PHOENIX — Arizona voters are narrowing the field of congressional candidates in Tuesday’s primary election and will determine the political fate of a Republican official in Maricopa County who pushed back hard against electoral falsehoods within the Republican Party.
The primaries also feature key state legislative races in a year when abortion politics have made some Republican lawmakers politically vulnerable. Headlining the election is Kari Lake, a former Phoenix television news anchor and candidate for governor, who faces Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Voting closes at 7pm
Here’s a look at some key races:
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer faces a challenge from fellow state Republican Justin Heap and information technology professional Donald Hiatt in the first opportunity to remove an elections official who debunked false claims about the 2020 and 2022 elections.
Richer, whose office manages voter registration and early voting efforts in the state’s most populous county, took office in early 2021 after unseating a Democratic incumbent.
He has drawn sharp criticism in some conservative circles for criticizing former President Donald Trump and others for falsehoods about the 2020 election, which Joe Biden won in Arizona by 10,457 votes.
Richer was later criticized by Lake, who claimed that her loss in the 2022 gubernatorial race was due to voter fraud. Although her legal challenges were rejected by the courtsLake continues to allege that Richer and other Maricopa County officials interfered in the election to prevent her from winning.
Later, Richer presented a defamation lawsuit against Lake, saying he faced “violent violence and other dire consequences” because of the lies spread by Lake, including death threats and loss of friendships.
Heap stopped short of saying the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but said thousands of Republican voters don’t trust the county’s election operations. Both Heap and Hiatt said the county has unsafe practices for handling early voting.
Richer said he did his best to defend the integrity of the electoral system in the face of falsehoods, worked to clean up voter rolls and was on the winning side in lawsuits challenging election results.
The winner of the primary will face the only Democrat in the race, lawyer Tim Stringham, in the November election.
Several members of the county board of directors also face Trump-aligned challengers.
8th District: Leading candidates Abraham Hamadeh and Blake Masters received support from former President Donald Trump as they sought to secure the Republican nomination in the district northwest of Phoenix. It is considered the epicenter of efforts by Trump’s allies to cast doubt on the validity of the election results.
Whoever wins has a good chance of success Republican U.S. Representative Debbie Lesko because the district is conservative. The other candidates are: former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, Arizona State House Speaker Ben Toma, state Rep. Anthony Kern and political newcomer Patrick Briody. Greg Whitten, a biosecurity worker, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. 1st District: Six Democrats are facing off for a chance to flip the nationally competitive seat that covers parts of Maricopa County. Biden won the district in 2020.
Current Republican Rep. David Schweikert intends to keep it, but his reputation has been tarnished in recent years by ethics scandals. In 2022, Schweikert received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriation of campaign funds. Two years earlier, he agreed to pay a sum $50,000 fine and acceptance of 11 campaign finance violations following an investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee.
Democrats seeking to unseat him include Andrei Cherny, a former state party chairman who previously ran for state treasurer; former local news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods; orthodontist Andrew Horne; former American Red Cross regional CEO Kurt Kroemer; investment banker Conor O’Callaghan and former state representative Amish Shah.
Schweikert is considered the favorite, with challenges from businessman Robert Backie and former FBI agent and corporate investor Kim George.
3rd District: Two Arizona Democrats eye the vacancy left by Ruben Gallego’s decision to run US Senate. The winner between former Phoenix City Councilman Yassamin Ansari and former Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán is the favorite to win the general and represent the district that encompasses central and southwest Phoenix.
Ansari has proclaimed herself a progressive candidate who will “stand up to MAGA extremism” and defend abortion rights.
Terán, a former state Senate minority leader, emphasizes her success as an organizer and key player in the removal of Joe Arpaio as Maricopa County sheriff.
Jesus David Mendoza and Jeff Zink seek the Republican nomination.
Senate District 2: Republican Shawnna Bolick was one of two senators who sided with Democrats this year in repealing the near-total ban on abortion in 1864. She was appointed to the position last summer to fill a vacancy. Her popularity among voters in Phoenix’s competitive northwest district will be tested for the first time in Tuesday’s election. She is facing small business owner Josh Barnett, who leans more to the right. Barnett said Bolick’s vote on the abortion bill was politically calculated as the district became more purple.
Senate District 7: Rep. David Cook is challenging the incumbent Wendy Rogers for the Republican Party nomination for the seat representing the Flagstaff region and parts of Navajo, Gila and Pinal counties. Rogers is a prolific election denier who is aligned with Trump and was censured by the Legislature after supporting white nationalism. Still, she is popular among her base and has a national following. Cook said rural district constituents care more about local issues like mining and water.
Senate District 1: Incumbent Ken Bennett is facing a challenge to the Republican Party candidacy from Mark Finchem, a Trump loyalist who recently lost a bid to become Arizona’s secretary of state. The reliably red district is anchored by Prescott. Bennett, a former secretary of state and president of the state Senate, is the more moderate of the two. Steve Zipperman, a real estate broker, is also seeking the Republican Party nomination and has said he is not a professional politician.
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