Friend,

While we were on the RV traveling the state a controversy developed over a bill the legislature passed.  It’s immediately become national news, and I wanted to share my views on it with you.

In tomorrow’s Arizona Republic I will say, if I were governor, that I would veto SB 1062.

However -- and this is really important -- it doesn’t end there.  After that, I would make an active effort before this legislative session adjourns to convene the interested parties and work on a solution that protects religious liberty and addresses everyone’s concerns.

Those of you who know me well know I’m a businessman with conservative principles.  Part of leadership is listening to people and then driving a consensus that brings people together.  I believe that is eminently do-able in this case.  I believe all who are interested in this issue are people of good will who have Arizona’s best interests at heart.  The key is to bring people together, forge consensus and move forward from there.

Anyway, I wanted you to hear this directly from me so that no one else could misrepresent my views to you.  And in case you’re interested, here’s the exact statement I submitted to the Republic; I wanted you to see it here first:

"The religious liberty issues that SB 1062 attempts to address are legitimate ones, and I believe there is a way to draft language that would address the concerns of everyone involved and avoid the acrimony and notoriety that have accompanied this bill's passage. As governor I would veto SB 1062, but would then bring together all the interested parties before this legislative session adjourns to forge consensus on acceptable language protecting religious liberty.  I believe everyone involved are all people of good will, and I believe we can find common ground that will serve Arizona well."

Have a good weekend, and as always, thank you for your interest and support in the campaign!

Doug Ducey