News | 2018

October 24th, 2018

Jennifer Longdon Close to Securing Arizona State House Seat

By By Maureen Gazda, New Mobility Magazine

Jennifer Longdon, a Democratic candidate for the Arizona State House of Representatives, is widely expected to win in next month’s general election. And, since she is a T4 para, the Arizona State Capitol is probably about to see some significant accessibility upgrades.

“I was given a tour of the entire building and detailed notes were taken on what needed to be improved,” says Longdon. “I can only use one bathroom stall, so my goal is for them to eventually have wheelchair accessible bathrooms on every floor. By them just meeting with me and visually seeing the struggles I face trying to fit into a regular bathroom stall or seeing how my wheelchair won’t fit under all tables or desks, I’m really encouraged by the immediacy and broad support these issues have received.”

Though she is presumed to have clinched her seat in November’s general election — District 24 has leaned heavily Democratic in at least the previous three general elections — Longdon says she doesn’t dwell on winning, instead choosing to work hard showing her constituents that she is fighting for them.

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October 1, 2018

Presumptive lawmaker ushers in accessibility at the House

By Katie Campbell, Arizona Capital Times

Being a member of the minority party of the state House of Representatives isn’t the only obstacle that may keep Jennifer Longdon away from the speaker’s desk.

The presumptive Democratic member from Legislative District 24 made that observation at the foot of three steps leading up to the desk from the House floor. She uses a wheelchair, so those stairs render the dais inaccessible to her.

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“This is an issue of making sure that every Arizonan can access their government,” she said. “That’s the people’s house.”

The House minority staff compiled a list of recommended changes and shared them with their counterparts in the majority and Mesnard.

The list includes improvements like automatic security doors and a portable ramp that would make the speaker’s desk accessible. Mesnard immediately took a tour to see the proposed fixes for himself, and he approved the list that same day, bypassing the House Administration Committee and directing House staff to move forward with the state Department of Administration.

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August 31, 2018

Voters send some candidates from ‘varsity’ to the bench

By Paulina Pineda and Ben Giles, Arizona Capital Times

To stand up against legislative heavy hitters like House Speaker J.D. Mesnard or Sen. John Kavanagh, you need the varsity squad, Rep. Ken Clark told voters during a debate.

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Results in the August 28 primary showed experience isn’t everything.

Two political newcomers, Amish Shah and Jennifer Longdon, defeated Clark, a two-term lawmaker, in the Democratic primary in LD24. Unofficial results show that Clark fell short of the second spot in the Democratic primary by 703 votes.

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August 28, 2018

Newcomers take lead in LD24 House Dem primary

By Paulina Pineda, Arizona Capital Times

Two political newcomers ousted two-term lawmaker Rep. Ken Clark from the state Legislature.

First-time candidates Amish Shah and Jennifer Longdon received the most votes in the seven-way Democratic primary for the two House seats in Legislative District 24.<br><br>

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July 26, 2018

Overcoming adversity, LD 24 Candidate Jennifer Longdon has devoted herself to a life of public service based on compassion and human interests.

By David Gordon, BlogforArizona.net

Jennifer Longdon symbolizes what a person can do when he or she overcomes great adversity. A native of Chicago (she favors Deep Dish Pizza to New York Style), Ms. Longdon has lived in Arizona since 1999. A successful businesswoman and mother, she was the victim of a random shooting in 2004 that permanently paralyzed her from the waist down. The shooting financially ruined her with her health insurance dropping her coverage while she was in a medically induced coma. After recovering, Ms. Longdon dedicated her life to championing for the most neglected, “disenfranchised,” and persecuted minority group in the country, the disabled. In the course of becoming a public advocate for the disabled, Ms. Longdon became a champion for other social justice and progressive causes, including education, LGBTQ rights, reducing gun violence, and health care. Believing that she is the best candidate because of her life experience on health care and gun violence and her activism in those areas, she believes “legislating is an extension of the work I have been doing for a long time.”

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March 22, 2018

Democratic activists urge Gov. Ducey to take bigger steps toward gun safety

By Emily Richardson, Cronkite News

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[Jennifer] Longdon and Lawrence Robinson, a Phoenix City Council candidate, said the governor’s [Safe Arizona Schools] plan is a good first step, but bigger strides are needed. The state should implement universal background checks, raise the legal age to purchase firearms to 21 and institute a ban on military-grade weapons and extended magazines, they said.

They also proposed adding school counselors, setting up a judicial process to temporarily remove guns from people in the midst of a mental-health crisis and making sure crime victims have adequate resources.

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February 22, 2018

The enormous economic cost of gun violence

By Michelle Singletary, Washington Post

Michelle Singletary highlights the enormous cost resulting from Jennifer Longdon’s survival of gun violence.

January 30, 2018

Speaking From the Ground: Women's March Not Uplifting for Everyone

By Jennifer Longdon, Phoenix New Times

Jennifer recounts how she and other wheelchair users experienced the recent Women’s March.

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It was clear from the beginning, that the diversity that we were celebrating didn’t include ability — from the food-trucks blocking all of the wheelchair-accessible parking spaces, to the lack of access to the stage for my wheelchair. Even though I was a scheduled speaker, I learned 48 hours before the event that there would be no lift to get me to the podium. I spoke from the ground, behind the equipment. People with disabilities were reminded in subtle ways, and maybe not so subtle to us, that we were those people.
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