More than a week after Election Night, Arizona finally has a winner in the race for secretary of state. Democrat Katie Hobbs has declared victory.
Hobbs released a statement Friday evening, claiming the win in the drawn-out campaign. Her statement came after Gov. Doug Ducey called to congratulate her earlier on Friday.
Republican Steve Gaynor had taken a substantial lead on Election Day, and the Associated Press declared him the victor that night. But Hobbs never conceded, saying there were too many votes left to count. Several days later, she overtook Gaynor and the AP retracted its call. The two exchanged small leads before Hobbs began to pull away.
Gaynor conceded Friday evening.
In her statement, Hobbs said:
"Tonight we won the race for Arizona’s Secretary of State. I want to thank all of my supporters, volunteers, staff and Arizona voters for entrusting me with this responsibility.
"As Secretary of State, I will work to ensure that every eligible voter – Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, Libertarian – can cast your ballot with the confidence that your vote counts and your voice matters."
Hobbs will be Arizona’s first Democratic secretary of state since Richard Mahoney, who left office in 1995.
