Politics & Government
Arizona Primary Results: Ducey, McSally, Garcia, All Winners
BREAKING: Martha McSally defeated former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the GOP primary to fill U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake's open seat.

PHOENIX, AZ — Gov. Greg Ducey will face former state lawmaker David Garcia in Arizona's gubernatorial race and U.S. Rep. Martha McSally will take on Kyrsten Sinema for U.S. Senate. Ducey, McSally and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio were just some of the big names voters considered Tuesday as the nation intently watched the state's primary election. Republicans hold both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship, but dozens of federal and state primary elections were on the ballot Tuesday. Some were more competitive than others.
Incumbent Republican Ducey — who was backed by President Donald Trump on Monday — cruised to victory over Secretary of State Ken Bennett. Ducey was expected to win and he did so with 70 percent of the vote. In a tweet Monday, Trump urged Arizonans to vote for Ducey, who he said was "strong on Crime, the Border, and our Second Amendment."
"Loves our Military & our Vets. He has my full and complete Endorsement," Trump wrote.
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Flake's Senate seat was another race to watch as Democrats have keyed in on it as a possible flip opportunity. It featured firebrand conservative Arpaio and McSally, America's first female combat pilot. McSally was favored to win the nomination and she did so easily with her two opponents splitting the remaining vote. Arpaio had gained Trump's favor, earning a pardon this year for misdemeanor criminal contempt of court. Democratic U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who represents the states 9th congressional district, was considered the favorite to win the Democratic nomination and she soundly defeated opponent Deedra Abboud.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran — who was elected as as a Democrat to serve the 1st congressional district in 2016 after leaving the Republican Party in 2014 — still has yet to find out his opponent. O'Halleran is running unopposed and three Republicans, including retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers and state Sen. Steve Smith, are among those vying to challenge him in the general election. As of Wednesday morning, Rogers was leading with 43 percent of the vote. Smith was a close second with 38 percent.
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Here are the results:
Governor
On the Republican side, Ducey, who was elected governor in 2014 to succeed Jan Brewer, defeated Bennett and 22-year-old web developer Robert Weber. Bennett is a businessman was the CEO of Bennett Oil Company for more than two decades. he served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2015 and in the State Senate from 1999 to 2007.
On the Democratic side, David Garcia, a former state Department of Education official and current Arizona State University professor, ran as a progressive and won. An August poll found that Garcia had a commanding 15 point lead over state Rep. Steve Farley with 40 percent of the Democratic vote. An Emerson College poll in June also found that Garcia was the frontrunner with 30 percent of the vote to Farley's 13 percent. Kelly Fryer, the CEO of the YWCA Southern Arizona, sat at 9 percent while 48 percent were undecided.
Garcia was an infantryman in the U.S. Army.
U.S. Senate
Flake, an outspoken Trump-foe, announced in October 2017 that he would not seek re-election, citing the "coarsening" political environment and "complicity" within the GOP. The announcement opened the door for the disgraced conservative former sheriff Arpaio and McSally, a centrist who represents the 2nd congressional district. McSally was praised by Trump during a bill signing this month and was favored to win. The latest OH Predictive Insights/ABC15 poll found she had a 20 point lead over Kelli Ward. McSally garnered 47 percent of the vote to Ward's 27 percent. Arpaio was a distant third at 13 percent and 12 percent said they were undecided.
For the Democrats, Sinema was favored to win the Democratic nomination over civil rights activist and immigration lawyer Deedra Abboud. Sinema poses a formidable challenge to McSally — according to RealClear Politics, she is the slight favorite to win.
U.S. House - 1st District
O’Halleran's district is one that Trump won in 2016 and he is seen as a moderate Democrat. He ran unopposed. O’Halleran is a former law enforcement officer and business owner who was previously elected as a state lawmaker.
On the Republican side, Rogers squared off against Smith and Tiffany Shedd. Rogers spent two decades in active duty service and was one of the first female pilots in theAir Force. She also worked as a substitute teacher. Shedd and her husband are wheat and cotton farmers and she's also a small business lawyer. Smith is a conservative state lawmaker with an A+ rating from the NRA and has the backing of Trump’s campaign COO Jeff DeWit, Sen. Ted Cruz, the National Border Patrol Council and the Arizona Police Association, among others.
U.S. House - 2nd District
With McSally running for Senate, the 2nd District — with an even split of Republican and Democratic voters — is up for grabs. On the Republican side, Lea Marquez Peterson narrowly defeated Brandon Martin with 34 percent of the vote. Martin collected 29 percent and Casey Welch garnered 21 percent. Daniel "Danny" Romero Morales Jr. ended with 16 percent. Marquez Peterson previously owned a chain of gas stations and convenience stores near Tucson, as well as a business brokerage company. She serves as the President and CEO of Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, representing about 1,800 small businesses.
Martin served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 11 years and fought in Afghanistan as an Army Intelligence Professional. Morales served 12 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy and was elected Douglas City Councilmember. He's also worked as a substitute teacher.
Welch joined the U.S. Peace Corps and helped build small businesses in Nicaragua. He also worked for the federal government working to stabilize towns and villages across the globe that were plagued with violence.
The Democrats chose Ann Kirkpatrick from a crowded field of seven. She defeated Billy Kovacs, Mary Matiella, Sherry Barbara, Bruce Wheeler and Yahya Yuksel. Heinz, a doctor and former state lawmaker, and Kirkpatrick, a former prosecutor and congresswoman, were favored to win.
You can follow the election results in real time below.
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Frontpage
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