Barbara Fike is deeply passionate about Arizona, aiming to address the recent divisiveness by fostering unity to preserve the state's history and beauty while safeguarding its future. She emphasizes the need to prioritize policies over politics to manage resources wisely and protect democracy from the influence of the rich and powerful.
Fike is committed to standing up for democratic values.
Fike views education as essential to a thriving democracy. With a background as a historian, she believes that public K-12 education benefits society as a whole.
She advocates for curriculum development by professional educators and opposes vouchers that divert funds to unregulated programs, which she argues undermine the balanced education necessary for informed citizenship.
"Freedom dies in ignorance." Water Management: Recognizing Arizona's desert environment and the reality of global warming, Fike stresses the importance of education about water conservation. She supports keeping Arizona's groundwater for local use and opposes leasing land to foreign entities.
Fike also advocates for requiring real estate developers to prove long-term water availability for their projects.
Fike believes in protecting reproductive healthcare rights, asserting that individuals should have the autonomy to make their own healthcare decisions with access to necessary resources. She emphasizes that her daughter should have the same rights she did at her age.
Fike calls for overcoming "NIMBY-ism" to build more affordable housing, enabling people to live in the communities where they work. She urges a shift in how the housing industry utilizes resources like land.
Fike champions the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights in Arizona legislation, asserting that no one should dictate whom others can love or where they can go.
Advocating for easier voting in the technological age, Fike supports legislation to maintain and improve Arizona's election systems. She promotes flexible voting opportunities to prevent disenfranchisement and ensure accessibility for all qualified voters.
Barbara Fike is a second-generation native Arizonan, educated in public schools from kindergarten through university. She has taught English and Social Science in Arizona schools for over 40 years, from middle school to community college.
Surviving polio in infancy, she values vaccines and medical science. Raised in Phoenix in a family of seven, her father was a high school band director, instilling in her a deep love for Arizona.
Married to a Phoenix-area architect for over 30 years, Fike has an adult son and daughter who live in Oregon and Phoenix, respectively. Her children were educated in the Deer Valley District and at Northern Arizona University.
The family includes a Labrador Retriever and a black cat, and they are active in their church, Dove of the Desert UMC, particularly in music and missions.
Fike graduated from Alhambra High School and earned a Bachelor's degree in Social Science with a minor in Anthropological Linguistics, and later a Master's in Adult Education from Northern Arizona University. Before fully committing to teaching, she worked with DES Food Stamps and community development, and taught ESL part-time.
After obtaining her secondary teaching certificate, she taught in Parker, Arizona, then in the Deer Valley USD, and later at Sandra Day O'Connor High School. Since retiring in 2014, Fike has continued teaching part-time and become actively involved in her community, leading to her candidacy for the Arizona State Legislature.
The Democratic Party of the United States is grounded in modern liberalism, which contrasts with the Republican Party's conservatism. Positioned center-left on the American political spectrum, the party comprises diverse wings including centrists, progressives, fiscal conservatives, and democratic socialists.
The party advocates for social programs, labor unions, consumer protection, workplace safety, equal opportunity, disability rights, and racial equity. Environmental protection, criminal justice reform, and support for abortion rights and the LGBT community are also key elements.
Democrats promote a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, endorse the scientific consensus on climate change, and favor a multilateral approach in foreign policy.
Economic Opportunity: The Democratic Party prioritizes equal economic opportunity, a strong social safety net, and robust labor unions. Advocating for a mixed economy, they support a progressive tax system, higher minimum wages, Social Security, universal health care, public education, and subsidized housing.
Economic development and job creation are pursued through infrastructure development and clean energy investments.
Democrats support a progressive tax structure to fund more services and reduce economic inequality, ensuring the wealthiest Americans pay the highest tax rates. They advocate for increased government spending on social services and reduced military spending.
Opposing cuts to essential services like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, Democrats believe these services enhance productivity and social justice.
