David Richardson (Arizona)

David Richardson

Republican Party

Candidate, Arizona House of Representatives District 12

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 21, 2026

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

Sunnyslope High School

Bachelor's

Arizona State University, 2012

Graduate

Arizona State University, 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Arizona

Religion

Christ Follower

Profession

Executive

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

David Richardson (Republican Party) is running for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 12. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on July 21, 2026.

Biography

David Richardson was born in Arizona. Richardson earned a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from Arizona State University in 2012 and 2013, respectively. His career experience includes working as an executive and inventor. Richardson has professional experience in defense and R&D technical and engineering roles and executive leadership in the bioscience industry. He has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• National Small Business Association, Leadership Council member
• Engineering Advisory Board, Grand Canyon University, member
• U.S. State Department, Global Innovation Fellow
• Flinn Foundation, bioscience entrepreneur
• Biomarker Council, International Cancer Advocacy Network, member

Elections

2026

See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 (2 seats)

Incumbent Anastasia Travers (D), Armando Montero (D), and David Richardson (R) are running in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Anastasia Travers (D)
		Armando Montero  (D)
		David Richardson (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 (2 seats)

Incumbent Anastasia Travers (D) and Armando Montero (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 on July 21, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anastasia Travers	50.3	18,922
✔		Armando Montero	49.7	18,662

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 37,584
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 (2 seats)

David Richardson (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 12 on July 21, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Richardson	100.0	13,661

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Vote totals may change until results are certified. Source	Total votes: 13,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

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2022

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arizona State Senate District 12

Denise Epstein defeated David Richardson in the general election for Arizona State Senate District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Epstein (D)	58.1	58,349
		David Richardson (R)	41.9	42,008

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 100,357
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 12

Denise Epstein advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona State Senate District 12 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Epstein	100.0	26,086

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,086
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 12

David Richardson defeated Suzanne Sharer in the Republican primary for Arizona State Senate District 12 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Richardson	50.3	12,248
		Suzanne Sharer	49.7	12,078

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,326
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

David Richardson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Richardson's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a life science executive and engineer, a business owner and entrepreneur, a native Arizonan and first-generation college graduate, and a new dad. I’m transitioning to public service because I’m driven by the desire to leave a better Arizona for my children’s children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My wife and I found out we were pregnant last summer, and I was burdened with the thought of the Arizona my son might inherit. Specifically, I’m concerned about our water supply, our school systems, our local economy, and our individual liberties. I was frustrated listening to politicians on both sides focus on short-term issues to score ideological points when we need to be addressing long-term issues that will become a disaster in 10 years if we continue down this same path. So instead of complaining, I decided to step out and get involved on the local level.
• The issues facing Arizona have never been more complex or daunting than they are right now. We need skilled decision-makers in our state legislature. As an engineer-scientist and businessman, I’m skilled at diving into complex problems and finding innovative, economical solutions. As a conservative, I’m dedicated to ensuring these solutions don’t compromise individual liberties.
• I believe it is possible to uphold strong conservative values while still treating those who disagree with us as neighbors, not enemies. It will take a compassionate and unifying voice to win our district and represent it well, and I’m running to be that voice.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My top priorities include securing a sustainable water supply, preserving great options for education, supporting business and entrepreneurship, and protecting individual liberty. I'm also passionate about reforming our state foster care and adoption system, because Arizona kids deserve to grow up loved and cared for.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I’ve been CEO of a local bioscience company since 2016, and I believe the CEO mindset is invaluable in the realm of policy-making. CEOs need to have a long-term mindset, especially in the bioscience industry. In bioscience, you spend a lot of time identifying current problems (and predicting future problems), and you learn to invest in the process in the absence of immediate gratification, because the solutions will ultimately improve people’s lives.

The experience has also taught me to reject the idea that when solving a problem I have to choose between two binary options (and usually bad options). The bioscience CEO has a commitment to inventing a third option, a creative solution, a win-win solution. And this is what our current political climate needs. Instead of asking Arizonans to choose between two binary options, we need legislators who will propose creative third options!

Finally, I have extensive experience managing large budget projects and being accountable to hit milestones.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe the government’s highest calling is to seek the prosperity of its people. If prosperity is the top of the pyramid, the base that supports it is strong education, public safety, thriving businesses, and (in Arizona) a secure water supply. Each of these areas need both immediate and long-term investments. State Legislators have a responsibility to build innovative budget proposals that reduce taxpayer costs, incentivize growth, and empower private industry to solve problems. I firmly believe it is a violation of our duty if we saddle the next generation with debt and high taxes to pay for services today.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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David Richardson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Arizona State Senate District 12	Lost general	$59,886	$54,225
Grand total			$59,886	$54,225
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? Arizona U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. CongressState executivesState legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal governmentList of school districts in Arizona

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Arizona House of Representatives District 12

Website

Instagram

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Arizona House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Steve Montenegro

Majority Leader:Michael Carbone

Minority Leader:Oscar De Los Santos

Representatives

District 1

Selina Bliss (R)

Quang Nguyen (R)

District 2

Stephanie Simacek (D)

Justin Wilmeth (R)

District 3

Alexander Kolodin (R)

Cody Reim (R)

District 4

Pamela Carter (R)

Matt Gress (R)

District 5

Sarah Liguori (D)

Aaron Marquez (D)

District 6

Mae Peshlakai (D)

Myron Tsosie (D)

District 7

Sylvia Allen (R)

Walter Blackman (R)

District 8

Janeen Connolly (D)

Brian Garcia (D)

District 9

Lorena Austin (D)

Seth Blattman (D)

District 10

Ralph Heap (R)

Justin Olson (R)

District 11

Junelle Cavero (D)

Oscar De Los Santos (D)

District 12

Patricia Contreras (D)

Anastasia Travers (D)

District 13

Jeff Weninger (R)

Julie Willoughby (R)

District 14

Laurin Hendrix (R)

Khyl Powell (R)

District 15

Neal Carter (R)

Michael Way (R)

District 16

Chris Lopez (R)

Teresa Martinez (R)

District 17

Rachel Keshel (R)

Kevin Volk (D)

District 18

Nancy Gutierrez (D)

Christopher Mathis (D)

District 19

Lupe Diaz (R)

Gail Griffin (R)

District 20

Alma Hernandez (D)

Betty Villegas (D)

District 21

Consuelo Hernandez (D)

Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D)

District 22

Lupe Contreras (D)

Elda Luna-Nájera (D)

District 23

Michele Pena (R)

Mariana Sandoval (D)

District 24

Anna Abeytia (D)

Lydia Hernandez (D)

District 25

Michael Carbone (R)

Nick Kupper (R)

District 26

Cesar Aguilar (D)

Quantá Crews (D)

District 27

Lisa Fink (R)

Tony Rivero (R)

District 28

David Livingston (R)

Beverly Pingerelli (R)

District 29

Steve Montenegro (R)

James Taylor (R)

District 30

Leo Biasiucci (R)

John Gillette (R)

Republican Party (33)

Democratic Party (27)

Capital: Phoenix

Arizona

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