Arizona voters will decide in November whether to amend the state Constitution to require an Election Day ballot tabulation option at voting locations and government issued identification for every voter, including those voting by mail.
Proposition 144, referred to voters through House Concurrent Resolution 2001, also addresses citizenship requirements, foreign contributions, and the legal standard governing election laws.
Known as the Fast Accurate Secure Transparent Election Results Act (Fast Election Results Act), the proposal would apply to elections taking place on or after Jan. 1, 2028.
Under the final text, all voters would have the option on Election Day to have their ballots tabulated at their voting locations, with procedures prescribed by law. The provision states that its purpose is to prevent administrative delays and ensure timely, accurate results.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AZFEC), which supports the measure, highlighted Maricopa County’s use of on-site early-ballot tabulation during the 2026 primary in an Aug. 13 commentary. The organization argued that making the option available statewide would reduce the backlog of early ballots requiring processing after Election Day and allow voters to see their ballots counted.
HOW DID PROP 144 GET ON THE BALLOT?
It took a last-minute fight at the Legislature to give Arizona voters the final say on the FAST Elections Act.
Prop 144 would put major election requirements into the Arizona Constitution, including government-issued voter ID, citizenship… pic.twitter.com/z7FeRfX4FG
In a discussion with AZFEC, Rep. Alex Kolodin (R-LD3) described GOP efforts to get the Proposition on the ballot, saying, “So what we hear from people, that they’re frustrated. They voted for Republicans to deliver things like common-sense election security, but then Republicans don’t give it to them. They just ask for money so that they can do it next time. And I was so sick and tired and embarrassed that we hadn’t done that. And so that’s why I put in all the effort that was required, and it was an enormous amount. But at the end of the day, we got it done.”
Maricopa County reported that 23,400 voters tabulated early ballots at vote centers on Election Day. County officials credited that option, along with improvements in removing ballots from envelopes and sending them to tabulation, with enabling the county to report 99% of results the following day.
Under the county’s 2026 procedures, voters bringing early ballots to vote centers on Election Day can check in, show identification, and use a tabulator programmed for early ballots. The county says ballots tabulated at vote centers are included in election-night results.
Proposition 144 would separately require valid government-issued proof of identity before casting a ballot in each election, whether voting in person or through another method. The amendment leaves implementation to law and does not specify a detailed process for presenting identification when voting by mail.
The official ballot language describes this provision as limiting acceptable identification documents to government-issued ID and extending the requirement to mail voters.
The measure would also reaffirm that only U.S. citizens may register and vote in Arizona elections and that elections must be decided solely by eligible citizen voters. It would prohibit foreign nationals from spending or contributing money or anything of value to influence an Arizona election and prohibit anyone from knowingly accepting such contributions.
Another provision would allow the people and Legislature to enact election laws, including those governing early and mail voting, when rationally connected to a legitimate state interest. Listed interests include election security, efficient administration, timely and accurate results, and public confidence.
The official ballot description says that provision would create a new standard for judicial review under the Arizona Constitution that could make election laws harder to challenge.
The Legislature would be required to appropriate money necessary to implement the measure. Its statement of intent also specifies that it does not change federal law governing the overseas military voting process.
A yes vote would approve the constitutional amendment. A no vote would retain the current constitutional provisions governing elections.
Republican secretary of state nominee Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD3) accused Democratic incumbent Adrian Fontes of trying to avoid a general election debate after Fontes proposed holding the debate on Sept. 21, which falls on Yom Kippur.
In a post on X, Kolodin wrote, “Adrian Fontes is trying to duck out of debating me.” He said Fontes had requested a change to the debate date and made himself available on Sept. 21, which Kolodin described as the “one and only date” offered. Kolodin also shared an image of an email from Gina Roberts, Voter Education Director with the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, showing September 21st at 6 PM as the only date and time.
Adrian Fontes is trying to duck out of debating me.
And he’s doing it in the most pathetic and religiously insulting way possible.
Adrian Fontes has requested a change in the debate date and made himself available on the one and only date that religious obligation would prevent… pic.twitter.com/L1L0VYcex9
Yom Kippur, which means the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset on Sunday, Sept. 20, and ends at nightfall on Monday, Sept. 21, in 2026. It’s the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and work is prohibited during its observance. Kolodin said he observes the holiday and would be unable to debate that day because of his religious obligations.
