Updates from the Arizona's 2026 primary election

Arizona's primary election set several key matchups in the state's general election in November and signaled the influence home-grown Turning Point USA has in the swing state.

Hear KJZZ's Ben Giles on Morning Edition

Listen • 3:27

MICHELLE MARTIN: Arizona Republicans picked staunch allies of President Trump in their primary races on Tuesday. The candidates for governor and secretary of state both denied the 2020 election results. Ben Giles is here to tell us more. He is political editor at member station KJZZ in Phoenix. Good morning, Ben.

BEN GILES: Good morning.

MICHELLE MARTIN: So, what do we know so far?

BEN GILES: So far, we know that far-right candidates are sweeping statewide primaries. For example, Congressman Andy Biggs is now the GOP nominee for governor here, and state lawmaker Alexander Kolodin won the GOP race for secretary of state. They both cruised to victory in the primary largely thanks to endorsements — for Biggs from President Trump, and for Kolodin with the backing of Turning Point, the political machine founded here in Arizona by the late Charlie Kirk. But Trump's endorsement and Turning Point's backing isn't as meaningful in the general election when these MAGA candidates have to appeal to a broader portion of the electorate, particularly Arizona's influential block of independent voters. So this outcome has some Republicans in Arizona worried that Democrats could again win key races in this swing state.

Gage Skidmore

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MICHELLE MARTIN: Which is interesting, because this is a state that Trump won handily just two years ago. So say more about what it is about these GOP candidates that has some Republicans so concerned.

BEN GILES: I think the key thing is they are not President Trump. What we saw in Arizona, both in 2022, the last midterm, and 2024, is that Trump himself is something of an outlier in Arizona. For example, when Trump won the popular vote for president here two years ago, Democrat Ruben Gallego also easily won the U.S. Senate race, outperforming the Republican in that race. And in the last midterm election, Democrats, like our current governor, Katie Hobbs, attacked a slate of Trump-backed candidates as too extreme and too beholden to the president to represent Arizonans. Democrats are going to paint Republicans like Biggs and like Kolodin, the GOP nominee for secretary of state, as so pro-Trump that they won't act in the best interest of Arizona voters, pointing out that, like Trump, both of these candidates are election deniers who spread unfounded rhetoric about elections in swing states like Arizona.

MICHELLE MARTIN: So Republican voters are picking these Trump-backed candidates who could very well lose statewide races in Arizona. Were there no alternatives?

BEN GILES: There were. In primaries for both the governor's office and secretary of state, there were GOP candidates considered — I don't want to say more moderate, but more traditionally conservative in a state like Arizona. But neither primary was that close. The Associated Press called both races about an hour after polls closed when the first batch of results were dropped here on election night. That's a reflection of the enormous influence not just of Trump, but of Turning Point, which backed both Biggs and Kolodin. That organization now has a lot of influence in Arizona, at least among GOP voters in the primary. Primary voters here seem to be signaling that they prefer these far-right candidates to best represent their interests, despite the fact that those far-right candidates keep losing when Democrats and independents also have a say in November. So this November will be yet another test of not just Trump, but Turning Point's ability to get their preferred candidates across the finish line. So far, Michelle, that's not something they've been able to accomplish in key statewide races.

MICHELLE MARTIN: That's Ben Giles of KJZZ in Phoenix. Ben, thank you.

BEN GILES: Thank you.

Wayne Schutsky

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KJZZ

Gov. Katie Hobbs isn’t facing a challenger in today’s primary election, but she still took time to visit with campaign volunteers who hope to help her and other Democratic officials win election in November.

Hobbs stopped by a phone bank in Phoenix run by Copper State Victory, a campaign backed by Arizona Democrats.

She thanked volunteers and called them “the heart of this campaign.”

Hobbs also took the opportunity to take shots at Republican Congressman Andy Biggs, the frontrunner to win today’s GOP gubernatorial primary to face Hobbs in the general election.

She criticized Biggs for supporting President Trump’s tax cut package last year, which has resulted in cuts to Medicaid spending in Arizona and a drastic reduction in the number of people who received SNAP food assistance benefits.

