Arizona Democrats won the night on Tuesday. Gov. Katie Hobbs won a second term, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes won with her, Amish Shah ran away from Jay Feely in the congressional district that covers Scottsdale, and Democrats took control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in Washington.
Hobbs defeated former Rep. Andy Biggs for governor, a race the networks called shortly after 8:30 p.m. With most of the vote counted, Hobbs led 968,666 to 669,599, about 58% to 40%. In Maricopa County, home to Scottsdale, she led 596,958 to 393,646. Four years ago Hobbs needed days to win this office by less than a point. This time it was over early.
In the 1st Congressional District — Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills and north Phoenix — Shah led Feely 141,631 to 111,699 in the latest count, about 56% to 44% with roughly three-quarters of the vote in. The seat opened when Rep. David Schweikert gave it up to run for governor. The race had not been called, but Feely trailed by nearly 30,000 votes.
Mayes won reelection over Senate President Warren Petersen, and the margin told her story. Four years ago Mayes won the attorney general’s office by 280 votes after a recount — one of the closest races in state history. This time she led comfortably all night, and at the Democratic celebration she was the first of the statewide winners to speak, opening the speeches for the night.
Fontes followed her, and his speech was about the voters themselves. He led state Rep. Alexander Kolodin for secretary of state, 946,485 to 680,202, about 57% to 41% — the Scottsdale-area lawmaker who built his career in the court fights over the 2020 election, beaten in the race for the office that runs Arizona’s elections.
“Let there be no doubt, ladies and gentlemen, about the power of the American voter,” Fontes said. “Let there be no doubt that no matter how dark or cruel one man or one warped ideology may seem — when we vote, we are more powerful than our own leaders.”
“America’s elections are the golden thread that bind all of our society together,” he said. “Whether you are in business or in law, whether you are in medicine or higher education, whether you are in technology, every single one of us depends on American elections and those who run them.” Some have tried to pull that thread out, he said, “but we’re not going to let that happen on our watch.”
He described the coalition behind him — “Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, rural Arizonans and urban dwellers, Native Americans from our sovereign tribal nations and newcomers from foreign lands like Peru, Pakistan and even Pennsylvania” — and he thanked his family: his mother, who was there, and of whom he said anyone who donated got a thank-you card from her; his children, who he said have put up with their dad being away; and “an amazing life partner, in this case my wife Nicole.”
At home in Scottsdale, the City Council race for the last two open seats stayed tight. Raoul Zubia led the three-way vote with 40,171, followed by Councilmember Barry Graham with 38,775 and former state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita with 38,426. The top two take the seats, and Ugenti-Rita sat just 349 votes behind Graham — too close to call, with more ballots still to count.
With Hobbs, Mayes and Fontes all winning, Democrats hold the state’s top offices. In Washington, the decision desks called both chambers for the Democrats — the House and the Senate both change hands in January.
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