Arizona voters on Tuesday chose the partisan candidates who will vie to represent them in offices from city council to Congress — an election that could determine which party holds policymaking majorities in Arizona and the nation’s capital.
By official accounts the day went smoothly, save for a few hiccups. The election stood in contrast to an otherwise politically turbulent time.
"People should feel really good about how things went," said Republican Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, who decided not to run for reelection this year. "There was a potential for a lot of challenges, a lot of different folks trying to disrupt the election, but we didn't see that. We saw people were well behaved, and very pleased with the way that everything worked."
Election officials prepared for Tuesday with heightened awareness of potential acts of political violence following the assassination attempt on GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump just weeks ago.
And simmering in the background was skepticism, and added scrutiny, related to election administration. Officials in Maricopa County — home to most of the state’s voters — went on offense, reminding voters in the lead up to Tuesday that no election is perfect.
Problems with printers in 2022 and long lines in recent elections have fueled a flood of misinformation and furthered conspiracy theories centered on the county.
Congressional contests in play
A race pitting loyalists to Trump seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., topped the ticket.
Former television news anchor Kari Lake defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. The Associated Press called the race for Lake about 45 minutes after the first results were reported. Lake, who lost her statewide bid for governor in 2022 by less than one percentage point, is still suing to overturn that result.
And Arizona voters weighed in on several contentious party brawls for seats in the U.S. House, two of which are likely to sail through the November general election because of the partisan tilt of registered voters in their districts.
In three of those high-profile contested races, no decisive margins emerged. Ballots are still being counted and the results may be clear in the coming days.
Republican U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko’s decision not to seek reelection to a safe GOP seat this year teed off a crowded GOP race. In a twist, Trump endorsed two candidates — neither of which was a third candidate, a Trump ally facing criminal prosecution for certifying Trump won Arizona in 2020.Former candidate for attorney general Abe Hamadeh lead the pack.
As for the next step of her own political career, Lesko won the GOP primary for a seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
On the Democratic side, voters chose between two progressives in a heated battle to represent a bright blue district held by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. Gallego is asking voters to elevate him to the U.S. Senate in November, a race that pits him against Lake, and did not face a challenger in Tuesday’s primary.Former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari held a small lead over challenger Raquel Terán in the unofficial results for Gallego's seat.
Former state representative Amish Shah led slightly in the six-way Democratic primary to challenge seven-term incumbent Republican Congressman David Schweikert in the northeast corner of Maricopa County.
State legislative leadership up for grabs
All 90 state legislative seats will be on the November ballot, but not all saw competitive primaries.
In the state House, 20 districts have competitive primary races. In the Arizona Senate, 12 seats out of 30 were contested in the primary.
And because many of the Legislature’s 30 districts lean heavily Republican or Democratic, as far as voter registration is concerned, even fewer races will be competitive come November.
Still Democrats and Gov. Katie Hobbs — the state's first Democratic governor in 14 years — have set out to flip the power dynamic at the state’s Capitol. Right now, Republicans have a slight majority.
Drawing the most attention are battles for the Republican nomination that tested the desire among the party’s most dedicated voters for candidates at the ideological edges or more centrist politicians. Democrats see Trump-aligned candidates as easier to beat.
In early returns, incumbent Sen. Justine Wadsack narrowly trailed Vince Leach to represent LD17 in southern Arizona. Wadsack ousted Leach for the seat in 2022, and their rematch appeared poised to be one of the closest races of the primary.
In LD1, which surrounds Prescott, Sen. Ken Bennett was defeated by challenger, Mark Finchem. Voters soundly rejected Finchem, who has furthered conspiracies about elections, in the 2022 race for Arizona Secretary of State.Bennett was attacked on the campaign trail for his votes in the Legislature that split from his party.
And in eastern Arizona’s LD7, Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, challenged one of the state’s most outspoken Trump supporters, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff. Rogers held on to her Senate seat.
Election leaders and cities at stake
In some county races, election administrators would not make it through primary challenges from election skeptics or critics.
Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who has defended elections in the face of attacks from Trump and Lake and others, conceded to state Rep. Justin Heap, a Mesa Republican, on Wednesday morning.
"It's been a privilege," Richer wrote on social media. "Elections have winners and, sadly, losers. And in this one, it looks like I'm going to end up on the losing side of the column. But that's the name of the game. Accept it. Move on."
Of five members of the Board of Supervisors, a body that stood up to Trump's and Trump allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 election result in Arizona, incumbent Jack Sellers was ousted by challenger Mark Stewart. Incumbent Thomas Galvin held a lead over his own GOP competitor, former state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita.
Residents in over 20 Phoenix-area municipalities made their choice for mayors and town council members, which unlike others on the ballot are nonpartisan contests.
Voters in growing cities like Scottsdale, Buckeye and Mesa were poised to pick the people who make decisions about housing, transportation and growth.
In Gilbert, a scandal involving violent and mostly affluent teens known as the Gilbert Goons has roiled the race for city leadership. Vice Mayor Scott Anderson held a sizeable lead in the race.
In Mesa, voters had to replace John Giles, the term-limited mayor who has received national attention for supporting Democratic candidates. A Republican, Giles has been at odds with those of his own party who cast doubt on elections and a vocal opponent of Trump.Former Mayor Scott Smith held a tiny lead in the race that is likely headed to a runoff.
Likewise Scottsdale's next mayor may not be determined until a runoff election. Voters gave incumbent David Ortega a narrow lead over Lisa Borowsky.
Arizona's primary, on a sweltering summer day when many parts of the state recorded temperatures in the triple digits, was slightly earlier than normal.
State lawmakers and Hobbs earlier this year enacted a law moving the election and other related deadlines forward by a week. They rushed the change because of concern that a 2022 law would lead to more automatic recounts that could delay results and disrupt later elections.
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Republic reporter Sasha Hupka contributed to this report.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger atstacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.comor 480-416-5669.
