Nancy Barto

Nancy K. Barto (born in Chicago, Illinois) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Arizona State Senate from 2021 to 2023. She previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021 and the Arizona Senate representing District 15 from 2013 to 2019. Barto served consecutively in the Arizona State Legislature from January 2007 until January 10, 2011, in the Arizona House of Representatives District 7 seat, then in the Arizona Senate in the District 7 seat from January 10, 2011, until January 14, 2013.

Tenure in office Barto sponsored a bill to prohibit cities and counties in Arizona from banning plastic bags. The governor signed the bill into law in April 2015.

A social conservative, Barto has promoted anti-abortion legislation. She is often allied with the Center for Arizona Policy, a Christian right group. In 2010, Barto sponsored a measure to extend Arizona's two-month mandatory waiting period to obtain a divorce to six months. In 2020, while in the state House, Barto sponsored legislation that banned sex education before the fifth grade and requiring written permission from parents (an "opt-in") before students could be taught about HIV/AIDS, sexuality, gender identity or gender expression. In 2020, she narrowly ousted incumbent state Senator Heather Carter, defeating her in a Republican primary challenge from the right following a heated race. One bill, HB2470, would have added a non-medical "religious belief" exemption for childhood vaccines, and removed a signature requirement for parents. The proposed repeal would end a requirement that parents exempting children from vaccines acknowledge the risk of serious illness and death from infectious disease. Another bill, HB2471, would require doctors to inform parents about potential risks of vaccines and how to file for injury claims related to vaccines. The third bill, HB2472 would require doctors to offer a blood test prior to vaccination; the test would determine if a child already possesses the antibodies that would be developed from a vaccine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona, Barto promoted baseless claims that hydroxychloroquine was a COVID-19 cure,

In 2020, Barto was one of 13 Arizona Republican state legislators who supported Donald Trump's failed attempt to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election.

In 2022, she sponsored legislation that banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Barto lost reelection to Christine Marsh.

Elections 2006: To challenge House District 7 incumbent Republican Representatives Ray Barnes and David Smith, Barto ran in the four-way September 12, 2006 Republican Primary; Barto placed first with 7,218 votes and Representative Barnes placed second; in the five-way November 7, 2006 General election, Barto took the first seat with 29,952 votes and Representative Barnes took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominees Marilyn Fox, Jeanne Lunn, and Libertarian candidate Jim Iannuzo, who had run for a House seat in 2004. + Summary of the 2006 Arizona Republican Primary Election for State House District 7 setting up a rematch; in the four-way November 4, 2008 General election, Barto took the first seat with 46,854 votes and Representative Barnes took the second seat ahead of Democratic nominee Jeanne Lunn and Libertarian candidate Jim Iannuzo. + Summary of the 2008 Arizona General Election for State House District 7 in the November 2, 2010 General election, winning with 41,849 votes (67.2%) against Democratic nominee Eric Shelley. + Summary of the 2010 Arizona Republican Primary Election for State Senate District 7 and won the November 6, 2012 General election with 58,283 votes (73.2%) against Libertarian nominee Dennis Grenier. + Summary of the 2012 Arizona General Election for State Senate District 15 then ran unopposed in the general election. + Summary of the 2014 Arizona Republican Primary Election for State Senate District 15 then defeated the Democratic candidate, Tonya MacBeth, in the general election. + Summary of the 2016 Arizona General Election for State Senate District 15 then both defeated the Democratic candidates, Julie Gunnigle and Jennifer Samuels, in the general election.

+ Summary of the 2018 Arizona General Election for State House District 15 Party Candidate Votes Percentage Republican Nancy Barto 51,305 29.1% Republican John Allen 49,279 27.9% Democratic Jennifer Samuels 38,565 21.9% Democratic Julie Gunnigle 37,308 21.1% Total176,457100%