Ken Cheuvront

Kenneth David Cheuvront /ˈʃɛvrɒnt/ (born 11 May 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona) [1] is a Democratic politician. Since 2002 he has served as Arizona State Senator for District 15, which centers on Phoenix.

Earlier he was elected to represent the 15th district in the State House of Representatives in 1994, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Arizona House of Representatives,[2] and held the seat until he was termed out in 2002. He was the Democratic Leader in that chamber in the 2001–02 session.

In 2002, he was elected to represent the district in the State Senate, winning the general election by a margin of 63% to 37%. He had previously run for the Senate in 1990, winning 44% of the primary election vote but losing to Chuck Blanchard. He won re-election in 2004 with 65% of the vote and in 2006 with 69%. He ran unopposed in 2008, and term limits will prevent him from seeking a fifth two-year term in 2010.

A supporter of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, Cheuvront was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.[3]

He is openly gay, and his campaigns have been supported by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. He is one of five openly LGBT members of the Arizona State Legislature, serving alongside Sen. Paula Aboud (D–Tucson), as well as Reps. Robert Meza (D–Phoenix), Kyrsten Sinema (D–Phoenix) and Matt Heinz (D–Tucson).[4] He is also a member of the Democratic Leadership Council.