| Paul Gosar | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Ann Kirkpatrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 27, 1958 [1] Rock Springs, Wyoming, U.S.[1] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Maude Gosar; 3 children |
| Residence | Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Creighton University, (B.S., 1981) Creighton Boyne School of Dentistry, (D.D.S., 1985) |
| Profession | Dentist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic[1] |
| Website | Congressman Paul Gosar |
Paul Anthony Gosar[2] (born November 27, 1958) is the U.S. Representative for Arizona's 1st congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Gosar is a native of Pinedale, Wyoming. He is the older brother of Pete Gosar, a former college football player at the University of Wyoming, who made an unsuccessful run for the Democratic Party nomination for the office of Governor of Wyoming in 2010.[3]
Gosar earned his D.D.S. from Creighton Boyne School of Dentistry and owned his own dentistry practice for 25 years. He was the Arizona Dental Association's “Dentist of the Year” in 2001, has been into the ADA Hall of Fame, and served as their President. He was also President of the Northern Arizona Dental Society and the Vice-Chair of the ADA Council on Governmental Affairs.[4] Gosar is of Slovenian descent.
Gosar defeated the Democratic incumbent Ann Kirkpatrick on November 2, 2010. Gosar has been identified as a Tea Party candidate by The New York Times because the Arizona Tea Party features Gosar on its website.[5] Libertarian nominee Nicole Patti was also on the ballot.
Gosar won the Republican primary. He was endorsed by Sarah Palin and three Arizona County Sheriffs: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Coconino County Sheriff Joe Richards, and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.[6] Kirkpatrick challenged him to five debates across the district.[7][8] Gosar initially agreed to one debate but later withdrew. Gosar released a statement explaining the decision to withdraw from the debate was based on the long drive to and from Phoenix.[9] A producer at the PBS station organizing the debate said Gosar's staff told the station the candidate could not participate in the debate because he would be attending a fundraiser instead.[10]
Following changes made in redistricting, Gosar may seek re-election in the 1st district, which was made less favorable to Republicans, or the new 4th district, which strongly favors Republicans.[11]
Gosar describes himself as pro-life. Gosar supports the 2nd Amendment and opposes restrictions on firearm ownership. He describes himself as a fiscal conservative. He opposes the Affordable Health Care for America Act.[12]
Regarding immigration, Gosar supports Arizona Senate Bill 1070. He advocates deploying soldiers to the border and supports building a double barrier fence.[13]
Gosar is a member of several caucuses.[14]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ann Kirkpatrick |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st congressional district January 3, 2011 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Chris Gibson R-New York |
United States Representatives by seniority 371st |
Succeeded by Trey Gowdy R-South Carolina |
| 112th | Senate: J. McCain | J. Kyl | House: E. Pastor | J. Flake | T. Franks | R. Grijalva | G. Giffords | P. Gosar | B. Quayle | D. Schweikert |