Talk:Reginald Bolding

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Nathaniel o agbude. Nathaniel o agbude (talk) 21:42, 15 July 2022 (UTC)

Request for comprehensive update to article

Hello,

I am Reginald Bolding, the subject of this article. I am disclosing my conflict of interest and, rather than making substantial edits to the article myself, I am requesting that independent Wikipedia editors review the proposed changes below.

The existing article appears to be significantly outdated. It contains descriptions of legislative positions that I no longer hold, does not reflect much of my eight-year tenure in the Arizona House of Representatives, omits portions of my education, provides limited information about my service as House Minority Whip and House Minority Leader, and provides little information about my career after leaving elected office.

I have attempted to prepare a proposed revision using neutral, encyclopedic language and relying primarily on government records and independent news organizations, including the Arizona Legislature, Arizona State Library, KJZZ, Cronkite News/AZPBS, Arizona Mirror, Axios, KTAR and other established sources.

The principal changes I am requesting include: 1) Updating the lead to reflect my service in the Arizona House from 2015 to 2023, including service as House Minority Whip and House Minority Leader. 2) Updating my education to include my graduate education at Arizona State University. 3) Expanding the legislative section to provide appropriately sourced information about significant areas of my legislative work, including:

• sponsorship of the legislation recognizing Juneteenth in Arizona;
• education policy and education funding;
• changes to the Arizona Driver License Manual concerning interactions between motorists and law enforcement;
• law-enforcement accountability proposals;
• service as House Minority Whip and Minority Leader;
• participation in negotiations concerning the bipartisan FY2023 state budget;
• Arizona's 2022 water-infrastructure legislation; and
• advocacy concerning the Aggregate Expenditure Limit affecting Arizona public schools.

4) Expanding the article's coverage of my 2022 campaign for Arizona Secretary of State. 5) Updating the article to reflect my post-legislative participation in Arizona public affairs and political commentary, including appearances on KJZZ's Friday NewsCap and Arizona's Family's Politics Unplugged.

I have intentionally excluded some professional and organizational activities for which independent secondary sourcing may not currently be sufficient for inclusion.

Because I am the subject of the article, I would appreciate an independent editor reviewing the proposed replacement text and sources rather than my directly replacing the existing article.

Thank you for your consideration. Rbolding (talk) 16:50, 12 August 2026 (UTC)

As referenced in my request above, I have prepared proposed replacement text with inline citations for independent editor review. I am providing it as proposed language only and am not requesting that it be adopted verbatim. I welcome any changes necessary to comply with Wikipedia's neutrality, sourcing, due-weight and biographical policies.

