• Torsten Ward
• Elizabeth Oien, a National Outstanding Republican Teen, worked on the campaign as an intern. She stands alongside sister, Amanda, left.

By David McGlothlin

Early polls show Martha McSally trailing Democrat Ron Barber.

However, people at tonight’s republican election party aren’t worried what so ever quite yet.
“That’s expected,” said Lorri Oien. “We know (McSally) is going to win Cochise County.”

Oien’s younger daughter is Elizabeth Oien and was named outstanding teenage republican of the nation. Elizabeth Oien graduated from Sabino High School and currently attends Pima Community College. She has also interned under McSally since August.

“[The campaign] is fast passed,” Elizabeth Oien said. “Every time you go into the office you do something new. So it’s really exciting. Hopefully it will pay off.”

Elizabeth Oien’s older sister Amanda Oien also helped out with the campaign by making phone calls and managing McSally’s social media account. Both the girls are concerned about getting a job once they graduat and are worried about the job market in Tucson’s future.

“I’d love to stay here,” Amanda Oien said. “It’s my home but if we don’t put the right people in charge who can do better job with the economy and making everything business friendly I don’t know what will happen.”
Moving to a different city is something that might happen to Oien’s.

“We have already had discussions about the possibility of moving because there are limited jobs here,” Elizabeth Oien said. “Being born here, though, you want to better the community you are already in.”

• Torsten Ward
• Ethan Orr (LD9) is still optimistic about the race.

By Michaela Kane

Though he was down in the polls early in the night, Ethan Orr, a Republican in the Arizona House of Representatives maintained his optimism about the results of the election.

“My plan was to run a very positive race, because that’s the kind of the race I want Tucson to be, and win or lose that’s what I’m most proud of,” Orr said. “If you’re going to succeed, succeed by creating something better.”

This optimism was present throughout the Republican Election Party in Tucson, as many people felt bolstered by the results of similar elections across the nation.

“It’s really early in the evening, and this is a Republican night all across the nation,” said Bruce Ash, the Republican National Committeeman from Arizona.

Orr, who was trailing his opponents by four percent, was nervous about the course of the evening but wanted the sense of optimism to remain with his supporters.

“Win or lose I’m here,” he said. “I haven’t seen any results, but we’ve been phenomenal with this campaign and I’m extremely proud of it. We worked very, very hard and we ran a good, clean campaign, so let’s see where it goes.”

• Natalie Grum
• Victoria Steele chats with volunteer Jeanne Christie during Democratic Election results party.

In one of the most-watched Arizona House of Representatives races in Southern Arizona, Democrats Victoria Steele and Randy Friese are leading Republican incumbent Ethan Orr. Steele has 35 percent of the vote and Friese has 34 percent, while Orr has 31 percent.

Steele said she was feeling "cautious optimism."

"It's been a very competitive race," she said. "We've done everything we can possibly do. All we can do now is be patient and remember to breathe."

Earlier we pointed out that this Pima County Republican Party election fiesta has a different feel than previous election parties. There's the obvious, this is Martha's show - this is her party and her people are in charge of every aspect (yes, thank you, we finally got a table to work from, just being a whiny press person). Other Republican candidates were welcome. McSally Campaign Communications Director Patrick Ptak told us that they were told that after Martha spoke tonight and as results came in, they were welcome to speak. So far no one has taken her up on that offer. Also, excuse me, but where are Pima County Supervisors Ray Carroll and Ally Miller? That just popped in my head.

But the feel of this party is different enough to note that the norm we've seen the past few elections is just not here—where is Gabby Saucedo Mercer in her red gown accompanied by her other red-gowned friends? Where ... well, where are the other GOP candidates, besides Rep. Ethan Orr?

Last campaign season, if you recall, McSally's election didn't end well. Bar talk was negative, and the teabaggers were angry and didn't hold back their hate for the candidate. Of course, this happened last go round.

I don't know, while I miss those colorful teabaggers, and this seems like a SaddleBrooke crowd, I could get use to this, er, you know, it's rather nice and normal. I wish I could say it might change, that the night is young. But it isn't. Also the music is damn good—it's a party, and sometimes this GOP fiesta's seemed like mothballs still hung to the edges. Or the band was someone's cousin. Yeah, so kudos to you, this new McSally Republican crowd I've never seen before. Will you be back in two years?

AP called Ducey ... and most like by the end of this night, not all the ballots will be counted to call the McSally/Barber campaign, but it's damn close.

There's always tomorrow, but somehow, the color of the GOP fiesta is gone or maybe it just wasn't invited.

As Martha McSally addressed her supporters at her election-night party, Beth Miner, an innkeeper at the Jeremiah Inn Bed and Breakfast, stood among the crowd holding a large sign to showcase her support.

Miner said after McSally's close loss during her last campaign, she truly believes McSally will win the election this time.

Miner said she thinks people nationwide have been disappointed with their leadership overall, as well as the fact that the nation did not rebound from the recession as well as it could have.

“I think she really represents the same kind of values that I have,” Miner said. “She seems to me to be someone that stands for principles.”

• Mayor Jonathan Rothschild speaking to the crowd at the Democratic election results party.

Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was critical of several of the propositions on the ballot tonight.

"There are some real bad ones," said Rothschild, who specifically mentioned Prop 122, which would allow the state legislature to vote to opt out of federal laws they deem unconstitutional. As results are coming in, the fate of Prop 122 remains too close to call.

NBC News projects Doug Ducey (R) wins Arizona Governor http://t.co/7MoVzmJEZO pic.twitter.com/QyyN32TjBo
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 5, 2014

The early results showing Republican candidate Doug Ducey leading the governor's race with 54 percent of the vote is enough for NBC News to call the race for the Republican candidate. The Arizona Republic reports:

NBC has declared state Treasurer Doug Ducey winner of the race for Arizona governor. Early returns showed the Republican with a commanding lead over Democrat Fred DuVal.

Pima County Democratic Party chairman Don Jorgensen announced that Democrats have knocked on 80,000 doors during the election season as part of the local canvassing effort.

He also welcomed the press and knocked Republican congressional candidate Martha McSally's abandoned plan to ban the press for portions of the Republican Party's gathering tonight.