Hobbs also pointed out that Biggs, who opposed Medicaid expansion in Arizona in 2013 as the state Senate president, voted to end Affordable Care Act subsidies that have led to increased costs for people who purchase their insurance through the marketplace.

“Andy Biggs, like many D.C. politicians, has spent his career fighting for the powerful and the politically-connected, rather than the people he was elected to represent,” she said.

Hobbs called on volunteers to continue knocking doors and making phone calls for Democratic candidates heading into November.

Follow Arizona and Maricopa County results. The first returns are expected around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Associated Press will continue to update returns as data is made available.

All Arizona primary election results

Follow Arizona and Maricopa County results. Associated Press will continue to update returns as data is made available. Get the latest on individual races at elections.kjzz.org.

Hear KJZZ's Wayne Schutsky on All Things Considered

Listen • 3:39

AILSA CHANG: Arizona is holding primary elections today. It is the only state doing so, and it is home to several congressional races that could help determine the balance of power in the U.S. House. Now, even though the economy is top of mind for many voters in other places, the big story in Arizona's Republican primary has been: Which candidate received President Trump's endorsement? Wayne Schutsky of member station KJZZ in Phoenix joins us now. Hi, Wayne.

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Hello.

AILSA CHANG: Of the 18 congressional districts across the country that are considered true toss-ups, two of them are in Arizona, right? How is President Trump's endorsement coming into play for Republicans who want to represent those districts?

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Trump's influence has really defined the race in Congressional District 1. This is an affluent Phoenix-area district where Congressman David Schweikert has successfully fended off Democrats for years. But he left to run for governor, and now the front-runner on the Republican side is former NFL kicker Jay Feely, who was propelled to that position by Trump's endorsement. Trump and Turning Point actually convinced Feely to get out of a race in a nearby, safe Republican district to pave the way for their chosen candidate there. Feely is facing Joseph Chaplik, a former lawmaker and also a very MAGA candidate, so both Chaplik and Feely are really in support of the Trump agenda. We're not really seeing any policy differences; instead, we're just seeing a personality-attacks type of campaign going on.

AILSA CHANG: Oh, great. Fun. What about the other competitive House race there in Arizona?

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: That's CD6 in Southern Arizona, near Tucson and a lot of rural areas down there. It's represented by Juan Ciscomani, a Republican with Trump's endorsement. He actually didn't face a primary challenge, but he is already being attacked by Democrats over his ties to Trump and that endorsement, and especially his support of the Big Beautiful Bill because of the effects it has on SNAP food assistance funding, Medicaid, and funding for rural hospitals. He's actually already being hit with attacks by his likely Democratic opponent on that topic, who also didn't face a primary challenge. That's giving us a little look into what a general election could look like for some of these Trump-backed candidates in these competitive districts.

AILSA CHANG: I know that you've also been reporting on a competitive primary in a safe Republican district. This is east of Phoenix. I imagine that's a real test of the kind of influence Trump's endorsement could have. Can you tell us more about that contest?

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Yeah, so as I said, this is that district where Trump actually convinced Jay Feely to move into the competitive CD1 to pave the way for Mark Lamb. He's a former county sheriff in the community, and he's now the front-runner there with Trump's endorsement and Feely getting out of the race. Trump's endorsement has also provided a lot of protection for the Lamb campaign because The Arizona Republic, our paper of record out here, has done some extensive reporting on a sexting scandal involving Lamb where he's accused of pursuing extramarital relationships and that kind of thing. All of that has caught the attention of some Republican voters like Dennis Poulin. I spoke with him at an event hosted by Daniel Keenan, who's a local homebuilder running against Lamb in the primary.

DENNIS POULIN I have a philosophy in my life that behavior never lies. So if what you say and what you do is in conflict, well, then that's a problem.

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: But it's still unclear whether those concerns will actually eat into Lamb's support because of the president's endorsement. He's denied the allegations, the president recently doubled down on the endorsement, and some other voters I heard from just believe the scandal is a smear campaign going after this Trump-aligned guy. Many politicos out here still expect Lamb to walk away with it just because he's so well-known in the area and that endorsement might just be too much to overcome.

AILSA CHANG: That is Wayne Schutsky of KJZZ in Phoenix. Thank you so much, Wayne.

WAYNE SCHUTSKY: Yeah, thank you for having me.