:'''Reginald Bolding Jr.''' is an American educator, political commentator and former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician who served as a member of the [[Arizona House of Representatives]] from 2015 to 2023, representing [[Arizona's 27th legislative district|Legislative District 27]]. He served as [[Minority leader|House Minority Leader]] from 2021 to 2023 and previously served as House Minority Whip.<ref name="AZLibrary">{{cite web |title=Reginald Bolding, Jr. |url=https://apps.azlibrary.gov/officials/Legislators/Person/1623 |website=Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records |publisher=Arizona Secretary of State |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:During his legislative tenure, Bolding worked on education funding, voting and election policy, civil rights and law-enforcement accountability. He sponsored legislation establishing Juneteenth as a state-recognized observance in Arizona and worked with state agencies to add traffic-stop guidance to the Arizona Driver License Manual.<ref name="JuneteenthLaw">{{cite web |title=House Bill 2226, Chapter 40 |url=https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/52leg/2r/laws/0040.htm |website=Arizona State Legislature |date=March 17, 2016 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref><ref name="CronkiteDriver">{{cite news |last=Benincaso |first=Chris |title=Arizona driver's manual now includes information for staying safe during traffic stop |url=https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/07/28/arizona-drivers-manual-tells-motorists-how-to-stay-safe-during-a-traffic-stop/ |work=Cronkite News |date=July 28, 2017 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref> As House Minority Leader, he supported the bipartisan fiscal year 2023 state budget and was involved in legislative debates over education and water policy.<ref name="KJZZBudget">{{cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Steve |title=Rep. Bolding parses out Arizona's new bipartisan budget |url=https://www.kjzz.org/2022-06-28/content-1791136-rep-bolding-parses-out-arizonas-new-bipartisan-budget |work=KJZZ |date=June 28, 2022 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:Bolding was a candidate for [[Arizona Secretary of State]] in 2022, losing the Democratic primary to [[Adrian Fontes]].<ref name="AZMirrorSOS">{{cite news |last=Duda |first=Jeremy |title=Bolding running for secretary of state, will face Fontes in Dem primary |url=https://azmirror.com/briefs/bolding-running-for-secretary-of-state-will-face-fontes-in-dem-primary/ |work=Arizona Mirror |date=June 14, 2021 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:== Early life and education ==
:Bolding earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international security and criminal justice from the [[University of Cincinnati]] in 2008. He later attended [[Arizona State University]], where he earned a master's degree in special education in 2010 and a Doctor of Education degree in 2015.<ref name="AZLibrary" />
:Before entering the legislature, Bolding worked in education, including as a teacher.<ref name="AZLibrary" />
:== Arizona House of Representatives ==
:=== Elections and leadership ===
:Bolding was first elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2014 to represent Legislative District 27. He subsequently won reelection in 2016, 2018 and 2020, serving four terms.<ref name="AZLibrary" /><ref name="AZMirrorSOS" />
:Following the 2018 election, Bolding served as House Minority Whip. Following the 2020 election, he became House Minority Leader for the 55th Arizona Legislature.<ref name="AZLibrary" /> He served as minority leader until leaving the legislature in January 2023.
:=== Civil rights and Juneteenth ===
:In 2016, Bolding sponsored [[Arizona House Bill 2226]], which established June 19 as Juneteenth Day in Arizona.<ref name="JuneteenthLaw" /> The legislation was approved by Governor [[Doug Ducey]] on March 17, 2016. The law established Juneteenth as a state-recognized observance but specified that it was not a legal holiday.<ref name="JuneteenthLaw" />
:=== Education policy ===
:Education funding was a recurring focus of Bolding's legislative work. By 2018, he was the ranking Democratic member of the House Education Committee.<ref name="CronkiteRed">{{cite news |last=McCrory |first=Chris |title=#RedForEd teachers demand 20 percent salary hike, more money for education |url=https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2018/03/28/redfored-teachers-demand-salary-satisfaction-at-capitol-rally/ |work=Cronkite News |date=March 28, 2018 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:During Arizona's 2018 [[2018 Arizona teachers' strike|#RedForEd movement]], Bolding called for increased state revenue to address education funding and teacher compensation.<ref name="CronkiteRed" />
:As House Minority Leader, Bolding supported the final bipartisan fiscal year 2023 state budget after negotiations between Republican and Democratic lawmakers.<ref name="KJZZBudget" /> The agreement included nearly $600 million in new permanent funding for public schools, including additional funding for low-income students and special education.<ref name="AZMirrorBudget">{{cite news |title=Bipartisan budget boosts school funding, state employee pay raises, transportation |url=https://azmirror.com/2022/06/23/bipartisan-budget-boosts-school-funding-state-employee-pay-raises-transportation/ |work=Arizona Mirror |date=June 23, 2022 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:Later in 2022, Bolding and other Democratic legislative leaders called for lawmakers to override Arizona's [[Aggregate Expenditure Limit]], a constitutional spending cap that threatened to prevent school districts from spending approximately $1.3 billion that had already been allocated to them.<ref name="AZMirrorAEL">{{cite news |last=Sievers |first=Caitlin |title=Democrats urge Republicans to keep promise, lift cap that will stop schools from spending $1 billion |url=https://azmirror.com/2022/09/15/democrats-urge-republicans-to-keep-promise-lift-cap-that-will-stop-schools-from-spending-1-billion/ |work=Arizona Mirror |date=September 15, 2022 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:=== Law-enforcement policy ===
:Law-enforcement accountability was another area of Bolding's legislative work. During his legislative tenure, he proposed measures concerning police body cameras and independent investigations of police uses of force.
