By Tara Kavaler || The Arizona Republic
Kurt Kroemer is the latest Arizona Democrat to get into the primary race to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
Kroemer, 61, is the former CEO of various nonprofits, most recently the American Red Cross Arizona-New Mexico region. Prior to that he was the CEO of Make-A-Wish Arizona.
While Kroemer, a Scottsdale resident, is new to Arizona politics, he served from 2003 to 2007 on the City Council in Bowie, Maryland.
Kroemer says he is entering the political fray because of “a lack of trust” in government.
“The systems are broken; the special interests seem to run the country,” he told The Arizona Republic in an interview. “I am running to make a fundamental change in how people think about the government and how we prioritize what what is truly important in our country.”
Kurt Kroemer, 61, of Scottsdale, is the latest Arizona Democrat to get into the primary race to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
He cites the housing crisis and a living wage as an example of this.
Some of Kroemer’s most important policy issues include abortion rights and health care. He is for everyone having access to affordable to health care in whatever format is possible, such as a mix of public and private. He is not wedded to a Medicare for All-style single-payer system. Kroemer contends that Schweikert has not taken legislative steps to make health care less expensive or easier to obtain.
Kroemer called Schweikert, 61, “an extremist who has done nothing.”