Thompson, Kevin

Meet the Candidate

Running For:

Corporation Commissioner

Political Affiliation:

Republican

Education:

Bachelors of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Religion:

Christian

Biographical Info:

Kevin Thompson is the immediate past Chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission, and has over 25 years of utility, regulatory, and public service experience, including serving as a twice-elected Mesa City Councilman. Kevin is a United States Air Force combat veteran, serving in Operation Desert Storm. As a small business owner, he has helped clients grow and expand their own businesses while bringing economic development to Arizona. Kevin was a co-founder of the Mesa Veterans Resource Center, an East Valley resource for veterans that helps with employment access, resume building, VA healthcare and benefits training, and mental health counseling.

In January 2023, Kevin was sworn into a four-year term as a Commissioner with the Arizona Corporation Commission. Immediately upon assuming office, Thompson stopped the utilities from building renewables using rate payer dollars and instead, forced private equity to invest if they wanted to build renewables in Arizona, effectively eliminating Green New Deal in Arizona. During his tenure, Kevin has cut over $1B from the utilities by eliminating wasteful spending. He also eliminated the Renewable Energy Standards and Tariffs (REST) subsidies as well as energy efficiency mandates that combined have cost rate payers over $3B since they were implemented in 2006. He currently represents Arizona on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the NARUC Electricity Committee, and the Critical Consumer Information Forum Advisory Council.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions, including 2025 Champion of the Year by the Arizona Manufacturers Council, United Food Bank Service Award, recognition as a Champion for the Southeast Business Group, and was awarded the Mesa Veteran Appreciation Award, to name a few. Kevin and his wife, Donna, have been married for over 37 years and have two adult children.

Statement:

I have always felt that Government today does not truly represent the people. For eight years as an elected official in Mesa, I fought for the citizens. For the past three years, I have fought for the consumers of Arizona to ensure they are protected and our energy grids remain reliable. As an America First and Arizona First Candidate, my positions are to…

* Total Elimination of Mandates and Subsidies
– Mandates and Subsidies are driving up our rates
* Continue to ensure our utilities invest in the most affordable and dependable generation to meet today and tomorrow’s growth
* Clear regulatory hurdles for new Energy technologies to come to Arizona – New technologies like micro-nuclear
* Transform the Commission into an efficient, well run organization
– Implement Business One Stop so it’s easier for entrepreneurs to start a business.
– Move rate case hearings in a timely manner to eliminate exuberant costs borne by ratepayers

Survey

Response Legend

SSupports
OOpposes
*Comment
−Declined to respond
†Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question	Response	Comments/Notes
1. Enacting state-level restrictions on firearm ownership beyond current Arizona law.	O*	I support the enforcement of existing laws and focusing on criminals, rather than adding new restrictions on legal gun owners. I also have concerns about due process and policies (like some red flag laws) that could remove firearms without strong legal safeguards. There needs to be greater focus on mental health, crime prevention, and cultural factors instead of firearm restrictions.
2. Adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in Arizona nondiscrimination statutes.	O*	There are discrimination protections already in place federally. I worked for several years with Cathi Herrod to modify or eliminate the NDO in Mesa in 2015 and again in 2021 when I was on Mesa's City Council. Once my red-line amendments were rebuked by the Mayor and my colleagues, I voted NO on the adoption of the NDO. I felt the City was chasing a problem that didn't exist, and that there were not enough protections in place for Mesa's citizens and businesses that may be accused of false discrimination, nor were there penalties for making false accusations.
3. Expanding state-level enforcement efforts to deter illegal border crossings.	S*	I believe the current Administration is doing a great job of enforcing and deterring illegal crossings, but in the absence of the federal government enforcing immigration laws, then the state should have the right to use all resources at its disposal to protect its citizens.
4. Prohibiting taxpayer funds from directly or indirectly funding abortion services, except where required by federal law.	S
5. Maintaining the universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program without limiting eligibility.	S
6. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide for individuals seeking end-of-life assistance, regardless of terminal illness.	S
7. Allowing licensed counselors to provide therapy to minors seeking to reduce or manage same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, with parental consent.	S*	Yes, licensed counselors should be allowed to provide such therapy, especially when parents consent and the minor is seeking it voluntarily, but with some important caveats. 1) Therapy should not involve force, shame-based practices, or harmful methods. 2) Counselors should be licensed and accountable to ethical guidelines. 3) Both the parents and the minor should understand what the therapy involves.
8. Increasing criminal penalties for the sale and distribution of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.	S*	Absolutely! There should be greater penalties for trafficking, large-scale distribution should be treated as a serious felony, our public safety and border patrol agents should have more resources to disrupt supply chains, and when a death is related to fentanyl, it should be treated as a homicide.
9. Requiring stronger age verification and parental consent protections for minors accessing social media platforms and downloading mobile applications.	S*	We need to ensure our minor children are protected from inappropriate online material. This could be done with age verification and parental consent protections for minors.
10. Increasing criminal penalties for individuals who purchase sex.	S*	Prostitution is not a victimless crime. The sex trade is closely tied to human trafficking, coercion, drug abuse, and organized crime. I spent my entire 8 years on the Mesa City Council fighting sex trafficking in Mesa, developing ordinances that gave law enforcement additional tools to go after store front brothels, and working with the massage parlor industry to root out the bad actors.
11. Requiring election procedures that ensure voter identification verification and ballot security.	S*	We must have secure and fair elections to rebuild trust in the process again.
12. Enacting a legislative referral that would ask voters to repeal Arizona Proposition 139, the constitutional right to abortion.	S*	Complex moral questions like abortion should remain open to public debate and legislative action, rather than being locked into constitutional language that is harder to amend.
13. Expanding current marijuana laws to increase accessibility to recreational marijuana for adults.	−*	Arizona already legalized recreational marijuana, and the current framework, though voter approved, was a one-sided compromise that allows adult use while maintaining guardrails. Expanding access further should place priority on safety and measured policy changes instead of rapid liberalization.