:In 2017, Bolding worked with officials from the [[Arizona Department of Transportation]], [[Arizona Department of Public Safety]] and local law-enforcement agencies to revise the Arizona Driver License Manual to include guidance for motorists during traffic stops.<ref name="CronkiteDriver" /> The revised manual included recommendations concerning communication and conduct during encounters with law enforcement.<ref name="ADOTManual">{{cite web |title=Updated Arizona Driver License Manual now available online |url=https://azdot.gov/news/updated-arizona-driver-license-manual-now-available-online |website=Arizona Department of Transportation |date=July 18, 2017 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:In 2021, Bolding sponsored HB 2765, which proposed requiring investigations of fatal uses of force by law-enforcement officers to be conducted by an outside law-enforcement agency, the Arizona Attorney General or a county attorney from another county.<ref name="HB2765">{{cite web |title=HB 2765: law enforcement; deadly force; investigations |url=https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/1R/summary/H.HB2765_021521_CJR.DOCX.htm |website=Arizona State Legislature |date=2021 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:=== Voting and election policy ===
:Bolding opposed several Republican-sponsored changes to Arizona election law following the 2020 presidential election. His work on voting and election policy became a central theme of his subsequent campaign for Secretary of State.<ref name="AZMirrorSOS" />
:=== Budget and water policy ===
:During Bolding's final year as House Minority Leader, Republican and Democratic legislators reached agreement on a bipartisan state budget. Bolding supported the final agreement, which KJZZ described as the state's first "truly bipartisan" budget since the administration of Governor [[Janet Napolitano]].<ref name="KJZZBudget" />
:The agreement included significant increases in public-school funding as well as spending on infrastructure and other state priorities.<ref name="AZMirrorBudget" />
:Bolding was also involved in legislative discussions surrounding Arizona's 2022 water-infrastructure legislation. The legislation expanded the [[Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona]] and created a $1 billion fund for projects intended to increase the state's water supply.<ref name="WaPoWater">{{cite news |title=Amid drought, Arizona to study project that pipes in water from Mexico |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/23/arizona-mexico-water-pipeline-project/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 23, 2022 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref> Bolding subsequently served as a nonvoting member of the authority's expanded board.<ref name="WaPoWater" />
:Bolding left the Arizona House in January 2023 after eight years in office.
:== Civic engagement ==
:Bolding served as co-executive director of the Arizona Coalition for Change and Our Voice, Our Vote Arizona, organizations involved in civic engagement and voter participation.<ref name="AZMirrorSOS" />
:His work on voting rights and voter engagement formed part of the experience he emphasized during his 2022 campaign for Secretary of State.<ref name="AZMirrorSOS" />
:== 2022 Arizona Secretary of State campaign ==
:In June 2021, Bolding announced his candidacy for [[Arizona Secretary of State]].<ref name="AZMirrorSOS" /> He emphasized voting rights, election administration and his legislative work on election policy during the campaign.<ref name="AZMirrorSOS" />
:Former Maricopa County Recorder [[Adrian Fontes]] became his opponent for the Democratic nomination.
:Fontes defeated Bolding in the August 2, 2022 Democratic primary. According to the certified statewide canvass, Fontes received 302,681 votes, or 52.50 percent, while Bolding received 273,815 votes, or 47.50 percent.<ref name="AZSOSResults">{{cite web |title=2022 Primary Election Canvass |url=https://azsos.gov/elections/election-information/2022-election-information/2022-primary-election-canvass |website=Arizona Secretary of State |date=August 22, 2022 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref> Fontes subsequently won the general election.
:== Political commentary ==
:After leaving the Arizona Legislature, Bolding became a recurring participant in Arizona political media discussions.
:He has appeared multiple times on KJZZ's ''Friday NewsCap'', a roundtable discussion of Arizona politics and public policy. His appearances have included discussions of state budgets, elections, legislation and other political issues.<ref name="KJZZ2023">{{cite news |last=Brodie |first=Mark |title=NewsCap: Abortion-related executive order not going over well with Arizona county attorneys |url=https://www.kjzz.org/2023-07-07/content-1851465-newscap-abortion-related-executive-order-not-going-over-well-arizona-county |work=KJZZ |date=July 7, 2023 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref><ref name="KJZZ2026">{{cite news |last=Brodie |first=Mark |title=KJZZ's Friday NewsCap: Arizona's 2026 budget talks have their first big blowup |url=https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2026-03-27/newscap-arizonas-2026-budget-talks-have-their-first-big-blowup |work=KJZZ |date=March 27, 2026 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:Bolding has also appeared on Arizona's Family's ''Politics Unplugged'' in political roundtable discussions.<ref name="PoliticsUnplugged2025">{{cite web |title=Trump's Cuts and Arizona's Immigration Debate | Politics Unplugged |url=https://www.azfamily.com/video/2025/03/12/trumps-cuts-arizonas-immigration-debate-politics-unplugged/ |website=Arizona's Family |date=March 12, 2025 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref><ref name="PoliticsUnplugged2026">{{cite web |title=Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) July 5, 2026 |url=https://www.azfamily.com/video/2026/07/05/politics-unplugged-full-episode-july-5-2026/ |website=Arizona's Family |date=July 5, 2026 |access-date=August 14, 2026}}</ref>
:== Electoral history ==
:=== 2022 Arizona Secretary of State Democratic primary ===
:{| class="wikitable"
:|-
:! Candidate
:! Votes
:! %
:|-
:| [[Adrian Fontes]]
:| 302,681
:| 52.50
:|-
:| '''Reginald Bolding'''
:| 273,815
:| 47.50
:|-
:! Total
:! 576,496
:! 100.00
:|}
:<ref name="AZSOSResults" />
:== References ==
:{{Reflist}}
:== External links ==
:* [https://apps.azlibrary.gov/officials/Legislators/Person/1623 Reginald Bolding] at the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
:

Rbolding (talk) 00:31, 15 August 2026 (UTC)

• Rbolding You're more likely to get a speedier review of this request if you propose incremental changes, one or two at a time. Smaller requests take less time to review, increasing the chances of a more timely review. I would suggest that you narrow down your request to the first two things you would like to see done. 331dot (talk) 11:24, 21 August 2026 (UTC)