Carolyn McCorkle
The Sun Lakes Republican Club will feature “The Rule of Law and Education Policy,” with speakers Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen and Matthew Beienburg, at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in the Navajo Room of Sun Lakes Country Club, 25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd., Sun Lakes, AZ 85248. You will also meet State Representative Jeff Weininger, candidate for Chandler City Mayor. The public is invited. Please bring your friends and neighbors! Our mission is “Education for an Informed Electorate.” Light desserts will be provided for your enjoyment.
Warren Petersen has been a member of the Arizona Legislature since 2012, initially being elected to the Arizona House. He was elected to the Senate in 2016 and has been serving as Senate President since 2023. His current campaign for Attorney General emphasizes standing up for the rule of law, supporting law enforcement, and protecting Arizona families.
Petersen has sponsored and supported numerous bills focused on limited government, fiscal conservatism, and individual rights. Notable legislation includes SB 1138, which prohibited gender-affirming surgeries for minors, and SB 1165, which restricted transgender students’ participation in school sports based on their sex assigned at birth. In 2024 he led efforts to defend Arizona’s voter registration law requiring documentary proof of citizenship, which the Supreme Court partially upheld.
Petersen is a third-generation resident of Gilbert, Ariz. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University (ASU) and a Juris Doctor from ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. He has worked in the real estate industry for over 20 years, owning a brokerage for over a decade. Warren has received numerous awards for his legislative work, including recognition as Legislator of the Year by the NFIB, Top Scoring Legislator by the Arizona Conservative Coalition, and Free Market Champion by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club.
Matt Beienburg is the Director of Education Policy at the Goldwater Institute. He also serves as director of the institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy. Published in local and national outlets, Matt’s work focuses on promoting educational freedom, parental rights, and greater civic appreciation of America’s founding principles. In January, Beienburg authored Billions for DEI in Higher Ed: The Cost of Indoctrination, “How DEI Mandates in Higher Ed Cost Students & Taxpayers Billions & What Lawmakers Can Do About It.”
Prior to joining Goldwater, Matt served as a senior analyst at the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) where he regularly drafted fiscal estimates and briefed members of the state legislature on major policy initiatives in K-12 and higher education. A native of Arizona, Matt earned a bachelor’s in economics from Claremont McKenna College, graduating summa cum laude, and a master’s in public affairs from Princeton.
We endeavor to invite all Republican candidates to attend our meetings so you will have the opportunity to meet them before the 2026 primary. For more information, visit our website www.SunLakesRepublicanClub.org or contact Mike Tennant at 262-880-4620.