{{Short description|American politician (born 1973)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Kirk Adams |image = Kirk Adams by Gage Skidmore.jpg |office = Chief of Staff to the {{nowrap|Governor of Arizona}} |governor = Doug Ducey |term_start = January 5, 2015 |term_end = December 18, 2018 |predecessor = Scott Smith |successor = Daniel Scarpinato |office1 = 50th Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives |term_start1 = January 12, 2009 |term_end1 = April 29, 2011 |predecessor1 = James Weiers |successor1 = Andy Tobin |state_house2 = Arizona |district2 = 19th |term_start2 = March 2006 |term_end2 = April 29, 2011 |predecessor2 = Chuck Gray |successor2 = Justin Pierce |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|2|2}} |birth_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican |spouse = JaNae Adams |education = University of Phoenix (BS) }} '''Kirk Adams''' (born February 2, 1973) is an American politician who served as the 50th Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Arizona State Representative for the 19th district from 2006 to 2011. Adams also served as Chief of Staff to Governor Doug Ducey from 2015 until 2018.
==Early life and education== Adams was born in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona in 1991. He served a mission on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2017/09/05/kirk-adams-longtime-chief-of-staff-loves-complexity-of-role/|title=Kirk Adams: Longtime chief of staff loves complexity of role – Arizona Capitol Times|last=Leingang|first=Rachel|website=azcapitoltimes.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-30}}</ref>
==Political career== ===Arizona State Legislature=== Adams was first elected to the Arizona State Legislature in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kirkadams2012.com/kirk-adams/ |title=About |publisher=Kirkadams2012.com |access-date=October 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203032644/http://www.kirkadams2012.com/kirk-adams/# |archive-date=December 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he endorsed legislation which resulted in the largest permanent tax cut in Arizona history. As Speaker, he took on public-employee unions, authoring legislation to reform Arizona's pension system for public employees by raising the retirement age, eliminating cost of living adjustments, preventing employees from receiving a pension while working, reducing benefits for elected officials and requiring police officers, firefighters, elected officials and corrections employees to pay more for their pensions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/02/08/20110208arizona-bill-pension-reform.html |title=New Arizona bill aims at pension reform |first=Craig|last=Harris |date=February 8, 2011|publisher=Arizona Republic |access-date=October 25, 2011}}</ref> He chose not to take part in the elected officials retirement plan himself, earning him recognition from the National Taxpayers Union.
As Speaker, Adams supported Arizona's immigration reform bill and solicited outside funding to defend the measure in court.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/020211_1070_leg/bill-would-allow-legislative-leaders-join-sb-1070-legal-fight/ |title=Bill would allow legislative leaders to join SB 1070 legal fight |first=Lauren|last=Gambino |date=February 2, 2011 |publisher=Tucson Sentinel |access-date=October 25, 2011}}</ref>
===2012 congressional campaign=== {{see also|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona#District 5}} In the spring of 2011, Adams resigned from office to announce that he would run in 2012 for Congress in Arizona's 5th congressional district, after redistricting, the seat left open by Jeff Flake. He was then defeated by former U.S. Representative Matt Salmon in the primary.
