Ed Pastor

Early life

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 (ASU). 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 J.D. degree, he became an assistant to Arizona Governor Raúl Héctor 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.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1991, Pastor entered a special election to succeed retiring 30-year incumbent Democrat Mo Udall in the 2nd District, which then comprised the southwestern part of Arizona, including half of Tucson and portions of southern Phoenix. Pastor won a narrow victory in the four-way Democratic primary, defeating his closest challenger, Tucson mayor Tom Volgy, by 1,800 votes. He was the only major candidate from the Phoenix share of the district.

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.

Pastor's former territory was renumbered as the 7th District following the 2000 census, but his home in Phoenix was drawn into the newly created 4th District. Rather than move to the Phoenix portion of the reconfigured 7th, he opted to run in the 4th. He was reelected six times against nominal Republican opposition.

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 well-respected by members of both parties, and had a reputation for bipartisanship.

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 voted against the 2002 Iraq Resolution that started 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 was supported by the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund,

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 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.{{cite news |access-date=August 25, 2014}}

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee of Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
• Source:

Caucuses

• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Source:

Legacy

Multiple schools, parks and other institutions have been established in his honor.

The Ed Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service was founded in 2015 as part of the College of Public Service & Community Solutions at Arizona State University. The Center serves as a dynamic, student-centric hub of activity that promotes, publicizes, and encourages political engagement and public service among ASU students and the broader community.

A section of Loop 202 in the Phoenix area was named in his honor.

Pastor has been credited with inspiring multiple generations of people dedicated to public service including Arizona State House Democratic Leader Charlene Fernandez.

Personal life

Pastor was married to Verma Mendez for 53 years and had two daughters, Yvonne and Laura. He died on November 27, 2018, following a heart attack in Phoenix at the age of 75.

Electoral history

• Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1990, write-ins received 44 votes. In 1992, write-ins received 5 votes.

References

References

1. "Ed Pastor, Arizona's 1st Hispanic congressman, dies". Fox Phoenix.
2. "Ed Pastor's Biography".
3. (November 28, 2018). "Former Rep. Ed Pastor Dies at Age 75". RollCall.
4. (November 28, 2018). "Phoenix mural highlights history, achievements of Latinos in Arizona". Arizona Central.
5. (August 14, 2018). "Former AZ Congressman Ed Pastor Dies At 75". KJZZ.
6. (November 28, 2018). "Ex-Rep. Ed Pastor, Arizona's 1st Hispanic congressman, dies". AP News.
7. [https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=422840 Race detail of 1991 special election primary]
8. Step Back in Time. "Ex-Rep. Ed Pastor, Arizona's 1st Hispanic congressman, dies | Don't Miss This". thedailystar.com.
9. "Ed Pastor". GPO.Gov.
10. [http://azsos.gov/election/PreviousYears.htm azsos.gov] {{webarchive. link. (March 29, 2007)
11. [http://majoritywhip.house.gov/meet_team.html majoritywhip.house.gov] {{webarchive. link. (January 5, 2007)
12. "Ex-Rep. Ed Pastor, Arizona's 1st Hispanic congressman, dies". News and Tribune.
13. (November 28, 2018). "Ed Pastor, first Latino congressman from Arizona, dead at 75". CNN.
14. link. (September 14, 2006)
15. "2002 Iraq War Vote". Thought Co.com.
16. (September 24, 1991). "Edward Pastor - Ratings and Endorsements - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org.
17. "Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org.
18. (June 10, 2012). "Ed Pastor on the Issues". Ontheissues.org.
19. "Pastor, Ed". United States House of Representatives.
20. "Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service {{!}} Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions".
21. (November 28, 2018). "Ed Pastor, Arizona's first Hispanic congressman, Dies at 75". [[The Washington Post]].
22. "Former Rep. Ed Pastor, who served 23 years in Congress, dead at 75". Eu.azcentral.com.
23. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
24. "Arizona's 7th Congressional District". Ballotpedia.