Some political candidates sadly seem to be defining themselves by perpetuating fear. That seems to be the case with one of Legislative District 23’s candidates for an Arizona House of Representatives seat. Fortunately, LD23 has a candidate in Eric Kurland who is demanding a return of science to help keep citizens safe, advocating for health care coverage for preexisting conditions, funding our schools, proposing clean and renewable energy to address a climate-change crisis, and making sure citizens have their voices heard. This means that when community elected officials act based on the will of their constituents, they can do so without threat of state overreach.

We saw obscene overreach in 2016 when Phoenix, Tucson and Tempe elected officials acted on behalf of their constituents to ban their cities’ commercial pet stores from selling puppy mill puppies in favor of a humane adoption model, only to have the state legislative majority overturn these bans. Kurland, who is endorsed by the Humane Voters of Arizona, believes in animal welfare and local control. If Arizonans want to end the sourcing and selling of puppy mill puppies in the state, as I do, we need elected officials such as Kurland who will denounce an economy built on animal cruelty.

“Our family has two rescue dogs and I couldn’t imagine life without their unconditional love,” said Kurland, when I reached out to him about animal welfare in our state. “I vehemently oppose puppy mills and any business or operation that sources animals from such mills. And I will work in support of local control and returning the right to Arizona’s cities and citizens to ban these stores from their communities. No state should invest in animal cruelty.”

Eric Kurland is willing to go to bat for your family, of the two- and four-legged variety.