Rachel Walden, her husband, and their daughter reside in Mesa, Arizona. They enjoy the warm weather, hiking, and traveling across the state.
Rachel has been an Arizona resident since childhood, and both she and her husband are lifelong Republicans.
Rachel earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from Arizona State University (ASU) and continued at ASU for a Master of Arts. She was employed by the university as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant and received a fellowship.
Rachel is a first-generation college graduate.
Rachel's career began in finance and business, influenced by her upbringing in a family of five children, raised by a single mother who was a self-employed financial planner. Rachel worked in the family office, which led to her career at Vanguard, where she managed institutional accounts for prominent American companies.
She specialized in navigating government regulations, writing policies to streamline administration, and improving client relations. Rachel held securities licenses and received annual training on fraud prevention, money laundering, and other securities-related topics.
Rachel's work ethic and patriotism were instilled by her mother's example, teaching her the importance of self-reliance and America's founding principles. Rachel's upbringing helped her resist leftist indoctrination found in universities.
Rachel serves on the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board, the largest school district in Arizona. In this role, she prioritizes academic achievement, parental rights, fiscal responsibility, and transparency.
Put Arizonans First: Rachel emphasizes the importance of efficient regulation of utilities. She notes that Arizona's rate case processing time is one of the slowest in the nation, averaging 18 months compared to the national average of 9 months.
She advocates for improved efficiency to save rate payers money.
Rachel believes that the Corporation Commission should regulate rather than legislate. She opposes forced climate goals and energy investments that disregard free market principles.
She asserts that the Commission's statutory responsibility is to protect rate payers by maintaining a safe and reliable grid at affordable rates.
Rachel stresses the importance of resource adequacy to meet power demands as Arizona's population grows. She supports a mixed portfolio of energy options to ensure predictable, abundant, and well-distributed resources, promoting an "all of the above" approach to energy for cost-effectiveness and reliability.
Rachel opposes government interference that drives up energy costs. She advocates for decisions based on cost, reliability, and grid integrity.
She believes utility companies should manage their costs and operations effectively, with the Commission ensuring expenditures are just and reasonable according to the Arizona Constitution.
Rachel Walden is running for the Corporation Commission, with the primary election on July 30, 2024. Her campaign is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a fair and efficient regulatory body that prioritizes the needs of Arizona's rate payers.
The Republican Party has long championed fiscal conservatism, advocating for minimal government intervention in the economy. They believe economic prosperity is driven by free markets and individual initiative.
This philosophy includes support for laissez-faire economics, tax cuts, reduced government spending, privatization, and reducing government-run welfare programs in favor of private-sector solutions and personal responsibility. The party's current fiscal stance supports lower taxes, deregulation of corporations, and opposition to labor unions.
Historically, the Republican Party had strong ties to local businesses and large national corporations. However, in the 21st century, this dynamic has shifted, with corporate America increasingly aligning with more liberal values.
The GOP now focuses more on small businesses and family firms, viewing larger corporations, particularly in tech sectors, as cultural adversaries.
Modern Republicans often endorse supply-side economics, a theory popularized during Ronald Reagan's presidency. They argue that reduced income tax rates can spur GDP growth, ultimately generating the same or more government revenue from increased economic activity.
Republicans typically advocate for tax cuts, oppose graduated tax rates, and favor private over government spending. They generally oppose the estate tax and have a historical precedent of supporting tariffs to protect American industries.
The Republican Party opposes government-run welfare programs, arguing they promote dependency on government assistance. Instead, they advocate for personal responsibility and self-reliance, supporting measures like the welfare reform of 1996, which limited welfare eligibility.
Traditional Values and Social Conservatism: Social conservatism within the Republican Party is deeply rooted in traditional values, often with a Christian foundation. The party supports gun rights as outlined in the Second Amendment, the death penalty, and restrictions on abortion.
They also oppose same-sex marriage, transgender rights, and comprehensive sex education, favoring policies that uphold traditional family structures.
Republicans generally support school choice through charter schools and vouchers for private education. They criticize the performance of public schools and teachers' unions and advocate for greater accountability within the public school system, as seen with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
The party opposes a government-run single-payer healthcare system, advocating instead for a personal or employer-based insurance system, supplemented by Medicare and Medicaid. They support measures to increase health insurance portability, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and tax benefits to make insurance more affordable.
Since the 1920s, Republicans have generally opposed labor unions, supporting right-to-work laws that weaken union influence. They argue that unions can hurt businesses by driving up costs and reducing competitiveness.
Strong National Defense: The Republican Party typically favors increased military spending and a robust national defense. They often support unilateral action in foreign policy and have historically backed military interventions, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as part of the broader War on Terror.
The Republican Party has consistently supported a strong alliance with Israel, emphasizing the importance of this relationship in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. This support extends to military aid, diplomatic backing, and efforts to secure Israel's security against regional threats.
The party views Israel as a key ally and partner in the fight against terrorism and in advancing democratic values in the region.
The party's stance on international trade has varied over time. Initially supporting protective tariffs, Republicans later embraced free trade agreements.
However, recent years have seen a return to protectionist policies, notably under President Donald Trump, who initiated a trade war with China and renegotiated NAFTA.
Environmental Protection: Historically, some Republican leaders have supported environmental protection efforts. However, the party is now divided on issues like climate change, with many Republicans skeptical of human-caused global warming.
The party generally supports market-based solutions to environmental problems and opposes cap-and-trade policies.
Republicans advocate for increased federal investment in alternative energy sources and support measures to achieve energy independence. This includes promoting oil drilling in protected areas, which has drawn criticism from environmentalists.
Immigration: The Republican Party is divided on immigration, with some advocating for migrant worker programs and easing citizenship guidelines, while others emphasize stricter border enforcement. The party's approach has shifted in response to changing political dynamics and voter demographics.
The Republican platform opposes same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ issues, although there are dissenting factions within the party. Some Republicans support anti-discrimination laws, but the party remains divided on how to approach LGBTQ+ rights.
Republicans often support strict constructionism or textualism in judicial interpretation, criticizing judicial activism and advocating for judicial restraint. They support legislative measures to limit federal court jurisdiction in certain areas, reflecting their preference for state over federal authority.