Alfredo Gutierrez, former Senate Democratic leader, dies at 79

PHOENIX (KYMA, KECY) - Former Senate Democratic leader Alfredo Gutierrez has passed away Tuesday.

House Democratic leader Oscar De Los Santos issued the following statement on Gutierrez's passing:

"It is with heavy hearts that we relay the announcement that Arizona has lost iconic former Senate Democratic Leader Alfredo Gutierrez.

Alfredo was born in the mining town of Miami, Arizona, in 1945, the son of a union railroad worker and a mother who was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. He went to war in Vietnam and was the first in his family to go to college. He was famously forced out of Arizona State University for his campus protests and activism, only to get the last laugh with an honorary doctorate in 2000 for his deep and lasting community impact.

Still in his 20s and early 30s as Senate Democratic Leader, Alfredo was a deal-making genius, the man to see if you wanted anything consequential to happen, and the model for shared governance with Republicans.

He was one of the primary policy architects for Arizona's Department of Transportation at a time of explosive growth. And he was a leading mind behind our Medicaid program, AHCCCS, a model for the nation which has for decades provided indigent healthcare for millions of Arizonans in need. He was as successful in business as a consultant as he was in the legislature.

And from the moment he hoisted his first protest sign at ASU until his last breath, Alfredo Gutierrez served as the conscience and intellectual heart of the Democratic movement in Arizona. Until just days ago he was helping guide immigrant-rights organizations and activists in our fight against an unjust authoritarian mass-deportation agenda that is separating families like the one that gave Arizona Alfredo Gutierrez. He will be so deeply missed because we need him now more than ever. With unending respect, please accept our deepest condolences to his family and the multitudes who love him and call him a friend."

Last year, Gutierrez graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts nearly 60 years after he was kicked out.

Gutierrez was 79-years-old.