Arizona congressional primary election: Blake Masters behind in close House race

PHOENIX - Arizona’s three most hotly contested U.S. congressional primaries remain too close to call, according to the first round of unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary elections.

Former state Rep. Amish Shah has a narrow lead in the crowded race for Scottsdale’s congressional seat. Attorney Abe Hamadeh is ahead of venture capitalist Blake Masters in a race between two Donald Trump loyalists trying to represent West Valley’s 8th Congressional District. And former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari is on top in the Phoenix-area 3rd Congressional District, a Democratic stronghold.

Meanwhile Republican Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert easily headed off primary challenges.

Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local and state officials have tallied all ballots and certified the results. It's unknown how many ballots remain to be counted.

Here's what we know so far.

First results expected at 8 p.m. Tuesday: Arizona primary election results

Arizona’s 1st Congressional District: Shah leading

Former state Rep. Amish Shah had the lead in a crowded race in Arizona’s Scottsdale-area 1st congressional district sollowing early results.

Three other candidates — Andrei Cherny, a former Arizona Democratic Party chair, former journalist Marlene Galán-Woods, and Conor O'Callaghan, who works in finance — were clustered closely behind him.

Andrew Horne, an orthodontist, and Kurt Kroemer, a former nonprofit executive, trailed the rest of the field.

On the Republican side, incumbent Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., beat out two lesser-known candidates. He is widely seen as one of the sitting Republicans most vulnerable to a challenge in November’s general election. AP called the primary race for Schweikert at 8:09 p.m.

The district encompasses most of northeastern Maricopa County, including wealthy Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

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Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District: Crane fends off primary challenge

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., easily headed off a primary challenge from former Yavapai County Supervisor Jack Smith.

The Associated Press called the race for Crane at 8:07 p.m., minutes after the first round of unofficial results were released.

It is an anticlimactic finish to the so-called "vengeance operation" by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose allies targeted the Arizona congressman and other Republicans who ended McCarthy's speakership last year. A well-funded opposition campaign against Crane did not materialize as Smith failed to raise money that could rival Crane’s multi-million dollar war chest.

Former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez won the Democratic nomination unopposed.

The district includes Apache, Coconino, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties as well as parts of Gila, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal and Yavapai counties.

Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District: Ansari in the lead

Former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari had a narrow lead in the Phoenix-area 3rd Congressional District after early results were released.

Her chief rival, former Arizona Democratic Party chair Raquel Terán, followed closely behind her. 

Both self-described progressives, Ansari has generally led the field in terms of fundraising, though Terán amassed a list of high-profile backers including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. The winner of the race is widely expected to defeat the Republican challenger in November's general election and could hold on to the seat for years to come.

A lesser-known candidate, Duane Wooten, trailed them both by a significant margin.

On the Republican side, candidate Jeff Zink, who rallied in D.C. on January 6, defeated Jesus David Mendoza. The Associated Press called the race for Zink at 8:50 p.m.

Arizona’s 4th Congressional District: Cooper leads the field

Republican Kelly Cooper was leading a four-person field that also includes candidates Jerone Davison, Dave Giles and Zuhdi Jasser.

Incumbent Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., won the nomination unopposed.

The district stretches across much of the East Valley, including Tempe and parts of Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Arizona’s 5th Congressional District: Biggs, Schaffner nominated

Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican, and Katrina Schaffner, a Democrat, won their parties’ nominations unopposed.

The district is in Maricopa and Pinal counties, including parts of Gilbert, Chandler, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District: Ciscomani, Engel earn nominations

Incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., defeated primary challenger Kathleen Winn, an activist and former talk radio host. The Associated Press called the GOP race for Ciscomani at 8:26 p.m.

Democrat Kirsten Engel won her party’s nomination unopposed.

The district covers most of Pima County, including most of Tucson, and Cochise County.

Arizona’s 7th Congressional District: Grijalva, Butierez win unopposed

Long-serving Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Republican candidate Daniel Francis Butierez Sr., both won their parties’ nominations unopposed.

Grijalva announced in July that he has concluded several months of treatment for lung cancer.

The district includes the southwestern part of Arizona near the state's California state line and its border with Mexico.

Arizona’s 8th Congressional District: Hamadeh in the lead

Lawyer Abe Hamadeh had a narrow lead over venture capitalist Blake Masters in Arizona’s West Valley-area 8th Congressional District, but the race remained too close to call.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma trailed closely behind Masters, followed by former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks and state Sen. Anthony Kern.

One of Arizona’s most bitter primary contests, the race saw a last-minute election twist over the weekend when former President Donald Trump, who had initially only backed Hamadeh, also threw his support behind Masters. 

Democratic candidate Gregory Whitten won his party’s nomination unopposed.

The district covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River.

Arizona’s 9th Congressional District: Gosar, Smith head to general

Incumbent Republican Rep. Paul Gosar and Democratic candidate Quacy Smith won their parties’ nominations unopposed.

The district covers most of the state's western region, including parts of La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, and Yuma counties and the cities of Kingman and Lake Havasu City.