Sky Schaudt

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KJZZ

A new Arizona election law that allows so-called “late early” ballots to be counted immediately on Election Day is a hit with voters in Maricopa County.

Those “late earlies” are mail-in ballots that voters wait to turn in until Election Day. In past cycles, those ballots would all have to go through the time-consuming signature verification process before being counted — sometimes days after the election.

But a new 2024 law that went into effect this year gives voters a second option: show your photo ID to verify your identity and have that ballot counted immediately at the polling place.

Diana Kafka, who cast a ballot in the Republican primary, said she has always used a mail-in ballot because it gives her the time to research all of the candidates. But she said she did not realize how long it took to tabulate those ballots if she chose to drop them off on Election Day.

“So when I heard that on the news the other day, that you can tabulate it right here by showing your ID, I thought that's great, and it went like that,” she said, snapping her fingers. “Really quick, no problems.”

Late early ballots, and the voters who cast them, have been blamed for perceived delays in vote counting in Maricopa County, where it typically takes around a week or more to count every last ballot.

Critics of the existing system, mostly Republicans, have blamed those ballots for delaying the vote counting process even as election officials say counting in recent elections hasn’t taken longer than in the past.

Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has, on multiple occasions, said those critics are confusing election calls, which are made by media outlets like the Associated Press, with official counts, which typically take longer to finalize.

Republican officials and activists in Arizona have backed a host of changes to the state’s election laws in the name of speeding up results, including moving up the deadline to drop off early ballots.

Many of those were vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs over concerns they would limit access to the polls. But the governor did approve legislation that included the option to show ID, a bill Hobbs signed two years ago.

And it is proving popular with voters of all stripes.

Juanita Copeland, who voted a Democratic ballot, said her experience using the new process went smoothly.

“I was able to get my mail-in ballot tabulated, which is the first time that it's available, and I'm glad I took advantage of it,” she said outside of the vote center at Paradise Valley Community College.

Independent voter Carla Snyder, who chose a Democratic primary ballot, echoed those sentiments.

“I love that the setting is so calm, organized, inside and out,” she said. “You know, so many different people to help you all the way along the way. They've done an excellent job today.”

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Several voters in Tempe say private school vouchers are a top issue for them in this election, which is something that could carry over and affect the outcome of the general election.

Theresa Busch said she voted for Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“I'm hoping that she can restore some funding to public education because I believe public education is being starved,” Busch said. “Part of that is because the vouchers are draining kids away, so I’m hoping she can put some guardrails on the vouchers because I think that that’s really important. I think people are misusing, some people are misusing the vouchers and its costing a lot of money and taking away from public ed.”

Arizona’s school voucher program grew to over 100,000 students this year. Incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne and his GOP opponent, Kimberly Yee are supporters of the voucher program, while Democrats opposed the universal expansion of the program ushered in by Republicans in 2022.

A ballot measure will give voters the opportunity to put guardrails on vouchers in November, provided it survives a legal challenge.

Alexis Heichman/Cronkite News

Many Arizonans who headed to vote at the Pyle Adult Recreation Center in Tempe say they’re eager to cast ballots for more candidates like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

In Arizona, they see Kai Newkirk as a similar progressive fighter to Mamdani. Newkirk is challenging incumbent Congressman Greg Stanton in the Democratic primary in Congressional District 4.

Rachel Miller said CD4 is the race she’s paying the most attention to.

“I’m very interested in that just because Kai Newkirk is very progressive, very leftist kind of similar to Zohran Mamdani in New York City and stuff, so I’m curious about how his votes are going to come out versus Greg Stanton,” she said.

Miller and other Democratic voters said they’ve seen reports that Stanton took money from Super PACs like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, called AIPAC. It’s a pro-Israel lobbying group, which some liberal voters said they don’t support.

Voter Andrew Frederick said he’s aware of the Stanton's dark money activities because of outreach by Newkirk’s campaign. Like Miller, Frederick said he’s a fan of both Mamdani and Newkirk.

“Fresh ideas, younger candidates with new ideas,” he said. “The old way is not working. Let's try something new, let's try something different.”

Sky Schaudt

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KJZZ

Tuesday is primary election day in Arizona — although residents have been casting ballots for several weeks already.

