David Garcia announced he is running for Governor of Arizona at the State Capitol. Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU.
JOSE: THERE IS ANOTHER NAME IN THE RACE FOR THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. DEMOCRAT DAVID GARCIA, AN A-S-U EDUCATION PROFESSOR ANNOUNCED HE'S RUNNING FOR THE SEAT NEXT YEAR. GARCIA LOST THE 2014 RACE FOR ARIZONA SUPERINTENDENT FOR PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. JOINING ME NOW IS DAVID GARCIA, CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF ARIZONA. DAVID, WELCOME BACK TO "HORIZONTE."
DAVID GARCIA: JOSE, THANK YOU.
JOSE: NO SURPRISE YOU ARE RUNNING FOR OFFICE AGAIN. EVERYBODY ASSUMED YOU WOULD. THE SURPRISE IS EVERYONE THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO RUN FOR SUPERINTENDENT. WHAT HAPPENED?
DAVID GARCIA: I WAS PREPARING TO AGAIN BUT THURSDAY WHEN THE GOVERNOR SIGNED THE VOUCHER BILL I KNEW IT WASN'T POSSIBLE ANYMORE.
JOSE: WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD THAT HAVE MADE?
DAVID GARCIA: THE ROLE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT IS TO IMPLEMENT STATE LAW AND I WOULD HAVE THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE POSITION WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IT WOULD BE THE CARRY OUT THE DISMANTLING OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AND I DECIDED I COULDN'T DO THAT. I TOLD FOLKS I AM GOING TO RUN FOR THE OFFICE WHERE I CAN HAVE THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THAT IS WHAT LED ME HERE.
JOSE: THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGHER RACE THAN THE LAST ONE YOU RAN AND CAME CLOSE TO WINNING. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN AGAINST AN INCUMBENT GOVERNOR?
DAVID GARCIA: I GET IT WILL TAKE A HISTORIC EFFORT TO WIN BUT IT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION WE ARE LIVING IN HISTORIC TIMES. I THINK ARIZONA BETTER UNDERSTANDS THE CONSEQUENCES OF ELECTIONS AND I THINK WE HAVE ARIZONA RESIDENTS WHO FEEL LIKE THEIR LEADERSHIP IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH WHAT THEY WANT. 94-95% OF PARENTS SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS INCLUDING CHARTER SCHOOLS. WHEN THE GOVERNOR SAYS MANY OF US TRUSTED WHAT HE SAID AFTER ONE TWO THREE IT WOULD ONLY BE THE BEGINNING OF INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION. WE DIDN'T KNOW THE NEXT STEP WAS UNIVERSAL VOUCHERS. I FEEL BETRAYED AND ON BEHALF OF THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS LIKE ME AND MY WIFE WHO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS WE NEED TO STAND UP AND DEMAND THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE DEMAND THEY HONOR AND THEY FUND OUR CHOICE TO BE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
JOSE: WE HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH PUSH BACK AGAINST THE GOVERNOR FOR HIS DECISION TO SIGN THAT BILL. IT SEEMS TO BE RELATIVELY POPLAR PARTICULARLY WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WHICH WAS A GREAT SUPPORTER OF YOURS WHEN YOU RAN FOR SUPERINTENDENT.
DAVID GARCIA: IT HASN'T COME OUT YET. I HAVE YET TO SEE HIM RALLY AROUND THIS OR COME OUT PUBLICLY. IF THIS WAS SUCH POPULAR BILL I AM NOT SURE WHY HE SIGNED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. ARIZONA IN GENERAL, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON CONTINUED JOB CREATION IN ARIZONA AND EDUCATION IS THAT PATH. WHAT WE NEED, AND I THINK WE HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO BRING PEOPLE IN FROM OUTSIDE AND THAT IS IMPORTANT. WE ARE NOT GROWING IDEAS WITHIN ARIZONA AS WELL AS WE COULD AND WE SHOULD. THAT BEGINS WITH EDUCATION. THAT BEGINS WITH A STRONG UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. STRONG K-12 SO IDEAS START IN ARIZONA AND STAY IN ARIZONA. THAT IS THE PATH TO GROWTH IN THE FUTURE.
JOSE: WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET THE MONEY TO RUN A CAMPAIGN AGAINST A SITTING GOVERNOR? IT WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
DAVID GARCIA: THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A DEEP POCKET CAMPAIGN. I DON'T HAVE DEEP, DARK MONEY ON MY SIDE WITH RESPECT TO DEEP POCKETS. BUT I DO HAVE PEOPLE. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A PEOPLE GENERATED CAMPAIGN. I HEAR IT AND SEE IT EVERYWHERE WE GO. PEOPLE ARE READY TO GET ACTIVE AND INVOLVED. IF WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS, WHEN WE WIN THIS, IT IS BECAUSE THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA STEPPED UP. EDUCATORS, PARENTS, FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE WORKING IN TERMS OF LIVING AND GET BY WITH A MINIMUM WAGE.
