Arizona Election Results
By Samuel Richard | December 2018
At the writing of this memo (November 19), all counties have completed the tabulating of ballots except Maricopa County, which had roughly 50,000 ballots left to count at that time.
Below is a rundown of the key races this election cycle.
Secretary of State: Democrat Katie Hobbs recently claimed victory against Republican Steve Gaynor, who beat incumbent Michele Reagan in the primary election. This race was a roller coaster of sorts, with the AP calling the race on election night for Gaynor, but Hobbs closing the gap each day as ballots continued to be tabulated. She overtook Gaynor in the count and never looked back. Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, so Secretary-Elect Hobbs becomes the person that is “a heartbeat away” from becoming governor.
Attorney General: Despite a high-spending and high-profile campaign, incumbent AG Mark Brnovich soundly defeated his opponent, January Contreras. The election largely became a referendum on APS and Brnovich, focusing on the close relationship between the two.
Superintendent: Democrat Kathy Hoffman is now Superintendent-Elect Kathy Hoffman. That race is separated by more than three percentage points. In the race with the highest relevance to AzSCA members, Hoffman beat Republican Frank Riggs, who had previously defeated incumbent Superintendent Diane Douglas.
Corporation Commission: Republican Justin Olson and Democrat Sandra Kennedy hold a slim lead over Republican Rodney Glassman and Democrat Kiana Sears. This reflects a net gain for the Democrats, as both seats were previously held by Republicans.
U.S. Senate: The marquee race of the election went the way of Kyrsten Sinema. It was the most expensive race for the US Senate that the state has seen, and throughout the contest, Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema traded negative ads and barbed attacks. Representative McSally offered a gracious concession once the AP called the race.
LD06: Although a very close race, Senator Sylvia Allen, a Republican, fought off challenger Wade Carlisle, a Democrat, in this lynchpin race for control of the State Senate. The House race was even closer but had the same result, with Bob Thorpe and Walter Blackman narrowly defeating Democrat Felicia French.
LD10: Incumbent Republican Todd Clodfelter handily lost his re-election bid to challenger Domingo DeGrazia.
LD17: Speaker J.D. Mesnard seems to have survived his trip over to the Senate, but his mother was not so lucky in the race to replace him. Democrat Jennifer Pawlik, a teacher, holds a steady lead over Nora Ellen. Jeff Weninger was reelected to serve in the second House seat from the district.
LD18: Incumbent Senator Sean Bowie trounced his opponent, Frank Schmuck, in a rematch of their 2016 race. Democrats also picked up the second House seat here with education advocate Jennifer Jermaine.
LD28: Incumbent Republican Senator Kate Brophy McGee is in the closest race of her career, just barely ahead of former Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh. This race won’t be over until the last ballot is tabulated. On the House side, it seems clear Democrats picked up the second House seat from Maria Syms, and early childhood education leader Aaron Lieberman will replace her.
The House will likely be between 29 Democrats and 31 Republicans. This represents a historic victory for Democrats, who haven’t held more than 26 seats in about half a century.
The Senate is likely to be either 13 or 14 Democrats and 16 or 17 Republicans, depending on the race between Kate Brophy McGee and Christine Marsh.
House Leadership
Speaker: Rusty Bowers
Majority Leader: Warren Petersen
Majority Whip: Becky Nutt
Minority Leader: Charlene Fernandez
Assistant Minority Leader: Randall Friese
Minority Co-Whips: Athena Salman, Reginald Bolding
Senate Leadership
Senate President: Karen Fann
Majority Leader: Rick Gray
Majority Whip: Sonny Borrelli
Minority Leader: David Bradley
Assistant Minority Leader: Lupe Contreras
Minority Co-Whips: Jamescita Peshlakai, Lisa Otondo
Below is a rundown of the key races this election cycle.
Key Races
Governor: Incumbent Governor Doug Ducey cruised to re-election, defeating Democrat David Garcia.Secretary of State: Democrat Katie Hobbs recently claimed victory against Republican Steve Gaynor, who beat incumbent Michele Reagan in the primary election. This race was a roller coaster of sorts, with the AP calling the race on election night for Gaynor, but Hobbs closing the gap each day as ballots continued to be tabulated. She overtook Gaynor in the count and never looked back. Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, so Secretary-Elect Hobbs becomes the person that is “a heartbeat away” from becoming governor.
Attorney General: Despite a high-spending and high-profile campaign, incumbent AG Mark Brnovich soundly defeated his opponent, January Contreras. The election largely became a referendum on APS and Brnovich, focusing on the close relationship between the two.
Superintendent: Democrat Kathy Hoffman is now Superintendent-Elect Kathy Hoffman. That race is separated by more than three percentage points. In the race with the highest relevance to AzSCA members, Hoffman beat Republican Frank Riggs, who had previously defeated incumbent Superintendent Diane Douglas.
Corporation Commission: Republican Justin Olson and Democrat Sandra Kennedy hold a slim lead over Republican Rodney Glassman and Democrat Kiana Sears. This reflects a net gain for the Democrats, as both seats were previously held by Republicans.
U.S. Senate: The marquee race of the election went the way of Kyrsten Sinema. It was the most expensive race for the US Senate that the state has seen, and throughout the contest, Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema traded negative ads and barbed attacks. Representative McSally offered a gracious concession once the AP called the race.
LD06: Although a very close race, Senator Sylvia Allen, a Republican, fought off challenger Wade Carlisle, a Democrat, in this lynchpin race for control of the State Senate. The House race was even closer but had the same result, with Bob Thorpe and Walter Blackman narrowly defeating Democrat Felicia French.
LD10: Incumbent Republican Todd Clodfelter handily lost his re-election bid to challenger Domingo DeGrazia.
LD17: Speaker J.D. Mesnard seems to have survived his trip over to the Senate, but his mother was not so lucky in the race to replace him. Democrat Jennifer Pawlik, a teacher, holds a steady lead over Nora Ellen. Jeff Weninger was reelected to serve in the second House seat from the district.
LD18: Incumbent Senator Sean Bowie trounced his opponent, Frank Schmuck, in a rematch of their 2016 race. Democrats also picked up the second House seat here with education advocate Jennifer Jermaine.
LD28: Incumbent Republican Senator Kate Brophy McGee is in the closest race of her career, just barely ahead of former Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh. This race won’t be over until the last ballot is tabulated. On the House side, it seems clear Democrats picked up the second House seat from Maria Syms, and early childhood education leader Aaron Lieberman will replace her.
House and Senate Breakdown
Democrats are poised to maintain their minority caucus position going into the 2019 legislative session.The House will likely be between 29 Democrats and 31 Republicans. This represents a historic victory for Democrats, who haven’t held more than 26 seats in about half a century.
The Senate is likely to be either 13 or 14 Democrats and 16 or 17 Republicans, depending on the race between Kate Brophy McGee and Christine Marsh.
House Leadership
Speaker: Rusty Bowers
Majority Leader: Warren Petersen
Majority Whip: Becky Nutt
Minority Leader: Charlene Fernandez
Assistant Minority Leader: Randall Friese
Minority Co-Whips: Athena Salman, Reginald Bolding
Senate Leadership
Senate President: Karen Fann
Majority Leader: Rick Gray
Majority Whip: Sonny Borrelli
Minority Leader: David Bradley
Assistant Minority Leader: Lupe Contreras
Minority Co-Whips: Jamescita Peshlakai, Lisa Otondo