Barring a turn of events with additional ballots being tabulated from the November General Election, Maricopa County Republicans appear to be holding onto their positions for the upcoming term of office.
After Tuesday’s November General Election, a number of Maricopa County Republicans are likely returning and / or ascending to positions of leadership.
As of this report on Thursday night, Eddie Cook received 54.36% of the vote for re-election to County Assessor.
Rachel Mitchell acquired 55.01% of the vote to return as County Attorney.
Justin Heap won 52.56% of the vote to assume the position of County Recorder. Heap is currently a state representative.
In a statement, Heap said, “I look forward to immediately beginning the work of transitioning into the office, and working with the legislature to develop a common sense legislative agenda that will make our elections more effective, efficient, and most importantly, honest, while allowing us to deliver faster election results in the 2026 and 2028 elections.”
Shelli Boggs obtained 51.85% of the vote for County School Superintendent.
Jerry Sheridan received 53.78% of the vote for County Sheriff.
Sheridan posted a statement to his X account, writing, “The real work now lies ahead as we work with the community, the Board of Supervisors, and the amazing employees at MCSO to rebuild the Sheriff’s Office to better protect the people we are entrusted to serve. To those voters out there that didn’t support my campaign, I want you to know that I will work hard to earn your trust and support. I will keep the promises I made during this campaign, especially treating every person with dignity and respect, and protecting the civil rights of all Maricopa County residents.”
John Allen was unopposed for his reelection bid for County Treasurer.
As of Thursday’s report of ballot tabulation, Republicans would control the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors with a 4-1 split. Two races – both with a Republican leading – are within three percent or less.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A Republican running for Maricopa County School Superintendent picked up a key endorsement ahead of the November General Election.
Late last month, Shelli Boggs announced the endorsement of Riley Gaines for her campaign for Maricopa County Superintendent. In her endorsement statement, Gaines said, “My advocacy has brought me to Arizona multiple times and I have gotten to really know Shelli Boggs. She is genuine. Kids and education are her passion. She believes in empowering students with knowledge and skills.”
Gaines added, “Shelli will always put students and their academic needs first! That is why I fully endorse Shelli Boggs for Maricopa County School Superintendent.”
Over the past few years, Riley Gaines has shot to national prominence over her flawless defense of the integrity of women’s sports as ladies around the country battle the encroachment of biological men within their events. Gaines was a twelve-time NCAA All-American Swimmer, and she serves as an Ambassador for the Independent Women’s Voice.
Boggs responded to the endorsement from Gaines, writing, “I am honored to have Riley Gaines’ endorsement! Riley has been a strong advocate for protecting girls’ sports and ensuring fairness for female athletes. I am grateful for her support as we work to uphold integrity in education and create opportunities for all students in Maricopa County schools. Together, we will protect what matters most in both academics and athletics.”
On her website, Boggs describes herself as “a proud Arizona mom, mimi, teacher, and education leader who got started in Arizona politics when she saw firsthand the decline in education quality and the invasion of radical politics into the classroom.” In 2018, Boggs won a seat on the Governing Board of the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), where she served as its Vice President and then President. She states that under her leadership, “EVIT has seen enrollment double, administration costs decrease, radical politics and activism removed from classrooms, and more dollars going directly towards student success WITHOUT raising taxes.”
The Republican nominee for county superintendent promises to “ensure that the school children of Maricopa County get the education they need to succeed in life, politics are removed from classrooms, parental rights are defended, fiscal accountability is restored, school board vacancies are filled with responsible leaders, and that good teachers are being supported.”
Boggs vows to protect boys and girls in schools “because we recognize the difference between them.” She intends to “always fight to protect girls’ sports from those who want to allow biological boys to compete against our female athletes.”
Running against Boggs is Dr. Laura Metcalfe, a Democrat and an EVIT School Board Member. Metcalfe lists a number of endorsements on her campaign website, including from Arizona List, Save Our Schools Arizona, Maricopa County Young Democrats, Young Democrats of Arizona, National Organization for Women Arizona PAC, and former Democrat State Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman.
The winner will replace Steve Watson as the Maricopa County School Superintendent. Watson is a Republican.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
81 school board races were recommended for cancellation this year by the Maricopa County School Superintendent due to a lack of candidates.
35 districts were impacted. Maricopa County has 58 districts in total, meaning 60 percent of the districts either had no candidates or only one candidate running for a seat.
All but a handful of the races had one individual in the race poised for appointment by default. 72 of those seats were recommended to have the sole candidate appointed to them, with the remaining 9 seats declared vacant due to having no candidates at all.
💥 Not enough candidates stepped up for school boards – leaving voters without choices to help improve their school districts.
The following districts have races impacted by the lack of candidates:
Aguila Elementary School District: three appointments, two vacancies
Alhambra Elementary School District: three appointments
Arlington Elementary School District: three appointments
Avondale Elementary School District: one appointment
Balsz Elementary School District: one vacancy
Buckeye Elementary School District: two appointments, one vacancy
Cave Creek Unified School District: one appointment
East Valley Institute of Technology – 4: one vacancy
East Valley Institute of Technology – 6: one appointment
East Valley Institute of Technology – 8: one appointment
Fountain Hills Unified School District: one appointment
Gila Bend Unified School District: one appointment, one vacancy
Litchfield Elementary School District: three appointments
Littleton Elementary School District: three appointments
Madison Elementary School District: three appointments
Mobile Elementary School District: three appointments
Morristown Elementary School District: one appointment, one vacancy
Murphy Elementary School District: three appointments, one vacancy
Nadaburg Elementary School District: three appointments
Osborn Elementary School District: three appointments
Paloma Elementary School District: three appointments
Palo Verde Elementary School District: four appointments
Pendergast Elementary School District: three appointments
Phoenix Elementary School District: three appointments
Riverside Elementary School District: one appointment
Saddle Mountain Unified School District: three appointments
Sentinel Elementary School District: three appointments
Tempe Union High School District: three appointments
Union Elementary School District: two appointments, one vacancy
West MEC – 3: one appointment
West MEC – 4: one appointment
West MEC – 5: one appointment
West MEC – 6: one appointment
Wickenburg Unified School District: three appointments
Wilson Elementary School District: one appointment
Of the recommended appointments, 12 were write-in candidates: three for Aguila Elementary School District, three for Paloma Elementary School District, two for Union Elementary School District, one for Alhambra Elementary School District, one for East Valley Institute of Technology – 6, one for Gila Bend Unified School District, and one for Morristown Elementary School District.
The filing deadline for write-in candidates occurred at the end of July, with the filing period opening at the start of June.
State law authorizes the county school superintendent to either appoint a qualified elector or call a special election to fill the vacant seat.
As part of the former option consisting of an appointment process, the office of county superintendent receives up to three names from the relevant district governing board as well as a full list of candidates who applied with the district. Individuals not on those lists who are interested in being appointed may also apply directly to the office of county superintendent to be considered for appointment.
The office of county superintendent will then filter out applicants through interviews.
Only those who are registered voters in the state and residents of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of the election are considered eligible to serve on a school governing board.
The county superintendent’s recommendations were submitted to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for final approval.
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