Arizona primary election races — in summary
Need to get up to speed quickly on some of Arizona's key races and players? We've got you covered — in 100 words or less.
U.S. SENATE: If you want a competitive U.S. Senate race in November between bipartisan moderates, Democrat U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally need to win the August primary. Any other combination of candidates will make the race more lopsided, less competitive – and probably less interesting for Arizona’s 1.2 million independent voters.
GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS: An historic teacher strike in April made education the big issue. Gov. Doug Ducey argues he raised teacher pay with Prop. 123 and his “20 (percent) by 2020” pay hike. Challenger Ken Bennett says the governor broke the budget with that scheme and is now using gimmicks to balance it. Bennett is late to the game and unseemly in his macabre criticism of John and Cindy McCain. Ducey, a cautious technocrat, has steadied the state’s fiscal ship. Arizona’s economy and jobs are on the upswing. And he has earned the support of GOP primary voters.
GOVERNOR, DEMOCRATS: Three strong candidates want to run against Doug Ducey in the fall. The best is David Garcia, who has built his campaign on publicschool investment and his own sizable background as an educator. Steve Farley is a state senator and artist who reflects the more centrist tones of establishment Democrats. He would improve schools by ending corporate tax loopholes, not raising taxes. And Kelly Fryer, a YWCA CEO, is a take-no-prisoners leftist who would improve district schools and make charter schools “rare.”
SECRETARY OF STATE: This office shouldn’t generate headlines, but it has under Michele Reagan. She ran on a platform of political campaign transparency and innovation and on both counts, her efforts have been uneven. More dramatically, there were mistakes in carrying out elections — some of them major, others overblown. Reagan has owned them and has made strides to bring the office into the 21st century. The progress is respectable enough at least to qualify her for the general election.
EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT: The office requires a strong administrator — and deserves someone who can effectively advocate for district and charter schools. Republican Jonathan Gelbart (not GOP incumbent Diane Douglas) and Democrat David Schapira are best prepared to do both. And – bonus! – they'd focus the debate leading up to the general election on ideas, not ideology.
CORPORATION COMMISSION: Almost every candidate in this race talks about the need to infuse the of- fice with integrity - specifically, changing the image that regulators aren’t in the back pockets of powerful utilities like APS. What separates the 5 Republicans and 3 Democrats isn’t so much their approach to the job than their background. On the GOP side, incumbent Justin Olson is a solid choice (but not incumbent Tom Forese). Former commissioners Bill Mundell and Sandra Kennedy are the best of the Democrats.
TREASURER, REPUBLICAN: This office manages an investment portfolio of about $15 billion and makes sure funds are available to pay the bills - a job that demands accuracy and a steady hand. Political novice Jo Ann Sabbagh links herself to Donald Trump and aims sharp attacks at her opponent, former state lawmaker Kimberly Yee. She also gets facts wrong. Yee has a reputation as a hard-working lawmaker who was willing to push back against political orthodoxy in the public’s interest.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6: This district may be a Republican strronghold. But the House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP incumbent David Schweikert, and Democrats finally put up three strong candidates to make this a competitive race. Anita Malik's business focus makes her the best to challenge Schweikert in a district that includes Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, Cave Creek and northwest Phoenix.
DISTRICT 9: If Republicans want to flip the seat vacated by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, Steve Ferrara has the best chance of doing it. This district, which includes parts of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and Phoenix, is equally divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents and needs someone who can reach across the aisle to get things done. While Ferrara may not be the most charismatic candidate, he is the most likely to work with political opponents.