Mark Finchem

Finchem was born in Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1975.[1][2] He graduated from the Southwest Michigan Regional Police Academy in 1982 and received an associate degree in criminal justice from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1986.[2] Finchem received a bachelor's degree in government administration from Grand Canyon University in 2018 and a graduate degree from the University of Arizona in 2020.[3][4]

Finchem worked for the Kalamazoo, Michigan, department of public safety for 21 years as a firefighter, paramedic, and public safety officer. After retiring in 1999 and moving to Arizona, Finchem worked as a senior sales manager at Intuit, a real estate broker, a personal development coach, and a vice president of Clean Power Technologies LLC.[3][5]

As of 2015, Finchem was the Arizona coordinator for the Coalition of Western States.[6][7]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark Finchem brings a wealth of experience to his role as Arizona State Senator for Legislative District 1. Born and raised in Michigan, he dedicated 21 years to public safety with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety—first as a firefighter/paramedic and then as a law enforcement officer. During that time, he earned an AAS in Criminal Justice from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, laying the foundation for his deep understanding of law and public service.

During his career as a law enforcement officer, Mark lived a farmer/rancher life in a small rural community outside Kalamazoo. After retiring, Mark moved to Tucson, Arizona. There, he stepped into leadership roles in both small business and at Intuit, the software company behind QuickBooks, where he earned a world-class business operations education and a Six Sigma process improvement certification. A staunch supporter of secure and transparent elections, Mark co-founded the Election Fairness Institute in 2018. The organization examines election processes, identifies defects, and recommends corrective actions nationwide. As a legislator, he now chairs the Federalism Committee and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, while also serving on the Judiciary and Elections Committees.

Mark holds a BA in Government (State & Local Public Policy) from Grand Canyon University, graduating summa cum laude, & an MA in Legal Studies in Law & Economics from the U of A, Rogers Law School, graduating cum laude.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must seek new water supplies.We must protect parental authority.We must protect individual property rights.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Judicial accountability and court reform, tax policy and public lands administration.

Mark Finchem did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Mark Finchem did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Mark Finchem did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Finchem submitted the following statement to [the profile publisher]:[2]

Somewhere along the way government has come by the idea that every nook and cranny of life should be taxed; that there are bureaucrats who know better how to live our lives than we do. I stand for personal freedom, economic freedom, and a debt-free future. Government has a bias to slip into mismanagement, it is my belief it must constantly be refreshed with new talent and personalities.[17]