Arizona's primary election is today. What to know about US Senate and House races
PHOENIX - Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans had already cast their ballots as the sun rose on primary election day Tuesday, keeping with the state's decades-old practice of early voting.
The early votes — and others cast in person at polling places Tuesday — will determine the winners of several contentious intraparty battles and shape the November contests in key races. Polling places across the state will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. MST Tuesday.
A high-profile GOP primary for a U.S. Senate seat lands at the top of the ticket that includes congressional, legislative and local races that will shape development and daily lives. Also at stake are top law enforcement and election administration roles in Maricopa, Pinal and other counties.
It's not just which candidate advances to November that could draw attention when the dust settles after the election.
First results expected at 8 p.m. MST Tuesday: Arizona primary election results
Election officials are operating under heightened concern about acts of political violence after the assassination attempt on GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump just weeks ago. And there is a simmering skepticism, and added scrutiny, related to election administration.
Elections in Maricopa County especially are under the microscope after problems in recent cycles that have opened a window for those who cast doubt on election security. Printer problems at 30% of voting locations in 2022 led to confusion and long lines. And though the county had a contingency in place, some Republican leaders and candidates claimed voters were disenfranchised. An independent review found all ballots were counted, and judges dismissed claims that voters weren't able to cast ballots.
Arizona politics: Abe Hamadeh won't detail circumstances of loan that experts question
While county officials say that no election is perfect, significant problems could fuel a flood of misinformation and further conspiracy theories.
"Although it's important to note that we're the most well-resourced, planned and trained that we've ever been, there's still no such thing as a perfect election," Zach Schira, assistant county manager for Maricopa County, told reporters last week. "We're continually focused on creating backup plans because it is not possible to anticipate each and every issue that may occur during an election."
The Republican Party of Arizona and Maricopa County Republican Committee have already filed a lawsuit over pre-election testing of certain voting equipment, according to reporting by the Phoenix New Times.
The shooting of Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, and the intense political division in the nation, have led to new oversight and preparation measures.
"Considering the volatile political atmosphere and the conceivable risks of disruptions, our office will initiate vigilant monitoring activities from the early morning hours before the polls open and continue these efforts well into the night," said JP Martin, a spokesperson for Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, the top elections administrator in Arizona. That includes "intensifying the scrutiny of misinformation" and working with local law enforcement across the state to counteract potential threats, Martin said.
A race pitting loyalists to Trump who are seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., tops the ticket, and who wins could help decide which party controls the chamber next year. Former television news anchor Kari Lake, who lost her statewide bid for governor in 2022 though she is still suing to overturn that result, is being challenged by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. Arizona native Elizabeth Reye is running for the GOP nod, a longshot bid she acknowledges was to give voters another conservative option.
For seats in Congress, a crowded GOP race for the seat now occupied by Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., pits two Trump-loyal candidates who both lost statewide in November 2022 against a former congressman and two state lawmakers — one of whom is facing criminal prosecution for certifying Trump won Arizona in 2020.
On the Democratic side, voters will choose between two progressives in a heated battle to represent a bright blue district held by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is asking voters to elevate him to the U.S. Senate. And they'll consider a six-way race to determine who will put up a challenge to seven-term incumbent Republican Congressman David Schweikert.
All 90 state legislative seats are on the ballot this November, with a handful of challenges that could unseat incumbents. With just a few swing districts in play in November because of redistricting, who wins in the primary could help determine which party controls either chamber next year. Right now, Republicans have a slight majority.
This year's primary could significantly shift who runs elections in years to come.
Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who has defended elections in the face of attacks from Trump and Lake and others, is facing two primary challengers. Of five members of the Board of Supervisors, a body that stood up to Trump's and Trump allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 election result in Arizona, two Republicans aren't running again and two incumbents are facing viable challenges from within the GOP.
And residents in over 20 Phoenix-area municipalities will cast their choice for mayors and town council leadership. Those will determine who helms growing cities like Scottsdale, Buckeye and Mesa, the people who make decisions for local residents about housing, transportation and growth. In Gilbert, a scandal involving violent and mostly affluent teens known as the Gilbert Goons has roiled the race for city leadership.
The first election results were expected to be reported Tuesday night.
But it may take days to count ballots, as is common in Arizona, and some winners may not be immediately clear. That is in part because voting patterns have shifted in recent years, and more voters dropping off ballots on election day can lead to delays.
Arizona's primary, slated for a sweltering summer day when many parts of the state are forecast to have temperatures in the triple digits, is slightly earlier than normal.
State lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year enacted a law moving the election and other related deadlines forward by a week. They rushed the change because of concern that a 2022 law would lead to more automatic recounts that could delay results and disrupt later elections.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.