Former state Sen. Sine Kerr is running alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs to become Arizona's first-ever lieutenant governor.
The Buckeye native comes from an expansive background in agriculture. She and her husband ran a dairy farm for more than 40 years in the west Valley district she represented at the state Legislature. Kerr will now join Biggs on the campaign trail in hopes of defeating Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.
Most recently, Kerr was tapped by the Trump administration to serve as the state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Arizona.
Her father is a U.S. Army veteran, and her mother immigrated to the United States from Sonora, Mexico. She and her husband, Bill,
have four children and 12 grandchildren.
What is Sine Kerr's political background?
Kerr was picked to replace a vacant state Senate seat in 2018 after Steve Montenegro ran for Congress. She was reelected three times before choosing not to run in 2024. She served in legislative districts 13 and 25, which include parts of Buckeye, Surprise and Yuma.
Kerr served as the Senate majority whip and chairman of the Natural Resources, Energy, and Water Committee, giving her significant influence over the state's agricultural policies. She was briefly a member of Hobbs' water policy council in 2023 before stepping down over concerns that the group existed to approve progressive policies that she said hurt farmers.
During her time in the legislature, Kerr sponsored a bill helping create the Arizona Healthy Forest Initiative, a program that employs inmates to clear debris from the state's forests in hopes of preventing wildfires.
She was the prime sponsor of abill looking to codify several definitions relating to sex and gender in a way that excluded transgender people. The bill, which Kerr dubbed the "Arizona Women's Bill of Rights," was vetoed by Hobbs. In 2021, Kerr introduced legislation that would have made it a felony for a physician to perform anabortion if the fetal heartbeat could be detected. The bill later stalled in the Senate.
Before joining the state Senate, Kerr held leadership roles within the Arizona Farm Bureau and the Buckeye Chamber of Commerce.
What will Arizona's lieutenant governor do?
After voters approved the position in 2022, the lieutenant governor serves as the next in line to replace the governor. Previously, the secretary of state would succeed the governor if they cannot perform their duties.
The governor can also appoint the lieutenant governor to head the Department of Administration, take on the role of chief of staff or serve in any other position within the governor's purview. Kerr would likely be picked to lead the Arizona Department of Agriculture, according to Biggs' campaign.
Reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.
Helen Rummel covers state politics and higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Sine Kerr? What to know about Andy Biggs' running mate
