State Sen. Paul Boyer/Arizona Legislature
By Mary Jo Pitzl |Arizona Republic
State Sen. Paul Boyer said Tuesday he will leave the Legislature when his term expires at the end of next year, capping a tumultuous chapter at the Capitol.
Boyer, R-Glendale, said he’s lost the enthusiasm to seek a third Senate term amid what was likely to be a bruising primary, as well as what he described as a “toxic” atmosphere at the Capitol.
Boyer drew scorn from some of his GOP colleagues earlier this year when he voted against holding the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in contempt for not responding fully to a Senate subpoena regarding the 2020 presidential election.
He was also hounded by adherents of the “Stop the Steal” movement, to the point that he briefly moved out of his house and had to get a new cellphone number.
In addition, he was a holdout on the state budget this spring, successfully angling to get more of the state’s surplus funding directed toward debt reduction while ensuring local governments would not be penalized by deep cuts in state income-tax collections.