He wrote:
“Adrian Fontes has requested a change in the debate date and made himself available on the one and only date that religious obligation would prevent me from debating him.
“September 21st is Yom Kippur, a religious holiday that is adhered to by Jewish residents of the State of Arizona, including myself. Jews are forbidden from performing work of any kind on that day. Adrian Fontes already knows this, which is why the singular date he offered up was that date.
“This is cowardly, pathetic, and un-American.”
Hey Alex, the day Phoenix freezes over is the day I refuse to debate you. Stop lying to Arizonans.
We’re working to lock in a date that works for the production team and gives voters a chance to tune in.
I already beat you at the Farm Bureau. Can’t wait to do it again on TV.
Fontes responded on X later Tuesday, rejecting Kolodin’s accusation that he planned to avoid the debate.
“Stop lying to Arizonans. We’re working to lock in a date that works for the production team and gives voters a chance to tune in,” he wrote.
The Arizona Media Association’s current public schedule lists the 2026 secretary of state debate date as “TBD.” The Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which is producing the statewide debate series with the association, said candidate coordination would guide the final schedule and that the debates would be produced at SNEAKY BIG studios.
The published schedules leave the previously proposed date and the candidates’ private scheduling exchanges unspecified. Kolodin’s post included no correspondence from Fontes, Clean Elections, or the production team. Fontes’ response gave no proposed dates.
Kolodin said he would clear his calendar for a debate on another day. He also used the post to renew campaign allegations concerning Fontes’ handling of proof-of-citizenship requirements, voting eligibility for law-enforcement officers, county election canvasses, and voter security. His post included no supporting documents for those four allegations, and Fontes’ scheduling response did not address them.
Kolodin, a Republican state representative for Legislative District 3, defeated former Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda in the Republican primary. Fontes, a Democrat, has served as Arizona’s secretary of state since 2023 and is seeking a second term.
The state’s election calendar sets Oct. 5 as the voter-registration deadline and Oct. 7 as the start of early voting in Arizona’s general election.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the secretary of state debate remained without a publicly announced date.
The campaign supporting Proposition 318 filed a campaign finance complaint with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on Monday, alleging an opposition website copied its name and visual presentation while failing to disclose who paid for the site.
The two-page complaint accuses the unidentified operators of ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.vote of violating Arizona campaign disclosure requirements and attempting to mislead voters about the November ballot measure.
The complaint compares the opposition site with the Yes campaign’s ProtectGirlsSportsInAZ.vote, including screenshots showing similar turquoise, pink, black, and white branding and versions of the phrase “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona.” La Sota alleged the opposition site copied the Yes campaign’s “trade dress” and selected a web address closely resembling the campaign’s own domain.
“In addition, the website address itself is meant to mislead,” La Sota wrote in the complaint.
According to the complaint, the opposition site uses ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.vote, while ProtectGirlsSportsAZ.com redirects visitors to the same website. The Yes campaign operates ProtectGirlsSportsInAZ.vote.
“The group I chair has existed since June,” La Sota wrote. “What these fraudsters obviously did was go to our website and copy our trade dress and even our name, and intentionally found a website address that was as close to ours as possible.”
The complaint alleges that the opposition website does not identify a person or organization that paid for it.
Under A.R.S. § 16-925, a person other than an individual who makes an expenditure for an advertisement or fundraising solicitation must include the words “paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the expenditure. Electronically delivered advertisements are required to make the disclosure clearly readable.
Arizona campaign finance law defines an “advertisement” as information or materials, excluding nonpaid social media messages, that are published, displayed or otherwise placed in a communication medium for the purpose of influencing an election. A “ballot measure expenditure” is an expenditure that expressly advocates support for or opposition to an identified ballot measure.
“The only conceivable way that there would be no disclosure requirement would be if a single individual person was behind this shameful effort,” La Sota wrote. He added that publicly available registration information did not reveal the identity of the person who registered the domain.
Whether the website violates state campaign finance law has not been determined. The identity of its operator and the amount spent to create or maintain the site were not established in the complaint.
La Sota also cited A.R.S. § 16-905, writing that registration and campaign finance reporting requirements could apply depending on how much money has been spent on the effort.
Arizona law requires an entity to register as a political action committee when its primary purpose is influencing an election, and it crosses the applicable contribution or expenditure threshold. The Secretary of State lists the adjusted threshold for the 2025-2026 election cycle at $1,500.
