A Democratic leader in Maricopa County said early election results showed how the county is leading the way in turning Arizona blue, but those early leads have diminished as results continue to roll in. 

Five of 11 elected county positions have a Democrat leading in the latest results for Tuesday’s election. At first, nine Democrats were leading, but the results tightened in favor of Republicans and four flipped as more votes came in Thursday night. 

The county assessor, board of supervisors, recorder and treasurer were on the ballot. The county sheriff, attorney and school superintendent also were on the ballot.

County election officials on Thursday night reported about 225,000 ballots left to count. The next results update is expected 9 a.m. Friday. 

The initial results showed the county’s board of supervisors flipping to a Democratic majority, but incumbent Bill Gates took the lead by 250 votes on Thursday night. All five county supervisors ran to keep their seat. Here’s where the vote count currently stands: 

• District 1: Democrat Jevin Hodge leads Republican incumbent Jack Sellers.
• District 2: Incumbent Steve Chucri, a Republican, leads Democrat Deedra Abboud.
• District 3: Gates, the Republican incumbent, narrowly leads Democrat Whitney Walker.
• District 4: Incumbent Clint Hickman, a Republican, leads Democrat Suzanne Story.
• District 5: Democrat Steve Gallardo ran unopposed.

Also in early results:

• Appointed county assessor Eddie Cook, a Republican, leads Democrat Aaron Connor.
• Democrat Adrian Fontes, the current county recorder, narrowly leads Republican Steven Richer.
• For treasurer, Republican state lawmaker John Allen leads Democrat Daniel Toporek.
• For school superintendent, Democrat Jeanne Casteen narrowly leads current superintendent Steve Watson.
• Sheriff Paul Penzone, an incumbent Democrat, leads Republican competitor Jerry Sheridan.
• For attorney, incumbent Republican Allister Adel leads Julie Gunnigle, a Democrat.

Most of the county’s elected positions are held by Republicans, and some elected positions have lacked Democratic candidates in past elections.

This year, though, as Arizona was eyed nationally as a swing state that could vote for a Democratic president for the first time since choosing Bill Clinton over Bob Dole in 1996, all of the county Republicans on the ballot faced Democratic challengers.

On seeing early results Tuesday, Maricopa County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Slugocki said the county “is going to lead the way to Arizona turning blue.”

“This is something that we could have never dreamed of, even a few years ago,” Slugocki said. “And here we are. This is an emotional night for me.”

Democratic county candidates told The Republic it is clear that county residents want a change and were disappointed with county officials’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One Republican incumbent, county assessor Eddie Cook, said he believes the county’s makeup is just changing as more people move here from other states.

SEE THE WINNERS: Arizona election results

Here is a closer look at some of the county races.

Maricopa County assessor

The Assessor’s Office determines the value of properties in Maricopa County, which dictates how much a property owner pays in taxes.

Cook led Connor 52% to 48% on Thursday night.

The Board of Supervisors appointed Cook to the role in February after Paul Petersen resigned after being indicted for an alleged illegal international child adoption scheme.

Both candidates said they sought to restore public trust that was lost during the Petersen scandal. 

Cook is a former Gilbert council member and a technology account manager for NetApp, a technology company that provides cloud-based data services.

Connor was the first Democrat on the ballot for the role since 1992. He was a first-time political candidate who has spent his career in the mortgage and technology industries.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

The supervisors set the county’s budget and make decisions on issues such as the environment, land use, public health and transportation.

COVID-19 has put the office in the spotlight in recent months and brought criticism from both sides as the supervisors made decisions on the county’s mask mandate and how to spend federal coronavirus relief funds.

Challengers said the incumbents didn’t act quickly and strongly enough to try to protect public health and jobs as the virus spread across the county this summer, while incumbents said they made the best, measured decisions they could at the time.

District 1

District 1 includes the southeastern region of the county, including parts of Ahwatukee Foothills, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Queen Creek and Tempe.

Sellers, who has served on the board since February 2019, trailed Hodge 51% to 49% on Thursday night.

Hodge, a Democrat and first-time candidate, is the national engagement director for LINK Strategic Partners. He said the county needs to invest more in local businesses and education.

Hodge said he was confident about the early results, but he wasn’t declaring victory as the vote count continues in the tight race. He said it was an honor to see the votes he received.

He believes the results show that Maricopa County voters are ready for a change that improves their health, wellness, safety, security and economic future.

District 2

District 2 includes the northeastern part of the county, including parts of Apache Junction, Carefree, Cave Creek, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Reservation, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Salt River Reservation.

Chucri has been a county supervisor since 2012. He said before the results Tuesday that his priority if re-elected will be making sure the county has a “forward vision” as it continues to grow.

He led Abboud 59% to 40% on Thursday morning.

District 3

District 3 covers the north-central part of the county, including parts of Anthem, Desert Hills, New River, Phoenix and Paradise Valley.

Gates, who has served as a supervisor since 2017, led Walker by 250 votes on Thursday night, taking the lead after trailing in earlier results. They both have about 50% of the vote.

Gates, who has served as a supervisor since 2017, said his priorities if reelected would be economic development as the county comes out of COVID-19 and smart growth.

Walker is the former director of public policy and communications for Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition. If elected, she said she would focus on education, stabilizing the county’s economy, supporting small businesses and expanding access to health care.

District 4

District 4 covers the northwestern part of the county, including parts of Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Wickenburg and Youngtown.

Hickman, a supervisor since 2013, led Story, a 20-year teacher, with 58% of the vote on Thursday. 

Hickman said his priorities include continuing to plan for the incredible growth the county is seeing, and enticing great companies and higher-paying jobs.

Maricopa County recorder

The Recorder’s Office helps the supervisors oversee the county’s elections, along with recording, tracking and providing public access to documents such as deeds and property maps.

Fontes said Tuesday night he was happy with the initial results. He said the Democratic-leaning results down the ballot show county voters want a different type of governance.

“I think everyone in public office should take notice immediately,” he said.

But the race tightened as results continued to roll in. Fontes led Richer by fewer than 15,000 votes on Thursday night, putting the race at 50% each. 

Both Fontes and Richer have a background in law and public policy.

Maricopa County treasurer

The treasurer’s office sends out property tax bills and collects and disburses the county’s tax revenue.

Allen led Toporek 52% to 48% on Thursday night.

Allen has spent the past two decades working in politics, while Toporek is a first-time political candidate.

Allen defeated the current treasurer, Royce Flora, in the August primary. He was first elected to the state Legislature in 2002 and has spent 11 of the past 17 years in the Arizona House of Representatives, including two years as Republican majority leader.

He said before the results he would like to make the Treasurer’s Office more user-friendly and foster better cross-county collaboration, so that issues, like the high-profile tax dispute that nearly led to a veteran losing his mobile home, are avoided from the start.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-444-8763. Follow her on Twitter @JenAFifield. 

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