Eric Meyer

"Investing in our kids must be our state’s first priority. Since the beginning of the recession, our state legislature has cut billions from our public schools, resulting in a serious teacher shortage and some of the largest class sizes in the nation. Funding for our state universities has been reduced, resulting in tuition hikes of over 80%, and funding has been eliminated for community colleges in Maricopa and Pima Counties.

"We must continue to diversify our economy. I am an advocate for economic sectors that have sustainable, long-term potential, such as high-tech and biotech businesses. Our universities must remain world-class centers for research that also prepare our students for 21st Century jobs; only with an educated workforce, will companies choose to relocate here. As our economy continues to recover, we must invest in Arizona’s infrastructure, which will help to promote economic development in all parts of our state, and develop innovative job training programs for Arizonans of all ages. I support improved access in our schools and universities to STEM classes in science, technology, engineering, and math, and I support both tax incentives for targeted research and development, and investments in renewable sources of energy."

"I have introduced legislation the last several sessions that would ban all gifts by lobbyists to Arizona’s elected officials. No more free trips. No more free tickets. No more free lunches. Our votes shouldn’t be for sale. I believe that all politicians should report all political contributions and their sources. I am opposed to so-called "dark money." We need transparency in who is donating how much to whose campaign. It’s time we take back the power from out-of-state special interest groups and put it back in the hands of Arizona’s citizens."

After reaching his term limit in the Arizona House of Representatives, Meyer announced his run for Arizona State Senate in the 2016 general election on October 6, 2016.

Meyer ran and won as a write-in candidate during the 2008 Democratic Primary Election for Arizona State Representative in District 11. He went on to win the general election and first assumed office in 2009. Meyer has been an outspoken supporter of restoring public education funds which were severely cut in Arizona following the Great Recession. Re-elected three times since, Meyer was nominated as Democratic Leader by his Caucus in 2014. He has served on Government, Transportation, and Education committees in previous legislative sessions and currently serves on both the Health and Appropriations committees.

When his children entered public school, Meyer joined the board of the Scottsdale Parent Council. Shortly afterwards he began his involvement in legislative politics while serving as Legislative Liaison for the organization. As his kids continued to progress through the Scottsdale, AZ public education system, Meyer continued to scale up his involvement, eventually running for and winning a seat on the Scottsdale School Board in 2004 where he served for eight years.

Meyer served as Director of Emergency Medicine at Providence Medical Center until returning to Arizona in late 1996. Meyer moved back to Arizona where Sarah began practicing medicine at Mayo Clinic. Meyer spent the following year remodeling their newly purchased home in Paradise Valley, AZ and taking care of their two young children. When his daughter Sophie was 3 years old she was enrolled in pre-school at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix and Meyer joined the board of the program.

Eric met his wife Sarah Snell while attending medical school and both earned their Medical Doctorates in 1988. During medical school, the couple spent two months working in the field in New Guinea where they witnessed third-world medicine and the violence of tribal warfare first-hand. The two were married shortly after graduation in May 1988. Meyer's post-graduate training was in Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University and afterwards practiced as an Emergency Medicine Physician at Providence Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. Meyer's daughter, Sophie, was born in 1994 and his son, Clay, was born in 1996. Snell specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center. His daughter, Sophie Meyer, earned her undergraduate degree in Physics Engineering and is pursuing her master's degree in Material Engineering at Stanford University. His son, Clay Meyer, is studying for his undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.

Eric Meyer (born 1961) is a former member of the Arizona House of Representatives. He served in the legislature for four consecutive two-year terms since first elected in the 2008 general election and served as Minority Leader from 2014 until 2016. Prior to becoming politically active, Meyer was Director of Emergency Medicine at Providence Medical Center in Portland, Oregon.

Eric Meyer was born in August, 1961. Meyer attended public schools in Scottsdale, AZ starting at Cocopah Elementary School and graduating high school in 1979 from Chaparral High School,. He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Southern California. Discovering his passion for medicine while working at a neighborhood clinic, he returned to Arizona to pursue his medical degree from University of Arizona Medical School.