The complaint also cites A.R.S. § 16-1006, which makes it unlawful to use specified corrupt means to influence an elector and prohibits deceiving an elector into voting for a different measure than the voter intended. A violation is a class 5 felony.
La Sota acknowledged in the complaint that the Secretary of State does not have criminal enforcement authority and cautioned against broad application of the statute because of its potential effect on protected political speech.
“Obviously this statute must be used with the utmost caution because it could easily be turned into a weapon against protected speech,” La Sota wrote. “But this is about as compelling a case under this statute as I have seen given the obvious attempt to defraud voters.”
The Yes campaign separately said it is asking Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate whether the opposition website violates state consumer protection laws. The campaign did not include a separate Attorney General complaint among the materials provided to AZ Free News. Its Monday press release described the campaign finance complaint as filed with the Secretary of State and said the campaign was “asking the Attorney General to investigate.”
The campaign announced the complaint during an event at the Arizona State Capitol, where it also named Christine Jones and former Arizona State Treasurer Jeff DeWit as honorary co-chairs of the Yes on 318 campaign. State Senate President and Republican Attorney General nominee Warren Petersen, Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Andy Biggs, and Republican Secretary of State nominee state Rep. Alex Kolodin also voiced support for the measure in the campaign announcement.
“Arizona parents should not have to wonder whether a political website is deliberately deceiving them or who is hiding behind it,” Petersen said. “Attorney General Kris Mayes must immediately investigate these allegations and determine whether Arizona’s campaign finance and consumer protection laws were violated.”
The campaign also released a 39-second advertisement titled “Pretending”, which places screenshots of the Yes and No websites side by side and draws a comparison between the dispute over the opposition site and the campaign’s arguments concerning transgender participation in female sports. The advertisement ends with a disclosure stating that it was paid for by Protect Girls Sports in Arizona, received zero percent of its funding from out-of-state contributors and was not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
Glad to see my bill to protect girls’ sports and female spaces has been given a title and is now known as Prop 318. But now seeing a disgraceful trick by the opponents to copy our official website – Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona. With look-alike graphics and no “Paid for”… pic.twitter.com/zHqIGDiZty
Proposition 318, referred to voters by the Legislature as HCR 2003, would amend Arizona law governing student athletics.
According to the Secretary of State’s official ballot language, the measure would require public schools, private schools and athletic associations to designate athletic teams as male, female, or coed based on biological sex as recorded at birth and would prohibit males from participating on female teams. It would also prohibit schools and athletic associations from authorizing individuals to use private spaces, including restrooms, that are not designated for that individual’s sex.
Current Arizona law applies the athletic-team designation requirements to public schools and private schools whose teams compete against public schools. Proposition 318 would broaden the statute to additional schools and athletic associations and expressly add restrictions governing restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, and other private athletic spaces.
A “yes” vote would enact those changes beginning Jan. 1, 2027, while a “no” vote would maintain current Arizona student-athletics law, according to the Secretary of State.
“Today we celebrate sports for all, as we begin the campaign to protect both girls’ sports and the right for everyone to participate,” Jones said Monday. “Prop 318, the Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Act will designate sports Male – Female – Co-Ed, ensuring fairness for females, and the opportunity for everyone to play.”
The complaint urges Fontes to take action on the alleged disclosure violations and ensure transparency surrounding the opposition website. La Sota asked the secretary to give the matter his “utmost attention,” writing that voters should not “unwittingly lose their vote on this ballot measure.” As of publication, no determination that a campaign finance violation occurred had been announced.
Arizona Republicans selected their nominees for several of the state’s highest-profile offices on Tuesday, with several races called later in the evening. Additional ballot counting continued Wednesday in closely divided legislative, congressional, and county races.
The Associated Press called Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05) the winner of the four-way Republican primary for governor, setting up a November contest against Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs. The AP also called the Republican secretary of state primary for state Rep. Alexander Kolodin.
The attorney general primary race was subsequently called for State Senate President Warren Petersen shortly before midnight in Arizona. Petersen led attorney Rodney Glassman by 56.4 percent to 43.6 percent as of publication.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Warren Petersen wins Republican nomination for attorney general in Arizona. #APRaceCall at 2:58 a.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
Republican Elijah Norton defeated Katherine Haley for the state treasurer nomination, leading 56.1 percent to 43.9 percent at the time of publication. Norton will now face Democrat nominee Nick Mansour.
