Debbie Lesko

Debra Kay Lesko (née Lorenz; born November 14, 1958) is an American politician who has represented AZ's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018.

The district is in the West Valley portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area and includes Glendale, Surprise, Sun City, Peoria, and part of western Phoenix.

She received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moved to Arizona in the 1980s, where she owned a construction sales business.

In 1985, she married Jeffrey Allen Ignas.

In 1988, Lesko was charged with a misdemeanor in Conroe, Texas, for tampering with government records.

Also in 1988, Lesko's then-husband Jeffrey Allen Ignas was sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud.

He was released from prison in 1992.

In October 1992, Lesko and Ignas filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection.

The couple was sued twice in 1993: for failure to pay a $10,000 rental equipment bill and for an additional unpaid $11,000 bill.

They filed for bankruptcy again that year.

Ignas was allegedly abusive to Lesko, reportedly punching her in the stomach when she was pregnant.

Later in 1993, Lesko filed for divorce.

The case was dropped in 1994.

In 1994 the second bankruptcy protection case was closed.

Ignas, now known as Jeffrey Allen Herald, was again incarcerated at the Arizona Department of Corrections, and released in June 2022 on supervised probation.

Lesko later married Joe Lesko.

She has used other names, including Debbie Harris, Debra Ignas, Debra Schultz, Debra Howard and Debra Kay Lorenz.

Her name changes were associated with Ignas, who also went by different names.

In the early 2000s, Lesko became involved in the Peoria Unified School District where she served on the district's community committee.

In 2006, she ran for school board.

Lesko was endorsed by U.S. Representative Trent Franks.

She placed fourth out of five candidates.

She participated in school board meetings and was a contributor to The Arizona Republic.

Her contributions to the newspaper included opinion pieces about illegal immigration and domestic violence.

On November 4, 2008, Lesko was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

A member of the Republican Party, Lesko previously served in the Arizona State Legislature from 2009 to 2018.

Lesko also served as a member of Arizona House of Representatives from 2009 until 2015.

She was reelected in 2010 and 2012.

In 2014, Lesko was elected to the Arizona State Senate.

She was endorsed by the Arizona Police Association, AZ Right to Life, and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

She ran unopposed in the Republican primary and defeated Democratic nominee Carolyn Vasko in the general election.

Lesko served in the Arizona Senate from 2015 to 2018.

In 2016, she ran unopposed in the primary and general election.

She was president pro tempore of the Arizona Senate from 2017 to 2018.

On December 20, 2017, Lesko announced she would run in the special election to replace Representative Trent Franks, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.

She became the Representative for Arizona's 8th congressional district after winning a 2018 special election.

In October 2023, Lesko announced she would not seek reelection in 2024.

She later announced a run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors representing District 4.

Lesko was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Her parents are Donald and Delores Lorenz.