JOSE: I ASSUME YOU ARE COUNTING ON MORE EXCITEMENT FROM THE DEMOCRATS. WE SAW THAT WITH THE KANSAS ELECTION AND THE ELECTION IN ATLANTA IS EXPECTED TO BE CLOSE NEXT WEEK. IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING IS GOING TO SWEEP YOU IN?
DAVID GARCIA: I THINK THAT IS A BEGINNING. I THINK THAT IS A START. WE WILL HAVE TO SPREAK TO ARIZONA AND GET OUT TO THOSE COMMUNITIES. VOUCHERS CAME FROM OUTSIDE OUR STATE AND I THINK WE HAVE HAD OVER 22 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTS IN ARIZONA THAT DIDN'T COME FROM THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE. THAT IS GOING TO BE THE ENERGY THAT TAKES US FORWARD. THE ENERGY TAKING US FORWARD IS LISTENING AND BRINGING FORWARD ARIZONA IDEAS TO THE OFFICE. THAT IS IN MY OPINION WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
JOSE: WHAT ABOUT WITHIN THE PARTY ITSELF? YOU ARE THE SECOND CANDIDATE TO ANNOUNCE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION. ANOTHER ANNOUNCED IN FEBRUARY AND THERE ARE RUMORS SENATOR FARLEY MIGHT ANNOUNCE. WHO ELSE MIGHT THROW THEIR HAT IN THE RING?
DAVID GARCIA: I AM NOT SURE OF OTHERS BUT I THINK HAVING OTHERS IS HEALTHY. I THINK SENATOR FARLEY IS HEALTHY. IT IS GOOD FOR THE PARTY TO GET FOLKS OUT THERE WITH DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
JOSE: WHAT ABOUT THE LATINO VOTE AND THERE WAS AN EXPECTATION WHEN YOU RAN AS SUPERINTENDENT THAT THE LATINO VOTE WOULD HAVE BEEN DECISIVE AND IT WASN'T. ANY THOUGHTS?
DAVID GARCIA: I THINK IT IS INCREASING AND MOVING TO THE POINT OF BEING DECISIVE. I THINK MORE IS COMING ONBOARD. THEY ARE VOTING IN NUMBERS CLOSE TO THE GENERAL POPULATION AND THE GROWTH OF THIS STATE IS AMONG OUR LATINO POPULATION. I HOPE AND BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY IS GOING TO GET ACTIVE AND REMAIN ACTIVE. THOSE ARE IMPORTANT NUMBERS THAT ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE STATE.
JOSE: ANY CONCERNS IN THE LAST ELECTION PART OF WHAT WE SAW IS THE MOBILIZATION IN MANY RESPECTS OF THE WHITE VOTE. THERE IS A REACTION OF SOME PEOPLE THINKING SO WITH IMMIGRATION ISSUES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. ANY CONCERN OF THAT HAPPENING AGAIN?
DAVID GARCIA: I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP POSITIVE, STAY OUT THERE TALKING TO THE COMMUNITY. I THINK PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF MEAN-SPIRITED POLITICS. LAST TIME I SAW PEOPLE GIVING UP ON THE PROCESS AND DIDN'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE ENGAGE THOSE FOLKS AND KEEP THEM ENGAGED ALL THE WAY THROUGH NOVEMBER 18TH.
JOSE: ONE LAST QUESTION, YOUR FOCUS IN YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT AND THIS EVENING ON EDUCATION. WHAT OTHER ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT IN YOUR CAMPAIGN?
DAVID GARCIA: THERE IS GOING TO BE A NUMBER OF ISSUES. IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG CAMPAIGN. WE WILL HAVE TIME TO GET OUT THERE AND TALK TO ARIZONANS AND GET THEIR IDEAS FORWARD. NUMBER ONE FOR ARIZONA HAS ALWAYS BEEN JOBS AND GOOD, WELL PAYING, HIGH QUALITY JOBS. THAT IS NUMBER ONE AND EDUCATION IS ONE-ON-ONE WITH THOSE. WE ARE TRYING TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES HERE WITH AN EDUCATION SYSTEM ALWAYS AT THE BOTTOM. WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT. WE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT HEALTH CARE AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SAFETY. WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND GET ARIZONA IDEAS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
JOSE: DAVID GARCIA, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR. THANKS FOR JOINING US.
David Garcia: Running for Arizona governor