Decision Desk HQ called State Treasurer Kimberly Yee the winner of the Republican primary for superintendent of public instruction. Yee led incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne 53.2 percent to 46.8 percent with approximately 89 percent of the expected vote counted in the highly competitive race. Former state lawmaker, Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz, had nearly 80 percent of the vote against Brett Newby and will advance to the general election.
Decision Desk HQ projects Kimberly Yee wins the AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction Republican Primary#DecisionMade: 8:18 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/hCr78WcgTt
Commissioner Kevin Thompson secured one Republican nomination for the Arizona Corporation Commission, while former lawmaker Ralph Heap appeared set to secure the second after Commissioner Nick Myers conceded the race in a statement posted to X. Thompson led with 291,934 votes, or 35.89 percent. Heap followed with 267,085 votes, or 32.84 percent, while Myers had 254,321 votes, or 31.27 percent, leaving Heap ahead by 12,764 votes at the time of publication.
Congressional Primaries
Former state Rep. Amish Shah has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District against former television journalist Marlene Galán-Woods, 39.8 percent to 34.1 percent, according to the AP. Jonathan Treble held 17.62 percent, and Rick McCartney had 8.51 percent. Shah will face Thomas “Jay” Feely in one of Arizona’s most competitive congressional districts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amish Shah wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 10:07 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
Rep. Greg Stanton held a commanding lead over progressive challenger Kai Newkirk in the Democratic primary for the Fourth Congressional District, 63.5 percent to 36.5 percent.
Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb won the Republican primary for Biggs’ open Fifth Congressional District seat, defeating Daniel Keenan 58.3 percent to 41.7 percent. The Associated Press also called the Democrat primary for Elizabeth Lee, who received 65.5 percent. Chris James received 21.2 percent, and Brian Hualde received 13.28 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Lee wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Arizona's 5th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 11:18 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
Bernadette Greene-Placentia defeated Raymond Keeler approximately 65 percent to 35 percent in the Democratic primary for the Eighth Congressional District. She will challenge Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh in November.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernadette Greene-Placentia wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Arizona's 8th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 11:20 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, giving several down-ballot primaries consequences extending well beyond the individual districts.
In Legislative District 2, Republican Sen. Shawnna Bolick led Timothy Ferrara 71.4 percent to 28.6 percent. Democrat Amelia Gallitano led Daniel Toporek 77.3 percent to 22.7 percent in the same district.
Republican Sen. John Kavanagh led Robert Wallace 85.2 percent to 14.8 percent in Legislative District 3.
In the Democratic primary for Legislative District 6, former Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai led Rep. Myron Tsosie 54.8 percent to 45.2 percent.
Sen. Lauren Kuby, a former Tempe city councilwoman, led Deborah Nardozzi 76 percent to 24 percent in the Legislative District 8 Democratic primary.
Christopher King led Anthony Dunham 63.2 percent to 36.8 percent in the Republican primary for Legislative District 17.
Rep. Alma Hernandez led Rocque Perez 53.8 percent to 46.2 percent in the Democratic primary for Legislative District 20.
The closest contested Senate primary was in Legislative District 27, where Republican Sen. Kevin Payne led former Sen. Anthony Kern with 8,368 votes to 8,096, a margin of only 272 votes.
State House Primaries
Arizona House districts elect two representatives, meaning the two leading candidates in each party primary generally advance to November.
In Legislative District 1, Republican Reps. Selina Bliss and Quang Nguyen held the two qualifying positions. Bliss led with 42.45 percent, Nguyen followed with 42.04 percent, and Shawn Wildman trailed with 15.51 percent.
George Khalaf led the four-candidate Republican contest in Legislative District 3 with 33.69 percent. Cody Reim held the second nomination position with 27.12 percent, only 612 votes ahead of Jay Schlum, who received 26.21 percent. Thomas Walsh held 12.8 percent.
Republican Rep. Matt Gress led Legislative District 4 with 45.28 percent, while Pamela Carter held the second position with 33.67 percent. Sandra Christensen trailed with 21.05 percent.
In Legislative District 6, Democratic Rep. Mae Peshlakai led with 42.5 percent. Ian Teller held the second qualifying position with 29.76 percent, followed by Angela Maloney with 27.73 percent.
