Local opinion: Rocque Perez has the trust and values Tucson needs in our state senate

What Tucson deserves in a state senator is someone who understands the challenges facing our community because they have lived them, worked through them, and will continue dedicating their career to addressing them. In a recent statement, Rocque Perez shared the personal hardships that have shaped those qualities.

He wrote about the prejudice his mom faced as an undocumented immigrant during periods of rising anti-immigrant rhetoric; the impact of the pandemic on his journey amid failing public health leadership at the state and federal levels; and how sexual violence, compounded by Arizona’s abortion ban, impacted his family. He also shared the most defining moment of his life: losing his little brother to the fentanyl crisis in a state that dedicated opioid settlement funds to the private prison system rather than prevention and rehabilitation programs for Arizonans.

As a result, Rocque has spent his career helping people overcome obstacles to better lives. He worked across Arizona’s public university system supporting student access to higher education while helping those already enrolled navigate challenges as someone who understands the strain of being a first-generation student. Then, he worked alongside researchers who developed solutions to some of our state’s most pressing challenges as a result of investments made by the Arizona Legislature. It was through these experiences that Rocque came to understand how the legislative process can either advance opportunity or undermine it at the whims of politicians guided by special interests. Today, as President & CEO of a nonprofit, he leads programs embedded in public high schools, helping students explore pathways of service, prepare for college, access financial aid, and transition to life after graduation.

Most notably, he was on the Tucson City Council, where he carried those values into public service. He directed funding into small businesses, nonprofits, schools and neighborhood projects. He advanced funding for utility assistance, affordable housing, and early childhood education, among other priorities. He led the push against the Trump administration when it came knocking on the doors of Old Main at the University of Arizona, seeking to inhibit support for diverse students. He advanced LGBTQ protections within city services and required police training to support that mandate. Beyond his role on council, he backed ballot measures supporting local school districts, including Sunnyside, Flowing Wells, and Tucson Unified.

A standout moment came when powerful corporate interests pushed a massive data center project. Rocque demonstrated the resolve we need in a leader. He said “no”, despite business leaders telling him his political future depended on supporting the project.

That's the difference between serving the public and serving those writing checks. That's exactly what is at stake in this election.

Inaction, cruelty, and public disinvestment have cost the people and communities Rocque loves a great deal. It has shaped a candidate committed to building an Arizona where every person is treated with dignity, where opportunity is not determined by circumstance, and where the government invests in the people and communities it serves.

The commitment to fight for the people and communities he loves is something I share with Rocque, and I know I am joined by many others in saying so.

He has earned the endorsement of leaders who know he is the candidate best positioned to advocate for Tucson in the State Senate, including Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, State Senator Analise Ortiz, Pima County Supervisor Jen Allen and County Attorney Laura Conover, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz, and Council Members Kevin Dahl, Nikki Lee, Selina Barajas, and Miranda Schubert.

He’s also earned the endorsement of labor organizations, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Communications Workers of America State Council, CWA 7000, the Arizona Education Association, and the Alliance of Charter School Teachers & Staff, a local American Federation of Teachers chapter. They are joined by Sierra Club, Lead Locally, Center for Biological Diversity Action, and the University of Arizona College Democrats. As the candidate who won’t accept corporate PAC money, he’s also supported by hundreds of Tucsonans who have invested in his campaign.

If you live in Legislative District 20, please join us in delivering better representation for Tucson by voting for Rocque Perez.