Christine Jones (businesswoman)

Christine N. Jones (born 1968) is an American business executive, civic leader, author, and politician from Phoenix, Arizona. Jones unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor of Arizona in the 2014 election; she lost to Arizona State Treasurer Doug Ducey.[1] In 2016, Jones ran for the United States Congress, narrowly losing the Republican primary to State Senate President Andy Biggs.

Christine Jones
Personal details
Born1968 (age 55–56)
Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseGary Jones (1987–present)
Alma materAuburn University
Whittier College
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

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Jones was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia and raised in Denver, Colorado. She is married to Gary Jones, her husband of 29 years. Jones earned a degree in accounting from Auburn University and a J.D. from Whittier Law School.[2][3]

Career

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Jones served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of The Go Daddy Group Inc., until 2012 where she managed all legal affairs, most notably issues relating to intellectual property.[3]

Jones frequently represented Go Daddy and its industry as a witness at congressional hearings about various issues related to the Internet. She helped drive federal Internet-related legislation, including laws to keep the Web safe from child predators and rogue online pharmacies. For example, she helped push through bills such as the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act, the Protect Our Children Act, and the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act. These bills were signed into law by President Bush in 2008 and have been used by law enforcement to shut down illegal online drug sellers and to prosecute online child predators.[4][5]

Before joining GoDaddy, Jones practiced law at Beus Gilbert, a private law firm in Phoenix, Arizona from 1997 to 2002.

Jones is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Arizona.

Civic work

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After her time at GoDaddy, Jones started the Arizona Research Project, a nonprofit established to “identify issues of importance to voters” so they can engage their legislators and help shape policy.[2][6]

Candidate for governor

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Jones officially became a Republican candidate for the governor of Arizona on April 28, 2014.[2][7][8]

Candidate for congress

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On May 3, 2016, Jones officially became a Republican candidate in the state's 5th congressional district. Her home was actually in the neighboring 9th district, but members of the House are only required to live in the state they represent. [9][10][11] In the four-way Republican primary, Jones finished second behind State Senate President Andy Biggs, initially by nine votes. A recanvass resulted in Biggs leading by 16 votes, and an automatic recount gave Biggs a 27-vote lead. With only a week to go before state election officials wanted to print ballots for the general election, Jones opted against a court challenge and conceded the nomination to Biggs on September 16.[12]

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References

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  1. ^ Andrew Allemann (27 August 2014). "Christine Jones' gubernatorial bid ends in primaries – Domain Name Wire – Domain Name News & Views". Domain Name Wire – Domain Name News & Views.
  2. ^ a b c "Jones considers Gov race, urges internet involvement". Arizonadailyindependent.com. 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  3. ^ a b Christine Jones. "Christine Jones: Executive Profile & Biography". Businessweek. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  4. ^ "General Counsel Christine Jones leaving Go Daddy". Domain Name Wire. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  5. ^ Post I.T. Archives (2011-02-16). "Post Tech – GoDaddy.com's Christine Jones talks about intellectual property". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  6. ^ "AZRP". Azresearchproject.org. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  7. ^ "Goddard, Jones, 4 others file for Arizona offices". azcentral.com. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  8. ^ "Former Go Daddy exec Christine Jones eyes run for Arizona governor". Phoenix Business Journal. 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  9. ^ Wingett Sanchez, Yvonne (July 25, 2013). "All eyes on 2014 race for governor". AZCentral. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  10. ^ "Christine Jones to run for Matt Salmon's seat in Congress". azcentral.com. 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  11. ^ "Former GoDaddy executive running for Congress". Phoenix Business Journal. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  12. ^ "Christine Jones concedes after losing by 27 votes to Biggs in GOP Congress primary". Phoenix Business Journal. September 16, 2016. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.