Rep. Walt Blackman led the Legislative District 7 Republican primary with 34.73 percent. Rep. David Cook held second with 27.25 percent, followed by Andrew Costanzo with 21.34 percent and Barby Ingle with 16.67 percent.
Brian Garcia and Janeen Connolly held the two Democratic nomination positions in Legislative District 8 with 42 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Claudia Kline trailed with 26 percent.
Rep. Justin Olson, a former corporation commissioner, led the Republican primary in Legislative District 10 with 43.82 percent. James Rogers held second with 34.41 percent, followed by Ciara Anderson with 21.77 percent.
Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke led the Legislative District 13 Republican primary with 43.31 percent. Janet Weninger held the second nomination position with 34.62 percent, while Debra Schinke trailed with 22.07 percent.
In Legislative District 14, Tyler Farnsworth led with 41.63 percent, and Rep. Laurin Hendrix followed with 38.29 percent. Jed Lyons received 20.08 percent.
Sen. David Gowan, a former Senate president, led the Legislative District 19 Republican House primary with 43.98 percent. Rep. Lupe Diaz held the second position with 32.09 percent, followed by Cheryl Caswell with 23.93 percent.
On the Democrat side, Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales led the Legislative District 20 House primary with 33.37 percent. Rep. Betty Villegas, a former Pima County supervisor, held second with 31.81 percent, followed by Genoveva Diaz with 19.41 percent and Ben Koehler with 15.42 percent.
Rep. Consuelo Hernandez led the four-way Democrat primary in Legislative District 21 with 30.21 percent. Miranda Lopez held the second nomination position with 24.92 percent, ahead of Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton at 24.24 percent. Maritza Higuera held 20.63 percent.
Rep. Elda Luna-Nájera led the five-candidate Democratic primary in Legislative District 22 with 29.36 percent. Betsy Munoz held second with 27.60 percent, followed by Veronica Bejarano-Malone with 24.78 percent, Steve Chapman with 9.86 percent, and Gwen Johnston with 8.4 percent.
Rep. Mariana Sandoval led the Legislative District 23 Democratic primary with 38.35 percent. Emilia Cortez held the second nomination position with 25.49 percent, followed by Juan Manuel Guerrero at 18.3 percent and Naomi Miguel at 18.19 percent.
In Legislative District 24, Alberto Flores and Lisbeth Arescurenaga held the two qualifying positions with 39.87 percent and 37.02 percent. Democratic Rep. Lydia Hernandez trailed with 14.34 percent, followed by Rosa Cantu with 8.77 percent.
Republican Reps. Beverly Pingerelli and David Livingston led the Legislative District 28 contest with 41.72 percent and 38.98 percent, respectively. Heather Rooks received 19.30 percent.
Mike Gannuscio led the five-candidate Republican primary in Legislative District 30 with 33.97 percent. David Rose held the second nomination position with 29.16 percent, followed by Grace Hecht with 19.89 percent, Catherine Lopez-Rajaniemi with 10.68 percent, and Caroline Strecker with 6.29 percent.
County Races
Most countywide offices on Tuesday’s ballot had only one candidate seeking each party’s nomination. Contested county and local races included the Apache County clerk of the Superior Court primary, the Santa Cruz County school superintendent primary, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors District 2 primary, and the Yuma County clerk of the Superior Court primary.
In Apache County, Samceita Begay led Wendy Shepherd in the Democratic primary for clerk of the Superior Court. Begay received 5,653 votes to Shepherd’s 4,195 at the time of publication.
In Santa Cruz County, incumbent County School Superintendent Maya Donnelly led Sonia Sanchez by 2,545 votes to 2,222 in the Democratic primary. Miguel López also led Adriana Olaiz by 2,754 votes to 2,066 in the Democratic primary for justice of the peace at the time of publication.
Camp Verde Mayor Marie Moore led Wiley Cline in the Republican primary for the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat. Moore received 3,633 votes, approximately 57 percent, while Cline received 2,746 votes or approximately 43 percent.
In Yuma County, Chief Deputy Clerk Bobbie Jo Daily led Malba Alvarez by 6,801 votes to 2,530, or 72.9 percent to 27.1 percent, in the Republican primary for clerk of the Superior Court. The Arizona Secretary of State’s county-results portal continued to list Yuma County’s results as pending Wednesday afternoon, although the county had opened its separate online results system.
