Wednesday, November 4, 2020
State Sen. Vince Leach has captured 53 percent of the vote against Democratic challenger Joanna Mendoza. Leach now leads Mendoza by nearly 7,000 votes.
In the House race in LD11, which includes Oro Valley and Marana, as well Pinal County precincts and the town of Maricopa, Republican state Reps. Bret Roberts and Mark Finchem were outpacing Democratic challenger Felipe Perez by more than 3,000 votes.
An unknown number of early ballots dropped off at polling places yesterday remain to be counted..
Not much changed in other results from last night.
In Legislative District 2, which runs along with Santa Cruz River from downtown Tucson through Green Valley and Sahuarita and down to Nogales, Democrats were leading Republican candidates. In the LD2 House race, Democratic state Rep. Daniel Hernandez had 37 percent of the vote, while state Sen. Andrea Dalessandro, who is seeking to return to the House as she hit a term limit in the Senate, had 36 percent of the vote. Republican challenger Deborah McEwan had 27 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, State Rep. Rosanna Gabaldon had 62 percent of the vote against Mark Workman as she campaigned to move to the state Senate.
In Legislative District 9, which includes central Tucson, the Catalina Foothills and the Casas Adobes area, Democratic state Reps. Pamela Powers-Hannley and Rep. Randy Friese were leading GOP challenger Brendan Lyons by more than 18,000 votes. Meanwhile, state Sen. Victoria Steele was unopposed.
In Legislative District 10, the Democratic slate of state Rep. Domingo DeGrazia and political newcomer Stephania Stahl Hamilton were leading the Republican slate of Michael Hicks and Mabelle Gummere by more than than 14,000 votes. Meanwhile, state Rep. Kirsten Engel had 60 percent of the vote against GOP challenger Justine Wadsack.
In westside Legislative District 3, the Democratic slate of state Reps. Andrés Cano and Alma Hernandez and state Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales were unopposed.
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Arizona voters have legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults. Prop 207, which would legalize marijuana possession of up to an ounce for those 21 and older, has 60 percent of the vote and has been called by the Associated Press.
The proposition will allow marijuana possession of up to an ounce for those 21 and older and impose a 16% tax on cannabis sales. It will also allow the expungement of convictions for some marijuana-related crimes.
Voters narrowly rejected a similar initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016, but the proposition made it on the ballot this year with the support of the Smart and Safe Arizona Political Action Committee.
The legalization of recreational marijuana use, which would begin in March, is expected to generate $250 million annually for the state and municipalities while establishing a Smart and Safe Fund to collect taxes, fees and fines for program administration and dispersal to enforcement, education and social programs.
The approved measure would allow adults to grow up to six plants and possess up to five grams of concentrates, while edibles would be restricted to 10mg THC per piece.
The current system for those with MMJ certifications will remain in place for cardholders, who can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana with no restrictions on THC content in edibles.
Smoking marijuana in public places such as parks and restaurants is prohibited under the approved ballot measure.
The Arizona Department of Health Services will be the lead agency overseeing both the medical and recreational marijuana programs.
Meanwhile, Prop 208, which would raise the sales taxes on individuals who earn more than $250,000 (or $500,000 for couples filing jointly) in order to fund education programs, is leading with 54 percent of the vote.
With most of the early ballots and about one-fourth of Pima County precincts counted, it appears that Democrats have won a Republican-leaning district on the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
In the race to replace Republican Supervisor Ally Miller, Democrat Rex Scott is ahead of Republican Steve Spain with 55 percent of the vote in District 1, which includes the Catalina Foothills as well Oro Valley and Marana, is a Republican-leaning district.
In District 2, Democrat Matt Heinz, who defeated longtime Supervisor Ramon Valadez in the August primary, easily dispatched Republican Anthony Sizer, capturing 71 percent of the vote.
In District 3, Democrat Sharon Bronson is headed for a seventh term on the board as she’s won 62 percent of the vote against GOP challenger Gabby Mercer.
