Arizona voters to decide congressional primaries, fate of metro Phoenix election official
PHOENIX — Arizona voters are narrowing down the field of congressional candidates in Tuesday’s primary and will determine the political fate of a Republican official in Maricopa County who pushed back hard against election fraud within the GOP.
The primaries also feature important contests for state legislators in a year when abortion policy has left some Republican lawmakers politically vulnerable. The headliner is former Phoenix news anchor and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who is running against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in a Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Polling stations close at 7pm
Here are some key races:
Maricopa County Clerk Stephen Richer is facing a challenge from his Republican colleagues, Rep. Justin Heap and IT professional Donald Hiatt, in the first chance to unseat an election official who debunked false claims about the 2020 and 2022 elections.
Richer, whose office oversees voter registration and early voting in the state’s most populous county, took office in early 2021 after defeating an incumbent Democrat.
He has faced widespread criticism in some conservative circles for accusing former President Donald Trump and others of lying about the 2020 election, which Joe Biden won in Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Richer was later criticized by Lake, who claimed that her defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial race was due to election fraud. Although her legal challenges rejected by the courtsLake continues to allege that Richer and other Maricopa County officials interfered in the election to prevent her from winning.
Richer later filed a request libel case against Lake, saying he faced “violent vitriol and other terrible consequences” because of the lies Lake spread, including death threats and the loss of friendships.
Heap has stopped short of saying the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but he has said thousands of Republican voters have lost confidence in the countyâs election operations. Both Heap and Hiatt have said the county has unsafe practices for processing early ballots.
Richer said he has done his best to defend the integrity of the electoral system against falsehoods, has worked to clean up voter rolls and has stood with winners in lawsuits challenging election results.
The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat in the race, attorney Tim Stringham, in the November election.
Several members of the county board are also facing opponents with ties to Trump.
8th District: Front-runners Abraham Hamadeh and Blake Masters both received endorsements from former President Donald Trump as they try to clinch the Republican nomination in the district northwest of Phoenix, which has been seen as the epicenter of efforts by Trump allies to cast doubt on the validity of election results.
Whoever wins has a good chance of success Republican U.S. Representative Debbie Lesko because the district is conservative. The other candidates are: former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, Rep. Anthony Kern and political newcomer Patrick Briody. Greg Whitten, a biosecurity worker, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. 1st District: Six Democrats are vying for a chance to win the nationally competitive seat that includes parts of Maricopa County. Biden won the district for 2020.
Incumbent Republican Rep. David Schweikert wants to keep it, but his reputation has been tarnished by ethics scandals in recent years. In 2022, Schweikert received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Elections Commission for embezzling campaign funds. Two years earlier, he agreed to a $50,000 fine and 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics.
Democrats seeking to unseat him include Andrei Cherny, a former state party chairman who once ran for secretary of state; former local newsreader Marlene Galan-Woods; orthodontist Andrew Horne; former regional CEO of the American Red Cross Kurt Kroemer; investment banker Conor O’Callaghan; and former state representative Amish Shah.
Schweikert is seen as the front-runner, with challenges from businessman Robert Backie and former FBI agent and corporate investor Kim George.
3rd District: Two Arizona Democrats have their eyes on the seat left vacant by Ruben Gallego’s decision to run for US SenateThe winner, consisting of former Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari and former Arizona Democratic Party Chair Raquel TerĂĄn, is favored to win and represent the district that stretches from central to southwest Phoenix.
Ansari is positioning himself as a progressive candidate who will âfight MAGA extremismâ and defend abortion rights.
TerĂĄn, former Senate Minority Leader, highlights her success as an organizer and her key role in ousting Joe Arpaio from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Jesus David Mendoza and Jeff Zink are vying for the Republican nomination.
Senate District 2: Republican Shawnna Bolick was one of two senators who sided with Democrats this year in repealing a nearly complete 1864 abortion ban. She was appointed last summer to fill a vacancy. Her popularity among voters in Phoenixâs competitive northwest district will be tested for the first time in Tuesdayâs election. She faces right-leaning small-business owner Josh Barnett. Barnett has said Bolickâs vote on the abortion bill was politically calculated as the district has become increasingly purple.
Senate District 7: Rep. David Cook challenges incumbent senator Wendy Rogers for the GOP nomination for the seat that represents the Flagstaff region and parts of Navajo, Gila and Pinal counties. Rogers is a prolific Trump-aligned campaign denier who was censured by the Legislature after supporting white nationalism. Still, she is popular with her base and has a national following. Cook said voters in the rural district care more about local issues like mining and water.
Senate District 1: Incumbent candidate Ken Bennett faces a challenge from the GOP candidate of Mark FinchemA Trump loyalist who recently lost a bid to become Arizonaâs secretary of state, the reliably red district is anchored by Prescott. Bennett, a former secretary of state and Senate president, is the more moderate of the two. Steve Zipperman, a lawyer and real estate agent, is also seeking the GOP nomination and has said he is not a professional politician.