Additional Ballots Remain
The results remained unofficial on Wednesday as county election officials continued processing ballots. The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office estimated that voters deposited 93,368 early ballots at polling locations on Election Day. That figure represents Election Day ballot drop-offs and does not represent the number of ballots remaining to be counted. The Secretary of State’s Office reports outstanding ballots separately through its ballot-progress reports.
The early results demonstrated President Donald Trump’s continued influence in Arizona’s Republican statewide and congressional primaries. The legislative contests followed a more localized pattern, with incumbency, district organizations, and candidate-specific disputes producing several close races beneath a decisive statewide result.
Margins of only a few hundred votes in several legislative primaries could shape the composition of Arizona’s Republican and Democrat legislative caucuses as the parties prepare for the larger fight over control of the House and Senate in November. The statewide canvass is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Vote totals and percentages are current as of 8 p.m. MST on July 22.
Congressman Andy Biggs is projected to win the Republican nomination for Arizona governor. The Associated Press also called several of the state’s closely watched primary races, including the Republican secretary of state contest for Rep. Alexander Kolodin.
Biggs led Rep. David Schweikert and businessmen Ken Miceli and Scott Neely when the AP called the four-way Republican primary in his favor. He will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who ran unopposed for her party’s nomination, in the Nov. 3 general election.
The AP declares a winner when its decision team determines that trailing candidates no longer have a path to victory. The election results remain unofficial, pending the official statewide canvass on August 6.
Biggs has represented Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District since January 2017 and previously served as president of the Arizona Senate. He chaired the House Freedom Caucus from 2019 to 2022 and entered the gubernatorial primary with endorsements from Turning Point USA and President Donald Trump.
Schweikert has represented Arizona in Congress since 2011 and currently holds the First Congressional District seat. He remained in Washington during Tuesday’s election as the House considered a government funding bill.
In the secretary of state race, Republican state Rep. Alexander Kolodin defeated former Arizona Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda for the GOP nomination. Kolodin will face Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who ran unopposed in his party’s primary, in the Nov. 3 general election. The secretary of state serves as Arizona’s chief election officer and oversees statewide election administration, business filings, and state records and archives.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Kolodin wins Republican nomination for secretary of state in Arizona. #APRaceCall at 11:17 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
The AP also called the Republican primary for Schweikert’s open First Congressional District seat for former Arizona Cardinals kicker and sportscaster Thomas “Jay” Feely IV.
Feely defeated former state Rep. Joseph Chaplik and technology and telecommunications executive John Trobough. President Trump endorsed Feely after he moved from the Fifth District race into the contest to succeed Schweikert.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thomas Feely wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 11:13 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
The First District includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley. Republicans hold a voter-registration advantage in the district, although the seat has become increasingly competitive in recent elections. Schweikert defeated Democratic nominee Amish Shah with 51.9 percent of the vote in 2024.
Former television journalist Marlene Galán-Woods led the initial Democratic First District results against Shah, publisher Rick McCartney, and entrepreneur Jonathan Treble. The Associated Press had not called the Democratic contest Tuesday night.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee supported Galán-Woods in the primary. Shah won the party’s nomination for the district in 2024 before narrowly losing the general election to Schweikert.
Former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb won the Republican nomination to succeed Biggs in the Fifth Congressional District. Lamb defeated construction company owner Daniel Keenan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mark Lamb wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Arizona's 5th Congressional District. #APRaceCall at 11:11 p.m. EDT. https://t.co/TS3eIpQI5W
President Trump endorsed Lamb, who previously sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2024. The Associated Press described the Fifth District as a safely Republican seat.
The Democratic Fifth District primary included Elizabeth Lee, Chris James and Brian Hualde. The Associated Press had not called that contest at the time of publication.
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza advanced without primary opposition in the Sixth Congressional District, establishing the general-election matchup in one of Arizona’s most competitive congressional seats.
The results remain unofficial while Arizona counties continue processing ballots and complete their required canvasses. County boards of supervisors face an Aug. 3 deadline to canvass the primary results, followed by the official statewide canvass on Aug. 6.
Several races, including the GOP nominations for Attorney General, Treasurer, Corporation Commission, and Superintendent of Public Instruction, remained too close to call as of 10 PM Tuesday.
