</ref>
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Source:<ref name=AaC>Template:Cite web</ref>
Caucuses
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Source:<ref name=AaC/>
Legacy
Multiple schools, parks and other institutions have been established in his honor.
The Ed Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service was founded in 2015 as part of the College of Public Service & Community Solutions at Arizona State University. The Center serves as a dynamic, student-centric hub of activity that promotes, publicizes, and encourages political engagement and public service among ASU students and the broader community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A section of Loop 202 in the Phoenix area was named in his honor.
Pastor has been credited with inspiring multiple generations of people dedicated to public service including Arizona State House Democratic Leader Charlene Fernandez.
Personal life
Pastor was married to Verma Mendez for 53 years and had two daughters, Yvonne and Laura.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died on November 27, 2018, following a heart attack in Phoenix at the age of 75.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Electoral history
- Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1990, write-ins received 44 votes. In 1992, write-ins received 5 votes.
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Template:Party shading/Democratic |Template:Nowrap | Template:Party shading/Democratic align="right" |104,489 | Template:Party shading/Democratic |81.74% | Template:Party shading/Republican | | Template:Party shading/Republican | | Template:Party shading/Republican | | Template:Party shading/Independent |Joe Cobb | Template:Party shading/Independent |Libertarian | Template:Party shading/Independent align="right" |23,338 | Template:Party shading/Independent |18.25% |
See also
References
External links
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- 1943 births
- 2018 deaths
- 20th-century American educators
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century United States representatives
- 21st-century United States representatives
- American politicians of Mexican descent
- Arizona lawyers
- Arizona State University alumni
- County supervisors in Arizona
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona
- Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
- Hispanic and Latino American people in Arizona politics
- People from Gila County, Arizona
- Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona
- Schoolteachers from Arizona