Thomas "T.J." Shope
Republican · AZ · Arizona State Senator, District 16
T.J. Shope is an Arizona state senator, small-business owner, and banking professional from Coolidge. He previously served on the Coolidge Unified School District Governing Board and in the Arizona House, including as House speaker pro tempore, before taking office in the Senate in 2021. He serves as Senate president pro tempore.
Track record
Environment and Public Health
· 1 record
Shope helped advance a bipartisan agriculture-to-urban groundwater bill designed to conserve water while allowing retired irrigated farmland to support additional housing.
June 19, 2025For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Reduce Wealth Gap
· 2 records
Shope sponsored SB 1615 establishing protections and rules for college-athlete name, image, and likeness arrangements; the Senate passed it with near-unanimous support.
March 14, 2025For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Shope sponsored SB 1296 allowing Arizona college athletes to earn compensation from use of their name, image, and likeness; the bill became law as Chapter 141.
March 26, 2021For
Source: azleg.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Anti-Corruption
· 1 record
The Arizona Senate passed Shope's SB 1186, requiring specified political-value disclosures from companies seeking state contracts or grants and preserving procurement-evaluation records.
March 2, 2026For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Healthcare Affordability
· 1 record
Shope sponsored SB 1214 to let pharmacists independently test and treat eligible patients for specified medical conditions; the Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support.
March 3, 2025For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Safety and Crime Control
· 2 records
Shope-sponsored SB 1448, increasing penalties for assaults on utility and telecommunications workers performing official duties, received final legislative approval and was sent to the governor.
June 9, 2026For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Shope joined two other Senate leaders in filing an SB 1487 complaint asking the Arizona Attorney General to review whether Pima County's limits on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement violated state law.
April 6, 2026For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Housing Affordability
· 1 record
Shope helped advance a bipartisan agriculture-to-urban groundwater bill designed to conserve water while allowing retired irrigated farmland to support additional housing.
June 19, 2025For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Education Quality
· 1 record
Shope introduced the amendment that repealed Arizona's restriction on HIV/AIDS instruction that had prohibited portraying homosexuality positively; the repeal was signed into law.
April 11, 2019For
Source: azmirror.com · researched July 18, 2026
Women's Reproductive Rights
· 1 record
Shope joined all fourteen Senate Democrats and one other Republican to vote for repealing Arizona's 1864 near-total abortion ban.
May 1, 2024For
Source: apnews.com · researched July 18, 2026
Election Integrity
· 1 record
Shope sponsored legislation to restrict newly recognized political parties from using terms such as 'independent' or 'unaffiliated' in their names, saying the terms could confuse unaffiliated voters.
February 9, 2026For
Source: axios.com · researched July 18, 2026
Civil Rights
· 1 record
Shope introduced the amendment that repealed Arizona's restriction on HIV/AIDS instruction that had prohibited portraying homosexuality positively; the repeal was signed into law.
April 11, 2019For
Source: azmirror.com · researched July 18, 2026
Corporate Accountability
· 1 record
The Arizona Senate passed Shope's SB 1186, requiring specified political-value disclosures from companies seeking state contracts or grants and preserving procurement-evaluation records.
March 2, 2026For
Source: azsenaterepublicans.gov · researched July 18, 2026
General
· 4 records
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry endorsed Shope in the 2026 Senate District 16 primary.
June 17, 2026
Source: azchamber.com · researched July 18, 2026
The Arizona Technology Council endorsed Shope for reelection to Arizona Senate District 16 in 2026.
June 10, 2026
Source: aztechcouncil.org · researched July 18, 2026
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry endorsed Shope for Arizona Senate District 16 in the 2024 election.
June 18, 2024
Source: azchamber.com · researched July 18, 2026
NFIB Arizona PAC endorsed Shope for Arizona Senate District 16 in the 2022 primary election.
July 11, 2022
Source: nfib.com · researched July 18, 2026
Elections
- State Senator - District No. 16 · July 21, 2026 · State Senate District 16; Arizona · incumbent
Profile last researched July 18, 2026.