In District 4, incumbent GOP Supervisor Steve Christy is slightly ahead of Democratic challenger Steve Diamond squeaking by only 417 votes more than Diamond in this heavily GOP district. Both Christy and Diamond are split with each taking 50 percent of the vote.
In District 5, in the race for the open seat previously held by the late Supervisor Richard Elias, Democrat Adelita Grijalva had dispatched Republican Fernando Gonzales with 77 percent of the vote.
Other Countywide Offices
In a rematch of the 2016 race, Democratic challenger Chris Nanos appears to have unseated Republican Sheriff Mark Napier, the candidate he lost to four years ago. Nanos had captured 53 percent of the vote.
In the race for County Recorder, Democrat Gabriella Cázares-Kelly had 62 percent of the vote against Republican Benny White.
Democrat Brian Bickel is holding onto his lead over Treasurer Beth Ford, a Republican first elected in 2001, by capturing 53 percent of the vote.
Democrat Suzanne Droubie had won 62 percent of the vote against Republican Jo Ann Sabbagh in the race for County Assessor.
After winning a three-way primary race in August, Democrat Laura Conover was unopposed in the contest to replace Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, who is stepping down after six terms. County School Superintendent Dustin Williams was also unopposed in his bid for a second term.
With Democratic challenger Joe Biden holding onto a 9 percentage point lead (54%-46%) over President Donald Trump in Arizona, Fox News is calling Biden the winner.
Fox also is calling the U.S. Senate race for Democratic challenger Mark Kelly, who has a 10-point lead over Republican Sen. Martha McSally (55%-45%). Given that McSally was ahead on Election Night in 2018 and then went on to lose the race to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, it's not a surprise that Fox isn't expecting McSally will make a comeback in this year's election.
In heavily Republican Legislative District 11, which includes Oro Valley and Marana, as well Pinal County precincts and the town of Maricopa, Democrats are out to an early lead. Democratic challenger Joanna Mendoza had 51 percent against incumbent Sen. Vince Leach.
Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Felipe Perez had 35 percent of the vote in his race against Republican state Reps. Bret Roberts and Mark Finchem in the race for two House seats.
In Legislative District 2, which runs along with Santa Cruz River from downtown Tucson through Green Valley and Sahuarita and down to Nogales, Democrats were leading Republican candidates. In the LD2 House race, Democratic state Rep. Daniel Hernandez had 38 percent of the vote, while state Sen. Andrea Dalessandro, who is seeking to return to the House as she hit a term limit in the Senate, had 37 percent of the vote. Republican challenger Deborah McEwan had 24 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, State Rep. Rosanna Gabaldon had 64 percent of the vote against Mark Workman as she campaigned to move to the state Senate.
In Legislative District 9, which includes central Tucson, the Catalina Foothills and the Casas Adobes area, Democratic state Reps. Pamela Powers-Hannley and Rep. Randy Friese each had 38 percent of the vote against GOP challenger Brendan Lyons, who had 22 percent. Meanwhile, state Sen. Victoria Steele was unopposed.
In Legislative District 10, the Democratic slate of state Rep. Domingo DeGrazia (with 31 percent) and political newcomer Stephania Stahl Hamilton (with 30 percent) were leading the Republican slate of Michael Hicks (with 19 percent) and Mabelle Gummere (with 18 percent). Meanwhile, state Rep. Kirsten Engel had 63 percent of the vote against GOP challenger Justine Wadsack.
In westside Legislative District 3, the Democratic slate of state Reps. Andrés Cano and Alma Hernandez and state Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales were unopposed.
In the race for three seats on the Tucson Unified School District Board, the top candidates are Natalie Luna Rose (with 24 percent of the vote), Sadie Shaw (with 18 percent of the vote) and Ravi Grivois-Shah (with 18 percent of the vote). Coming up in fourth place (with 16 percent of the vote) was Adam Ragan; fifth place was Cindy Winston (with 14 percent of the vote); Joe Nicolas Pierson was in sixth place (with 10 percent of the vote).
