This year, primary voter turnout for Democrats was notably low, with critics attributing this to a lack of competitive races. Key races to watch include who Republican Jerry Sheridan will face for Maricopa County Sheriff and whether Democrat Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari or State Senator Raquel Terán will face-off against Republican Jeff Zink to succeed Representative Reuben Gallego in the U.S. House.
Many are closely watching to see which challenger will emerge to compete against Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) in the general election.
Democrat Kirsten Engel, who did not have a primary, will face incumbent Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) in the general election. This is a repeat matchup from 2022. Ciscomani defeated newcomer Kim George in his Republican primary.
Maricopa County Sheriff
Sheriff Russ Skinner (pictured above, right) was appointed to the job in February, after Sheriff Paul Penzone retired. Skinner had to change his registration from Republican to Democrat for the appointment.
The incumbent sheriff is facing former Phoenix Police Officer Tyler Kamp.
By the second ballot drop, Tyler Kamp 54.13 percent and Russ Skinner 45.87 percent. The winner of this race will face Jerry Sheridan in the general election.
U.S. Rep CD-3
Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) currently holds the seat for Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District. This district includes parts of Phoenix, specifically south Phoenix, Laveen, and parts of west Phoenix. It is considered a strong Democratic district. Gallego (pictured above, center) will face Kari Lake who officially won her primary.
The race to succeed him attracted several candidates, the top two Democrats are former Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari and former State Senator Raquel Terán. Pundits say that whoever wins the primary will likely win the general election.
Yassamin Ansari (pictured above, left) was a former Phoenix City Council member and is a first-generation Iranian-American. Ansari worked with the United Nations on the Paris Climate Agreement and served as a senior policy advisor for the Global Climate Action Summit. Pundits say that Ansari is a more traditional Democrat and they claim she came in as the underdog in this race.
Raquel Terán, born and raised in the border city of Douglas, Arizona, she has been an advocate for Arizonans for over two decades. Terán served in both the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona State Senate and has also chaired the Democratic Party in Arizona. Pundits describe Terán as an extreme progressive, suggesting she would likely align with “The Squad” if successful in her political pursuits. She received an endorsement from Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who is reportedly on Vice President Harris’s shortlist for vice president.
Terán claimed that Trump donors were pouring money to her opponent in a post on X:
ICYMI: Trump donors are trying to buy this seat and silence our voices when we have the chance to make history by electing the first Latina to serve Arizona in Congress.
Voters deserve to know who is doing this and why:https://t.co/RFf7pqNVL2
— Raquel Terán #BlackLivesMatter (@RaquelTeran) July 19, 2024
After the second ballot drop, Ansari had 46.47 percent of the vote, while Teran had 42.25 percent.
US Rep CD-1
The Republican incumbent, Schweikert’s seat is a “toss up” according to Cook Political. The Democratic primary had six candidates with Amish Shah, Andrei Cherry and Marlene Galan-Woods leading the pack after the first ballot drop.
This race has been watched closely by political insiders. “Who’s the 1” is a podcast created by a veteran broadcast journalist and a former congressional nominee, solely focused on the CD-1 race. The podcasters predicted that Andrei Cherry would narrowly win the race with the endorsement of Mayor Kate Gallego with Marlene Golan-Woods being a close second.
After the second ballot drop, Amish Shah 24.1 percent, Andrei Cherry 21.5 percent and Marlene Galan-Woods 20.69 percent.
The Arizona Secretary of State said that early ballots dropped off at polling sites would be processed in the “next few days.”
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Yassamin Ansari” by Yassamin Ansari; “Sheriff Russ Skinner” by Sheriff Russ Skinner; and “Ruben Gallego” by Ruben Gallego.
