Why lifelong educator Rep. Keith Seaman left retirement to run for office

What does it take to get a former educator to end their hard-earned retirement in favor of the hectic, often toxic, workplace that is the Arizona Capitol?

Democratic Rep. Keith Seaman decided to run for Arizona’s 16th Legislative District in 2022 in response to the US Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade and taking away women’s legal right to abortion. A strong proponent of a woman’s right to choose, Seaman believes that, as a state representative, it is his responsibility to fight Republicans in the legislature who are blocking those rights.

As a retired public school teacher, principal, and superintendent in his district (in parts of Pinal, Maricopa, and Pima Counties), he is working to roll back what he believes is the state’s bloated school voucher program. It has drained almost $1 billion dollars from state coffers to pay for tuition in private schools with little accountability for the money spent or whether students are learning at grade-level standards.

Seaman is also fighting to keep the state’s progressive water standards intact to make sure new houses are built only on land that sits on enough water to last 100 years. He recently published an op-ed on the topic.

The Copper Courier interviewed Seaman before the primary election. This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Copper Courier: What are the most important issues in this election for Arizona, and how will you address them?

Keith Seaman: The two biggest issues for me are protecting the water supply and cutting back the education voucher system that spends too much public money on private schools.

On the topic of water, Republicans want to build homes without proof of an assured water supply, while the Democrats are committed to maintaining the 100-year water certificate before building is allowed.

Right now, we are waiting for recommendations from the Governor’s Water Policy Council on ways to continue the state’s legacy of responsible water management.

CC: And schools? 

KS: I don’t agree with the vouchers using public funds for private schools. They’ve gone too far. The voucher program started out for special education students. That was OK. Then it expanded to anyone. There should be a cap on it. Now we’re being told that we can’t get roads fixed because a billion dollars a year is going to vouchers.

There is also the issue of a lack of accountability from those private schools [regarding] how they spend the public funds. That’s one of our gripes. Private schools might test students, but the results are not being sent to the Arizona Department of Education. There’s no accountability.

When they first started [expanding the voucher program], they were using thousands of dollars for trampoline parks and climbing gyms. They were buying this stuff with public money at the public schools’ expense. They also don’t have to fingerprint teachers in private schools, while public school teachers are required by law to be fingerprinted.

The Democrats have introduced bills for accountability and to cap vouchers and to have teachers certified and have them fingerprinted, but they go nowhere. A lot of bills don’t get heard. If they do get heard, they are voted down by the Republicans. If they passed, the governor would favor us and sign the bills.

CC: Tell us the most important difference between you and your (potential) Republican opponents in this election?

KS: I’m a moderate-progressive Democrat. We favor LGBT rights, voting rights. The Republicans in the primary, two are on the right, the other two are more moderate. They are against the school bills. They are against anything involving the climate. They are against women getting reproductive rights.

CC: What is your position on reproductive rights in Arizona? And what measures do you support?

KS: One of the reasons I got into the race in 2022 is that the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade. As I campaigned, more people told me that abortion should not be outlawed. I was very disappointed in the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling [to reinstate an 1864 law banning abortion and requiring prison time for anyone aiding in an abortion]. The choice to have an abortion should be a decision between a patient and her doctor. Luckily, Democrats in the state legislature led the repeal of the draconian ban, and Governor Katie Hobbs signed the bill in May.

CC: What changes, if any, do you support in Arizona’s voting laws?

KS: We need to make voting as easy as possible. Democrats favor an early voting law. Republicans don’t want any of that. They think it’s fraud. It’s not. The Republicans don’t believe in mail-in votes.

I live 12 miles from my precinct. I go through early voting and put my ballot in the drop-box. Republicans think that could be compromising. They have a bill requiring in-person voting only at your precinct. If that happened, there would be a thousand people in line in each precinct in my district. It’s in the middle of the desert. We would have to drive 15–20 miles just to vote.

CC: What is your position on funding repairs to the state’s infrastructure, including roads?

KS: Upgrading Interstate 10 and State Route 347 in my district is a priority for me. Interstate 10 is only two lanes each way, and that’s not enough. Democrats worked on strategies to get funding, and now we are getting funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a third lane in each direction.

We’ve also been working to improve State Highway 347, the most dangerous highway in the state. If we had the money now being spent on school vouchers, we could make it safer.

CC: As a long-time public school English teacher and principal, how would you grade the Republican representatives in the Arizona legislature, for their use (or misuse) of the English language, as well as their conduct in public?

KS: For conduct I would grade them C- minus or D. They’ve been shot down a couple of times because they are rude. They don’t like to be challenged. I’d also give them a low grade on allowing free speech.

When I taught speech and debate, I taught my students to make their point and sit down.  I find the Republicans’ speeches go in circles. They speak too long. They make their point repeatedly. On the debate part, they don’t understand how to make a prima facie case. I kind of chuckle when they waste our time.