Teri Hourihan

As Governor, I will ensure that evidence, scientific research, and reliable data have a meaningful place in Arizona’s policymaking process. I will establish advisory groups that include Arizona scientists, researchers, healthcare professionals, engineers, educators, economists, environmental and water experts, and other specialists relevant to the issue being considered.

I believe these advisory groups must remain focused on evidence rather than political agendas or special interests. When experts disagree, I want differing scientific perspectives presented openly so that decisions are based on the strongest available evidence rather than selectively choosing information that supports a predetermined outcome.

I will also require state agencies to use measurable data when recommending major policies and to identify the evidence supporting their recommendations, expected outcomes, costs, benefits, and potential unintended consequences. After policies are implemented, we should continue collecting data and evaluating results. If the evidence shows that a policy is not working, government should be willing to change it.

I also believe scientific expertise should be paired with transparency and public input. Arizonans should be able to understand what evidence influenced a decision and how conclusions were reached. Good government should be willing to ask questions, follow the evidence, measure results, and remain accountable to the people it serves.

I will make Arizona more competitive for federal science and research funding by strengthening partnerships among our universities, community colleges, state agencies, Tribal communities, research institutions, entrepreneurs, and private industry. Federal programs increasingly support collaborative research that connects scientific discovery with workforce development, commercialization, and regional economic growth.

As Governor, I will support a coordinated statewide strategy to identify federal research opportunities and help Arizona institutions build competitive proposals. I want our state actively pursuing funding for areas where Arizona has both significant needs and opportunities, including water conservation and reuse, energy, semiconductor technology, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, healthcare, cybersecurity, and responsible emerging technologies.

Arizona is already demonstrating what these partnerships can accomplish. The NSF Futures Engine in the Southwest, led by Arizona State University, brings together more than 180 partners and focuses on water and energy technologies with potential economic and community benefits. I want to build on partnerships like this throughout Arizona, including rural communities.

I will also encourage public-private partnerships that turn federally funded research into Arizona businesses, jobs, and practical solutions. Federal science dollars should not simply produce research—they should help educate our workforce, support entrepreneurs, solve real problems, and create long-term economic opportunities.

Finally, I will advocate at the federal level for continued investment in competitive, merit-based scientific research while ensuring transparency and accountability for how taxpayer-funded research dollars are used.

I support a balanced approach that protects Arizona’s natural resources, public health, and economy while recognizing that agriculture, mining, technology, and responsible development are important to our state.

Water security is one of my highest priorities. Arizona remains in both short- and long-term drought, making conservation and diversification essential. I support expanding water recycling and reuse, recovering brackish groundwater where environmentally appropriate, exploring desalination partnerships, improving infrastructure, and aggressively protecting Arizona’s interests in Colorado River negotiations.

Regarding AI data centers, I support a Day-One moratorium on new facilities while Arizona evaluates their cumulative impacts on water, energy, infrastructure, surrounding communities, and public health. Future facilities should demonstrate sustainable water and energy supplies rather than shifting those costs onto Arizona families and communities.

Arizona also needs responsible mining, particularly as demand grows for critical minerals. I support strong monitoring of mining waste, groundwater and surface-water impacts, enforceable cleanup requirements, and reclamation of contaminated and abandoned sites. Arizona is already addressing pollution from legacy hardrock mines that can release metals into waterways.

Finally, extreme heat requires practical community-level solutions: increasing shade and tree coverage, heat-resistant infrastructure, cooling resources, emergency planning, and protecting workers and vulnerable populations.

Economic growth and environmental protection should not be treated as competing goals. My approach is to use science, measurable data, conservation, innovation, and accountability to ensure Arizona can grow without sacrificing the resources future generations will depend upon.

As Governor, I will support a strong, evidence-based public health system that focuses on prevention, early detection, rapid response, and public education. Measles is highly contagious, and the CDC identifies MMR vaccination as the most effective tool for preventing measles and limiting outbreaks.

I support ensuring that Arizona families have convenient access to recommended vaccines and accurate information about their benefits and risks so they can make informed healthcare decisions. I also want public health agencies working proactively with physicians, hospitals, schools, pharmacies, Tribal communities, and local health departments to identify outbreaks before they become widespread.

Arizona should strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, rapid testing, and communication systems so suspected cases are identified and investigated quickly. CDC guidance emphasizes that prompt identification, reporting, investigation, and response are critical to limiting measles transmission.

We also need targeted outreach in communities experiencing outbreaks or lower vaccination rates. That means working with trusted local healthcare professionals and community leaders rather than relying solely on government messaging.

Finally, Arizona must maintain emergency preparedness plans for measles and other infectious diseases, including coordination with federal and local public health partners when additional expertise, testing, vaccines, or other resources are needed.

My goal is to protect public health through science, transparency, education, accessibility, and rapid action while maintaining public trust.

I support policies that better protect children and teenagers on social media while preserving parental rights, privacy, free speech, and access to legitimate educational information. Research has identified potential benefits of social media, but also meaningful risks to young people, including exposure to harmful content and concerns about excessive use and mental health.

As Governor, I would support age-appropriate safety and privacy standards, stronger protections for minors’ personal data, effective parental controls, and greater transparency regarding how platforms’ algorithms recommend content to young users. I also believe parents should have meaningful tools to manage their children’s social media use rather than government attempting to replace parents in those decisions.

Because young people increasingly encounter scientific, health, and political information online, education is equally important. I support strengthening digital and media literacy so students learn how to evaluate sources, distinguish evidence from opinion, recognize misinformation, and understand how algorithms can influence what they see. The U.S. Surgeon General has similarly recommended digital and media literacy education as part of protecting young people online.

I would also support independent research examining social media’s effects on youth and policies encouraging platforms to provide researchers with appropriate, privacy-protected data.

Our goal should not be to censor legitimate ideas or scientific debate. It should be to give Arizona’s young people and parents the protections, information, and tools they need to navigate online environments safely and thoughtfully.

Arizona must do better for our students. Our own state budget documents acknowledge that Arizona ranks near the bottom nationally in education funding effort, and Arizona’s four-year graduation rate remains a serious concern.

As Governor, I support increasing investment in K-12 public education while also ensuring that education dollars are transparent, accountable, and reaching classrooms. I want to improve teacher pay and retention, reduce class sizes, strengthen special education resources, and ensure students have access to quality educational opportunities regardless of their ZIP code. I also support school choice and believe families should be able to choose public, charter, online, private, or homeschool options that best meet their children’s needs.

Science must remain an important part of K-12 education. Arizona already has statewide science standards spanning kindergarten through high school that incorporate science and engineering practices. I want students learning not only scientific facts, but how to ask questions, evaluate evidence, test ideas, understand data, and distinguish credible information from unsupported claims.

Arizona’s future workforce will increasingly depend on STEM skills. We should expand hands-on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and career-technical opportunities while creating stronger partnerships between schools, universities, community colleges, and Arizona employers.

Education should prepare students to think critically—not tell them what to think.