Gene Chewning

Gene Chewning was a Republican candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 7th Congressional District (map) of Arizona. He was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.). He lost in the primary election which took place on September 2, 2008.

Bio
Gene was born in Tucson at St. Mary’s Hospital to Bill and Louise Chewning. His father was a policeman who would later retire from the Highway Patrol. As a teenager Gene worked as a ranch hand on his godfather’s ranch north of Marana

Gene volunteered to join the Navy just as his father had in World War Two. He eventually was assigned to the USS John King, which was deployed to Vietnam Amongst other awards, Gene received the Combat Action Ribbon.

Gene’s experiences in the Navy and Vietnam changed his life dramatically and he felt called to become a Christian missionary. In 1974, he went to Israel as a missionary, where over the years he served Bedouin tribesmen in the Sinai Desert and Palestinians at the Beraka Hospital in the Arab Palestinian Refugee Camp. During the years he was caught in three Palestinian terrorist attacks including one where bullets shattered the windshield of the car he was driving.

Gene also served in Thailand, in the treacherous Golden Triangle, where opium warlords virtually rule as leaders of their own countries. While there, he had to face these vicious warlords despite the threat of violence to himself, his family and those he worked with. In the process, he taught many farmers how to earn more money through traditional crafts instead of growing poppies for the illegal opium business.

He has also served in Latin America; specifically Costa Rica and Bolivia. In Costa Rica, he worked with Nicaraguan refugees and consequently understands the poverty that drives people to come across our southern border. He also spent many years in Bolivia, where he worked extensively with the Bolivian Royal Rangers; the second largest boys group in the world after the Boy Scouts. He eventually became their national Commandant.

After decades in the mission field, Gene finally came back to Arizona and eventually Tucson, where he became pastor of a church with a congregation of poor and working class Native Americans and Hispanics. Today, he lives just a few miles from where he was born over 50 years ago.

Gene is married to Sarah, who he met in Israel. She was born in Finland, legally immigrated to the US after marrying Gene, and is now a naturalized American citizen. She currently teaches on the South Side. Gene and Sarah have raised two children; Judy, who graduated from the U of A, and Michael, a disabled veteran, who was injured in the Iraq War.

Gene ran for state legislature in District 27 in 2006 and lost.

Gene remains active in veteran organizations. He is the Chaplin of American Legion Post #102. He also the Chaplin for the VFW post #10254 at Three Points. Ref. www.votechewning.com

2008 elections
Chewning was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in the 2008 congressional elections.

Committees
Chewning will be assigned committees if and when he is elected to Congress.

Contact
Email: ChewningAZhouse@aol.com

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:Arizona and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Arizona’s 7th Congressional District
 * Official Chewning campaign website