BobbyJ Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 Kimberly Atkins Born Kimberly Diane Smith October 26, 1964 (age 53) Tickfaw, Louisiana Avatar: Jan Brewer/Kim Mulkey Political Party/Caucus Affiliation: Republican party, Freedom Caucus Spouse: Michael J. Atkins Children: 10 Paul Atkins Erica Atkins Riley Atkins Nathan Atkins Gary Atkins William Atkins Robert Atkins Angela Atkins Oliver Atkins Ava Atkins Parents: Robert Smith; Lisa Perry Residences: Phoenix, Arizona; Washington, D.C. Education: University of Southern California (B.A.) Early Life, education and family Kim Smith was born and spent her childhood in Louisiana, raised in a Methodist family, as the middle of nine siblings. When her parents divorced at 13, Kim moved to Arizona to live with her wealthy grandparents. She played basketball in high school and began attending the University of Southern California in 1982. She played NCAA basketball for USC and won the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 1983 and 1984. Smith graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy. Smith returned to Arizona after graduation and married a local businessman, Michael J. Atkins, becoming Kimberly Atkins in 1987. She worked on the coaching staff of the Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team beginning in 1988. In the meantime, Atkins and her husband had ten kids between 1987 and 2002. Coaching career and political activism After being an assistant coach on the Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team for four years, Atkins became head basketball coach in 1992 and became known for her colorful pantsuits and vibrant outfits on the sideline. Atkins and her husband became known for hosting fundraisers for local and state politicians throughout the nineties. Atkins was elected as a Republican National Committee member from Arizona in 1991 and worked for the Arizona RNC for ten years, between 1992 and 2002. In 2000, Atkins and her husband worked on John McCain's presidential campaign, including raising money for the candidate. In 2001, Atkins stepped down as Head Coach of the Arizona Wildcats women's basketball team to pursue a career in politics. Political career In early 2002, Atkins created a campaign committee to run for the office of Secretary of State of Arizona, to replace outgoing secretary of state Betsey Bayless. Atkins ran against the Phoenix councilman Sal DiCiccio in the primary race and won by a narrow margin of just 23,000 votes. As secretary of state, Kim Atkins instituted a vote-by-fax program for overseas military troops, which was later adopted by other municipalities, including San Francisco. Atkins also helped to marshal changes brought about by Arizona Proposition 200, which required citizens in the state to show proof of citizenship before registering to vote or applying for public benefits. Atkins endorsed John McCain's second presidential campaign in 2008. After Governor Janet Napolitano was selected by President Obama to be the Secretary of Homeland Security in January 2009, Atkins was next in line to serve as Governor, given Arizona's lack of a lieutenant governor. Atkins became Arizona's fourth female governor and its third consecutive female governor. The next year, Atkins ran for a full-term as Governor, beating out her Democratic opponent, Terry Goddard. In the 2012 GOP presidential primaries, Governor Atkins endorsed Ron Paul's campaign. She later backed Mitt Romney's campaign after he won the nomination. In 2016, Governor Atkins declined to endorse in the primary elections, but backed the McCord campaign against the Democratic nominee, Xiomara de la Cruz. Atkins declined to run for Governor again in 2014, citing legal challenges in Arizona's term limit structure for governors. However, in 2015, Atkins formed an exploratory committee to begin raising money for a U.S. Senate run in 2016, following the announcement of John McCain's decision to retire. Atkins ran and won Arizona's Class III Senate seat, becoming a United States Senator after officially being sworn-in on the Senate floor in January 2017. Points: 40/100 Female: 5 points 50-65 years old: 0 Points Straight, married with > 3 children: 0 Points White/Caucasian: 0 Points Methodist: 0 Points College Degree at Private University (non-Ivy level) or Public Ivy: 5 Points Upper Class: -5 points Public School Administration: 15 points Governor: 20 points 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Powers Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeakins Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 APPROVED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garson Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Atkins on the Senate floor: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolster Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Welcome to the game! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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