A few weeks after losing the primary, Adams became president of Americans for Responsible Leadership,<ref>[http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Americans_for_Responsible_Leadership Americans for Responsible Leadership]</ref> a political lobbying non-profit 501(c)(4). Adams has claimed as one of his responsibilities the allocation of funds<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberts |first=Laurie |url=https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/11/02/20121102roberts1103-closed-clubs-cash-piles-up-vs-open-primary.html |title=Closed club's cash piles up vs. open primary |publisher=Azcentral.com |date=November 3, 2012 |access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref> and directed $750,000 spent opposing Arizona Proposition 204<ref>[http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Arizona_Sales_Tax_Renewal_Amendment,_Proposition_204_%282012%29 Proposition 204]</ref> and $450,000 against Proposition 121.<ref>[http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Arizona_Top-Two_Primary_Initiative,_Proposition_121_%282012%29 Proposition_121]</ref> Under Adams's direction, Americans for Responsible Leadership funneled a total of $11 million given by undisclosed sources via Americans for Job Security and the Center to Protect Patient Rights<ref>[http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/26-4683543/center-protect-patient-rights.aspx Center to Protect Patient Rights]</ref> to groups in California who used the money to oppose California's Proposition 30 and support the anti-union Proposition 32. Proposition 30 won and Proposition 32 was defeated; California's Attorney General announced considering a money laundering investigation against Americans for Responsible Leadership and those that directed its funds.<ref>[http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/11/01/secret-money-targets-2-arizona-propositions/ ]{{dead link|date=April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Yamamura |first=Kevin |url=http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/11/fppc-accuses-arizona-nonprofit-of-money-laundering.html |title=Capitol Alert: FPPC says Arizona nonprofit laundered money to CA campaign |publisher=Blogs.sacbee.com |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402085928/http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/11/fppc-accuses-arizona-nonprofit-of-money-laundering.html# |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Sacr%20County%20FPPC%20V%20ARL%20Final%20order-%201031.pdf |title=SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, MINUTE ORDER |publisher=Blogs.sacbee.com |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428011417/http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Sacr%20County%20FPPC%20V%20ARL%20Final%20order-%201031.pdf# |archive-date=April 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/california-11-million-campaign-donation_n_2078917.html |title=California's $11 Million Campaign Donation Source Tied To Koch Brothers, Research Reveals |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date= November 5, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref>
===Chief of Staff to the Governor of Arizona=== On December 2, 2014, Governor-elect Doug Ducey announced that Adams, who was already a co-chair of Ducey's transition committee would become his chief of staff. Ducey said, "Kirk's accomplishments, talent and knowledge are second-to-none" and "his record as a policy leader, consensus-builder and budget expert will assist in my efforts to work closely with the Legislature to balance the budget, and put in place policies that encourage job creation and economic growth. I have the utmost confidence in Kirk and I am very pleased he will serve as my chief of staff."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/12/02/ducey-taps-former-house-speaker-lead-staff/19813855/ |title=Ducey taps former House speaker to lead staff |last=Pitzl |first=Mary Jo |date=December 2, 2014 |website=AZCentral |access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref>
Adams was said to be a leading contender to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by the late Senator John McCain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/26/us/politics/john-mccain-trump-replacement.html|title=Arizona Governor Faces a Tough Choice: A Senator Made From McCain's Mold or Trump's|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/26/politics/replacing-john-mccain-arizona/index.html|title=How Arizona will fill John McCain's seat -- and who might fill it|first=Eric |last=Bradner|work=CNN|access-date=2018-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2018/08/26/what-happens-john-mccain-senate-seat/|title=What Will Happen to John McCain's Senate Seat?|work=Fortune|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Adams and his wife JaNae live in Mesa and have six children.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=36&Legislature=50&Session_ID=102#bio |title=Kirk Adams biography |publisher=Arizona State Legislature |access-date=October 25, 2011 |archive-date=October 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015191252/http://azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=36&Legislature=50&Session_ID=102#bio |url-status=dead }}</ref> Adams is a Latter-day Saint.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/mormons-now-issue-in-gay-vows/article_483fa165-8b40-53c5-b84c-b556b340d6fd.html|title=Mormons now issue in gay vows|last=STAR|first=Daniel Scarpinato ARIZONA DAILY|work=Arizona Daily Star|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} * [http://azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=36&Legislature=50&Session_ID=102 Official Arizona House of Representatives website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222103117/http://www.azleg.gov/MembersPage.asp?Member_ID=36&Legislature=50&Session_ID=102 |date=February 22, 2011 }} * {{C-SPAN|9275900}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=James Weiers}} {{s-ttl|title=Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives|years=2008–2011}} {{s-aft|after=Andy Tobin}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Kirk}} Category:1973 births Category:Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives Category:Chiefs of staff to the governor of Arizona Category:Latter Day Saints from Arizona Category:Living people Category:Speakers of the Arizona House of Representatives Category:Politicians from Mesa, Arizona Category:Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona Category:University of Phoenix alumni Category:21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature