By Matthew Holloway |
Voters in Mesa recalled District 5 City Councilmember Julie Spilsbury Tuesday night, ending her term in a special election triggered by a citizen-led petition drive.
In early reporting, Spilsbury has received 47.38% of the vote while recall challenger Dorean Taylor tallied 52.62% according to preliminary results from the Maricopa County Elections Department. The election marked the first successful recall of a sitting Mesa councilmember in the city’s history, ending with a concession from Spilsbury.
Early voting data released Monday showed Spilsbury trailing by a wide margin, with Taylor garnering 8,219 votes to Spilsbury’s 7,352. Turnout for the special election reached 16,201 voters as of this report, or 32.93% of registered voters in the district.
The recall effort, which took on a new dimenstion in August when Dorean Taylor announced her candidacy, was launched by a resident named Joanne Robbins and backed by Turning Point USA. Robbins launched the recall based on three specific “yes” votes taken by Spilsbury between 2023 and 2024: approval of a permit to convert a hotel into a homeless housing program, increasing city council salaries, and increasing Mesa utility rates.
In a Tuesday post to X, TPUSA, COO Tyler Bowyer was celebratory and congratulated Taylor on the win: “One of the biggest wins in America tonight, RECALLING the leader of ‘Republicans for Harris’ Julie Spilsbury. Congrats @taylorformesa!”
In a later post, he added, “When you organize effectively, you can defeat both the uniparty and the Left. We help the grassroots solve the problem of fake Republicans. Huge congratulations are in order for our wonderful team who worked their butts off ballot chasing in Arizona! WIN!”
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club also congratulated Taylor on her victory in a statement, “Congratulations to Dorean Taylor on her victory in the Mesa City Council District 2 recall election! Your election win sends a clear message: Mesa residents are ready for leadership that prioritizes stronger neighborhoods, smarter infrastructure, and fiscal accountability. We look forward to working alongside you as you champion better roads, lower taxes, safer streets, and a more affordable future for all families in Mesa. Here’s to a fresh chapter of progress and promise for District 2 and the entire city!”
Councilwoman Spilsbury conceded defeat Tuesday evening and attributed her loss to Turning Point USA directly, “I didn’t lose to Dorean Taylor. I lost to Turning Point,” she told 12 News. “And I think a lot of people in Mesa are going to be mad that an outside group came in and told us how to deal with our city, and that’s not OK.”
“The recall would never have been successful without Turning Point’s employees, over 30 of them, out knocking (on) doors, that are not from Mesa,” she added.
Taylor will be taking over the remainder of Spilsbury’s term, which ends in January 2029, at which point she may opt to run for a full term.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
