State Lawmaker, Critical Care Specialist, and Navy Veteran Served as Trauma Surgeon for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
March 25, 2021
PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund congratulated Dr. Randy Friese on entering the race to succeed Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick and represent Arizona’s second congressional district. Dr. Friese has previously served on the advisory board of 314 Action to support fellow scientists running for public office.
Dr. Friese is a veteran of the U.S. Navy Medical Corps and has served as a trauma surgeon, critical care specialist, and professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine since 2008. In 2011, Dr. Friese was in the operating room to care for victims of the Tucson mass shooting that injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Dr. Friese also currently serves in the Arizona House of Representatives. He served two terms as the chamber’s Assistant Democratic Leader and has consistently fought for science-based policy solutions to issues facing Arizonans.
314 Action president and founder Shaughnessy Naughton released the following statement on Dr. Randy Friese’s campaign announcement:
“From the operating room to the state legislature, Dr. Randy Friese has dedicated his life to science and followed through on that commitment to change countless lives for the better. Randy has proven a trailblazer for scientists who are similarly called to enter public service and use their expertise to advocate for evidence-based policymaking. We are very encouraged by his decision to enter the race for Arizona’s second congressional district.”
During the 2020 campaign cycle, Dr. Friese served as a surrogate for 314 Action Fund’s “Draft Mark Kelly” campaign to help raise $3 million and hundreds of thousands of signatures to encourage the now-senator to run for office.
In 2022, 314 Action Fund will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races, forty U.S. House races (including AZ-02), and twenty-one statewide races. In 2020, the organization spent $25 million on behalf of its endorsed candidates and raised a total of $5 million in grassroots donations for scientists running for office.
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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of nearly six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to key legislative districts. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.