In the race for three board seats on the Amphi School Board, the top candidates are Deanna Day (with 28 percent of the vote), Vicki Cox Golder (with 25 percent of the vote) and Scott Baker (with 23 percent of the vote). Coming up in fourth place (with 23 percent of the vote) was Nathan Davis.
In the race for three seats on the Sunnyside School Board, the top candidates are Rebecca “Beki” Quintero (with 31 percent of the vote), Lisette Nuñez (with 28 percent of the vote) and Joaquin Nuñez (with 22 percent of the vote). Coming up in fourth place was Matthew Taylor (with 20 percent of the vote).
Pima County Community College
In the race for the District 1 seat on the Pima County Community College Governing Board, Catherine Ripley is leading with 62 percent of the vote. Ethan Orr is trailing with 38 percent of the vote.
With the first major drop of returns, it appears voters may be ready to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults. Prop 207, which would legalize marijuana possession of up to an ounce for those 21 and older, has 60 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, Prop 208, which would raise the sales taxes on individuals who earn more than $250,000 (or $500,000 for couples filing jointly) in order to fund education programs, was leading in the early returns, with 54 percent of the vote.
In a rematch of the 2016 race, Democratic challenger Chris Nanos looked to be unseating Republican Sheriff Mark Napier, the candidate he lost to four years ago. Nanos had captured 54 percent of the vote.
In the race for County Recorder, Democrat Gabriella Cázares-Kelly had 63 percent of the vote against Republican Benny White.
Democrat Brian Bickel has an early lead over Treasurer Beth Ford, a Republican first elected in 2000, by capturing 53 percent of the vote.
Democrat Suzanne Droubie had won 62 percent of the vote against Republican Jo Ann Sabbagh in the race for County Assessor.
After winning a three-way primary race in August, Democrat Laura Conover was unopposed in the contest to replace Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, who is stepping down after six terms. County School Superintendent Dustin Williams was also unopposed in his bid for a second term.
In the race to replace Republican Ally Miller on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Democrat Rex Scott is out with an early lead over Republican Steve Spain with 53 percent of the vote. If Scott, a former school administrator, can hang onto his lead, this will be an upset victory for Democrats in Pima County tonight. District 1, which includes the Catalina Foothills as well Oro Valley and Marana, is a Republican-leaning district.
In District 2, Democrat Matt Heinz, who defeated longtime Supervisor Ramon Valadez in the August primary, has captured 72 percent of the vote against Republican Anthony Sizer.
In District 3, Democrat Sharon Bronson appears to be headed for a seventh term on the board as she had won 63 percent of the against GOP challenger Gabby Mercer.
In District 4, Democratic challenger Steve Diamond is giving incumbent GOP Supervisor Steve Christy a run for his money with an early lead capturing 51 percent against Christy 49 percent in this heavily GOP district.
In District 5, in the race for the open seat previously held by the late Supervisor Richard Elias, Democrat Adelita Grijalva had captured 77 percent of the vote against Republican Fernando Gonzales.
With the tallies from early ballots released, Arizona is living up to its designation as a battleground state.
In the presidential race, Democratic challenger Joe Biden is out with an early lead over Republican incumbent Donald Trump. Among early voters, Biden has captured 57 percent of the vote, while Trump has 41 percent.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Mark Kelly has a larger lead over Republican Martha McSally. Kelly, who had led in most polls leading up to had captured 58 percent of the vote among early ballots. If Kelly prevails, McSally will have lost two U.S. Senate races in two years, handing the Democratic Party both of Arizona’s Senate seats for the first time
In Southern Arizona’s congressional races, the incumbent Democrats are out ahead.
In Congressional District 1, which includes Oro Valley and Marana as well as Flagstaff, Northern Arizona Native American reservations and most of rural Eastern Arizona, U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran had captured 56 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Tiffany Shedd.
In Congressional District 2, which includes central and eastern Tucson, the Catalina Foothills and Cochise County, U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick had captured 63 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Brandon Martin.
In Congressional District 3, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva was cruising to victory with 71 percent of the early vote against GOP challenger Daniel Wood.
