Kevin Payne
Republican · Senate · LD27
Kevin Payne is an electrical engineer and food truck owner who served in the state House from 2017 to 2025, then moved to the Senate after he and former Sen. Anthony Kern swapped seats. Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed 24 of his bills since 2023 and vetoed four, including one loosening food truck regulations - an industry he has drawn scrutiny for legislating on. He narrowly turned back Kern in July, and he skipped the Clean Elections debates in both the primary and the general.
Prominent Endorsements
Arizona Chamber of Commerce & IndustryArizona REALTORSGreater Phoenix ChamberNFIB Arizona PAC
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In Other News
Bills on the move: Arizona’s legislative pipeline is pumping out bills again, including one to stop HOAs from banning large dogs, per Capitol scribe Howie Fischer. GOP Sen. Jake Hoffman chairs the Senate Government Committee and refused to hear the bill, but Republican Sen. Kevin Payne tacked it onto another bill to get around Hoffman. Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Matt Gress is trying to find a workaround for his plan to protect historic homes, after his bill died in the Senate, Jakob Thorington reports for the Capitol Times. And Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill from Senate President Warren Petersen that requires cities and towns to set time frames to speed up issuing licenses or building permits. (June 8, 2026)
2026-06-08
License to speed: A spate of recent high-profile traffic stops of state lawmakers wasn’t enough to get lawmakers to give up their get-out-of-jail-free card, Capitol Media Services’ Howard Fischer reports. GOP Rep. Quang Nguyen tried to get the measure on the ballot for voters to decide, and his bill made it pretty far through the legislative process. But the chair of the Public Safety Committee, fellow Republican Sen. Kevin Payne, wouldn’t give the bill a hearing. (March 27, 2025)
2025-03-27
Bills on the move: Arizona’s legislative pipeline is pumping out bills again, including one to stop HOAs from banning large dogs, per Capitol scribe Howie Fischer. GOP Sen. Jake Hoffman chairs the Senate Government Committee and refused to hear the bill, but Republican Sen. Kevin Payne tacked it onto another bill to get around Hoffman. Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Matt Gress is trying to find a workaround for his plan to protect historic homes, after his bill died in the Senate, Jakob Thorington reports for the Capitol Times. And Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill from Senate President Warren Petersen that requires cities and towns to set time frames to speed up issuing licenses or building permits. (June 8, 2026)
2026-06-08