The party calls for a $15.00/hour national minimum wage and supports regular adjustments to this wage. They have historically supported initiatives to increase the minimum wage and have passed related legislation.
Universal Health Care: Democrats aim for affordable, quality health care, moving toward universal health care through various means. They support options like single-payer systems, Medicare for All, and public health insurance options.
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which has expanded health insurance coverage to over 20 million Americans, is a significant achievement in this area.
Public Education: The party seeks to improve public education by raising standards and reforming programs like Head Start. They support universal preschool, expanded access to primary education, and reducing student loan debt.
Proposals include nationwide universal preschool, tuition-free or reduced-tuition college, and reforms to standardized testing.
Climate Change and Renewable Energy: Democrats emphasize government responsibility in environmental protection, focusing on alternative energy generation for economic, security, and environmental benefits. They advocate for expanding conservation lands, promoting open space and rail travel, and implementing strict regulations on greenhouse gases and fossil fuels.
Equal Opportunity: The Democratic Party strives for equality of opportunity regardless of sex, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, or national origin. They support affirmative action and disability rights, having pushed for the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.
Democrats believe in the fundamental right to vote and oppose restrictive voter ID laws. They support automatic voter registration to ensure all eligible Americans can vote.
The party supports safe and legal abortion, advocating for affordable health care and programs supporting women during and after pregnancy.
Democrats endorse comprehensive immigration reform that aligns with American economic goals and values. They support easier paths to citizenship, visa allocations meeting economic needs, family unity, and oppose state laws targeting immigrants.
The Democratic Party opposes discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. They support the Equality Act, anti-bullying prevention, marriage equality, and the Respect for Marriage Act.
The Democratic Party aims to reduce crime and homicide through various gun control measures. Notable legislation includes the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Brady Bill of 1993, and the Crime Control Act of 1994.
Despite the general support for gun control within the party, some Democrats, particularly those from rural, Southern, and Western regions, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession.
The Democratic Party believes in the fundamental right to privacy. Many Democrats have opposed the NSA's warrantless surveillance of U.S.
citizens, advocating instead for stronger consumer protection laws that limit data sharing between corporations. They also oppose "sodomy laws," asserting that the government should not regulate consensual noncommercial sexual conduct among adults as a matter of personal privacy.
Initially, most Democrats supported the Patriot Act, with only a few dissenting votes. However, over time, the party's stance has shifted, with many Democrats now opposing the act.
The divide became evident during the 2006 renewal vote, where Democrats were split on the issue.
The Democratic Party favors a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing international cooperation and human rights. Polls indicate broad agreement among Democrats on key foreign policy issues, although there are divergences on matters such as international cooperation through agencies like the UN.
Democrats tend to prefer focusing on domestic issues over extensive international involvement but recognize the importance of promoting democracy and freedom globally to enhance U.S. security.
The Democratic Party's stance on trade has evolved, with the 2020 platform supporting fair and free trade agreements like the USMCA. The party opposes practices such as offshoring, dumping, and intellectual property theft, advocating for trade policies that protect American jobs and industries.
Democrats have supported sanctions against nations that pose threats to global security, such as North Korea and Russia, while advocating for diplomatic solutions. The party emphasizes the importance of alliances and international agreements to address global challenges like nuclear proliferation and climate change.
The Democratic Party maintains a strong commitment to Israel's security, viewing a stable Israel as vital to U.S. strategic interests.
The party supports military aid to Israel, such as the Iron Dome system, and endorses peace treaties with neighboring countries. The platform advocates for a two-state solution, emphasizing that any Palestinian partner must recognize Israel's right to exist, reject violence, and adhere to existing agreements.
The party opposes efforts to delegitimize Israel on the world stage and calls for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Democratic Party has consistently criticized Iran's nuclear weapons program and supported economic sanctions against the Iranian government. Under the Obama administration, the party worked toward a diplomatic agreement with Iran to halt its nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 was a significant milestone, providing oversight of Iran's nuclear activities while easing economic sanctions.