Chris Deschene for Arizona Secretary of State

About Chris

"Arizona has been my family’s home for generations. It’s where I’ve spent most of my life and where I will raise my children. I can’t imagine anything more important than doing my part to make sure Arizona excels in every way possible, including a strong economy, the best schools, and a respect for our history and way of life."

A True Arizonan, Invested in Our Future

Chris Deschene is a proud Arizonan and a member of the Navajo Nation. He was raised in Lechee, a small community in northern Arizona near Lake Powell. He graduated from Page High School in 1989 and, other than the years of his military service, has been a lifelong Arizona resident. Chris now resides in Window Rock with his wife, Shaun, and his two boys. He currently serves as State Representative in Arizona’s 2nd Legislative District.

A Legacy of Service

Chris’s grandfather served as a Navajo Codetalker during World War II and Chris was raised to value hard work, loyalty and service. Despite those who told him he couldn’t, Chris earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis.

After graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Chris served 10 years as an infantry and special forces reconnaissance officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served two tours overseas in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and acted as Executive Officer for his reconnaissance company, leading more than 160 Marines. He completed his service as a decorated officer with the rank of Major.

“My years in the military were a huge part of making me who I am today. It was there I learned what “leading from the front” really means, as well the true meaning of character, honor, and service. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t use something that I learned during those years.”

Academic Excellence

Chris was an exceptional student in high school and a member of the national Honor Society, earning him not only his spot in the Naval Academy, but acceptance at West Point and Princeton University as well. He chose Annapolis because of the quality of their engineering program. Even so, as his military service ended and he returned to Arizona, Chris faced his toughest academic challenge yet. As a graduate student, Chris committed to a rigorous joint degree program at Arizona State University where he simultaneously earned both a law degree and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in renewable and alternative energy development.

Successful Business Man, Public Servant, and Community Leader

Today, Chris is a State Legislator, Attorney, Engineer, and father of two. As co-founder of a successful law practice, he represents tribal and rural communities across the country, working to develop infrastructure for natural and energy resources, providing much needed economic development and jobs in communities that need it most.

Chris served as Chair of the Apache County Democratic Party from 2007 to 2008. At the time, the county was referred to as the “black hole” of Arizona Democratic politics with little or no organization. Due in large part to Chris’s efforts, Apache County “turned blue” in 2008, winning the county for President Barack Obama and the Congressional seat for Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick.

During his campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives, Chris faced a challenge to his nominating petitions that sought to take advantage of contradictions within Arizona’s election laws in order to disenfranchise rural PO Box voters by taking away their right to select and nominate their own candidates. The Secretary of State had the jurisdiction to step in and provide a solution for the discrepancy, but chose not to get involved. Chris didn’t hesitate to take the fight to court and won, protecting the rights of rural voters to participate and nominate their own candidates, regardless of their PO Box addresses.

As a State Representative, Chris has been a strong voice for his constituents in the midst of an uncooperative, Republican-controlled Legislature. He has sponsored or co-sponsored legislation to protect health insurance customers from being denied due to pre-existing conditions, increase protection for mental health benefits and for homeowners affected by foreclosures, establish a sustainable state parks fund, and require that state buildings and schools begin to shift toward green energy sources.

Most recently, Chris sponsored House Bill 2730 which would clarify the PO Box issue and protect voters’ rights as a matter of law. He also sponsored House Bill 2729 which sought to increase and define the technical qualifications for members of the committee who oversee Arizona’s electronic voting machines. HB 2729 recently passed out of the House with unanimous support and will soon be voted on by the Senate on its way to becoming law.

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