Neil Giuliano - Political Career

Political Career

Giuliano began his political career as a councilmember and Vice-Mayor of Tempe, Arizona. He was elected as mayor of Tempe four times, serving from 1994–2004; the first three terms were two years each, the fourth was for four years. After he came out as gay, political opponents tried to remove him from office by organizing a recall campaign. A recall election was held in September 2001, which Giuliano won in a landslide, defeating a campaign that was called "blatantly homophobic". He also chaired the commission in charge of hosting the third debate of the 2004 United States presidential elections. Upon retiring, Giuliano received praise from Senator John McCain and then-Governor Janet Napolitano. In 2008, Giuliano changed his registration from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, and The Arizona Republic reported that he has considered running for governor of Arizona as a Democrat.