Anna Tovar


Anna Tovar is an American politician who currently serves as the Mayor of Tolleson, Arizona, and is a former State Senator representing the 19th district; she was also previously a State Representative. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Personal life and education

Tovar was raised in Tolleson, Arizona, where she met her husband, Juan Carlos Tovar. Tovar earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University. Before going into politics, Tovar taught kindergarten and first grade. She and her husband have two children.
In 2002, Tovar was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, which required her to undergo chemotherapy and two bone-marrow transplants from her brother.

Political career

Before being elected to the Arizona legislature, Tovar served on the Tolleson City Council and was also Tolleson's Vice Mayor.
Tovar was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010. Tovar was elected to the Arizona Senate in 2012; she serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Judiciary Committee. She is the Senate Democratic Minority Leader.
Tovar supports raising education spending, reforming the tax code, stopping the expansion of private prisons, and instituting stronger restrictions on gifts to legislators.
Tovar has been affiliated with JAG-Jobs for Arizona Graduates, WiLL/WAND- Women's Actions for New Directions, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and the National Hispanic Caucus for State Legislators.