Ed Pastor

Early life, education, and early career

Pastor was born in Claypool, Arizona, as the oldest of three children. After high school, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Arizona State University. He became a chemistry teacher at North High School in Phoenix and later went on to work as deputy director of the community service group Guadalupe Organization Inc. After returning to ASU to earn a law degree, he became an assistant to Arizona Governor Raul Castro. In 1976, Pastor was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and he served three terms in that role as a county executive.

Elections

In 1991, Pastor entered a special election to succeed retiring 28-year incumbent Democrat Mo Udall in the 2nd District, which then comprised the southwestern part of Arizona including parts of Phoenix and half of Tucson. In the Democratic primary—the real contest in what was then the only Democratic bastion in Arizona—he was the only candidate from Phoenix, while the other three candidates were all from Tucson. Due to the Tucsonites splitting that area's vote, Pastor won a narrow victory, defeating his closest challenger, Tucson mayor Tom Volgy, by 1,800 votes. He then won the special election a month later with 55 percent of the vote to become the first Latino to represent Arizona in Congress. He easily won a full term in 1992. He was reelected four times without substantive Republican opposition, never dropping below 60% of the vote.

After the 2000 United States Census, Arizona gained two congressional districts. Pastor's former territory was renumbered as the 7th District, but his home in Phoenix was drawn into the newly created 4th District. Rather than move to the Phoenix portion of the reconfigured 7th, Pastor opted to run in the 4th. The newly created district was heavily Democratic and majority-Latino, like Pastor's old district; Democrats have a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in registration. He easily won in November. He was reelected six times against nominal Republican opposition. His district was renumbered as the 7th after the 2010 census.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Pastor endorsed former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) for President.

Tenure

Pastor was one of the nine Chief Deputy Whips for the Democratic Caucus. Following in Udall's footsteps, his voting record was decidedly liberal; for most of his tenure, he was the most liberal member of the Arizona congressional delegation. He was a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was pro-choice, and in 2006 supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 100 percent, according to their records. In 2006, NARAL Pro-Choice America-Endorsements endorsed Representative Pastor. He did not support the Iraq War.

In 2011, Pastor voted against the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. He also voted against several bills that would encourage trade between countries such as Panama. Furthermore, he voted to encourage the display of "In God We Trust" in public buildings and schools.

In 2009-2010, Pastor was backed by the National Farmers Union. However, he was not supported by the National Council of Agricultural Employers.

Pastor supported the rights of animals and opposed hunting. He was supported by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. This fund strives to protect wildlife and wild areas while opposing those who do not.

Around the mid-1990s, Pastor was backed by the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. However, since then, their support has dwindled somewhat.

Pastor had a strong stance on Civil Rights regarding sexual orientation and race. For example, in 2007, he voted to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation and, in 2006, he voted against defining marriage as one man-one woman. Finally, in 2004, he voted against a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. In fact, in 2002, the ACLU rated Pastor at 93% for a pro-civil rights voting record.

In February 2014, Pastor announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead retire upon the completion of his term.

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Electoral history

Personal life

Pastor serves on the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Housing Services of America. He is also an Honorary Director to Timber Trails Children's Project, Inc.