Former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari officially won the Democratic Congressional District 3 primary by a margin of just 39 votes, a court affirmed Monday.
The race between Ansari and former lawmaker (and former state party chair) Raquel Terán was so close after the primary that it necessitated an automatic recount, though Ansari was always in the lead.
The recount changed her win from a margin of 42 votes to 39.
“This victory, this 39-vote landslide victory, is the product of a lot of work. It’s the product of more than 165,000 doors that were knocked,” Ansari said.
A third candidate in the race, Duane Wooten, collected a few thousand votes. In total, there were roughly 43,000 votes cast in the primary race.
Shortly after the court announced the final recount results, Terán issued a concession statement.
“Though we came so incredibly close, this time, we lost. This 39-vote difference has been a testament to what we as Democrats already know: every vote matters. I just called Councilwoman Ansari to congratulate her on her election to be our future congresswoman,” the statement read.
The candidates ran to replace outgoing Congressman Ruben Gallego in the Phoenix-area district.
Republican Jeff Zink earned his party’s nomination in the heavily Democratic district, which covers central and southwest Phoenix.
In the past several weeks of Ansari’s campaign, she was bashed by Terán for getting $1.3 million from a pro-cryptocurrency PAC. Supporters of the PAC also support Republicans.
Ansari also signed onto a letter with several other Democrats in favor of cryptocurrency.
Ansari reiterated Monday that she is anti-MAGA Republicans. Ansari said she supports ending Citizens United, a landmark Supreme Court case regarding dark money.
Though Terán and Ansari both called for Democratic unity, LUCHA — a Democratic group which threw its support behind Terán — did not mince words.
“Today we face a stark reminder of the uphill battle many grassroots candidates face when they go head-to-head with crypto billionaire-backed, MAGA-funded candidates that use open congressional seats as a stepping stone to fulfill their personal political ambitions. Raquel Terán’s campaign was rooted in the values of service, justice, and equity — principles that can’t be bought or faked. While her opponent may have won this race, they cannot claim the hearts of the people in CD3," LUCHA Executive Director Alejandra Gomez said in a statement.