There are a number of competitive primaries up and down the ballot, on both the Republican and Democratic sides. And, Tuesday's primary day comes in the wake of months of conflict between Maricopa County supervisors and its recorder.

Sasha Hupka with Votebeat joined The Show to talk about how things seem to be going so far.

The Show

Arizona primary election off to smooth start, many voters using new ID option

Mark Brodie

There are a number of competitive primaries up and down the ballot, on both the Republican and Democratic sides. And, Tuesday's primary day comes in the wake of months of conflict between Maricopa County supervisors and its recorder.

Listen • 6:51

Hear KJZZ's Camryn Sanchez on Morning Edition

Listen • 3:27

LEILA FADEL: Today is the last day of voting in Arizona's primary. How is the stage being set for some of the swing state's big races in the fall? Joining us now is Camryn Sanchez with member station KJZZ in Phoenix to talk about this. Good morning, Camryn.

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Good morning.

LEILA FADEL: You've spent a lot of time talking to voters. What stands out as the main things they're thinking about?

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: For Democrats, we've heard a lot about opposition to President Trump, and some voters relate that to the cost of living. I spoke with Dorothy Garcia at her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, while I was tagging along with a Democratic candidate.

DOROTHY GARCIA: Medical, schools, taxes, the water bill, light bill, electricity. Things like that. The richer you are, the more you get. The poorer you are, the less you get.

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: For some Republicans, since we're a border state, immigration still remains a top issue. There is concern that if Democrats win Congress, they'll allow too much immigration in their view.

LEILA FADEL: Maybe the most competitive primaries there are for a House seat. It's a toss-up seat that Democrats hope to flip in their effort to take control of the House. Who's running there?

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: This is a Phoenix metro area district currently represented by Republican Congressman David Schweikert, but he's running for governor, leaving an opening. The front-runners for the Democrats are former state legislator Amish Shah and former broadcaster Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican who switched parties years ago. Both candidates say they can get the support of independent voters, and they've both tried to beat Schweikert before. Two years ago, Shah beat Galán-Woods and others in the primary race, but lost to Schweikert in the general election. This year, Galán-Woods has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

On the Republican side, we've got former NFL kicker Jay Feely. He has a lot of name ID and the Trump endorsement. But his opponent is a little further to the right—Joseph Chaplik, who was a member of the Freedom Caucus when he was a state legislator.

LEILA FADEL: Turning to the race for governor, the incumbent is Democrat Katie Hobbs. Our listeners might remember she barely beat Republican Kari Lake in 2022. Who are her potential opponents this time?

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Two congressmen: Andy Biggs and David Schweikert. Biggs is seen as the front-runner in this race. He's got Trump's endorsement and the backing of Turning Point USA, the organization founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Biggs has been a Trump loyalist for a long time and voted against certifying the state's election results in 2020. This go-around, Biggs is leaning away from a far-right image and pitching himself as someone who can work across the aisle. Schweikert comes from that toss-up district where he has experience appealing to independents.

LEILA FADEL: What other races or trends will you be watching for?

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: The Arizona Secretary of State's race is one to watch because it highlights trends in Arizona politics, like election security and the influence of Turning Point. In the Republican primary, we have state lawmaker Alexander Kolodin, a member of the legislature's far-right Freedom Caucus and an attorney who participated in multiple lawsuits to try to overturn election results in 2020 and 2022. His opponent, Gina Swoboda, had Trump's endorsement when she became chair of the state party, and there are MAGA entities who like her, but she's never outright claimed elections were stolen. That's an opportunity to see Republican voters' views on election denialism in 2026. The Republican primary winner will face incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes in the fall.

LEILA FADEL: That's Camryn Sanchez of KJZZ. Thank you so much for your reporting.

CAMRYN SANCHEZ: Thank you.

The polls will be open for in-person voting from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. If voters received an early ballot, but missed the mail-back deadline, they can still drop it off at one of those locations by showing their ID.

Maricopa County says voters can now have their mail-in ballots tabulated on site if they bring them to the polls on election day.

Voters can also put their mail-in ballots in one of the drop boxes across the county.

Maricopa County residents can track their ballots online to see when they are received, verified and counted by election workers.

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