While most media attention is focused on the presidential race and the U.S. Senate contest, the Republican gains coming out of Maricopa County have also reversed several Democratic gains and have the GOP on the verge of recapturing at least one critical office.
On Election Night, Democrats were ahead in two GOP-held County Supervisor seats, which would give them a 3-2 majority, they were ahead or threatening in races for GOP-held offices like County Assessor, Treasurer, Attorney, and School Superintendent, and they were far ahead in the races for two offices held by Democrats – Recorder (Adrian Fontes) and Sheriff (Paul Penzone).
As of the most recent update, Democrat Jevin Hodge still holds a 7,000 vote lead over Supervisor Jack Sellers, and Democrat Jeanne Casteen was was also about 7,000 votes ahead of Republican Steve Watson, but Republican Bill Gates had moved ahead of his Democratic challenger by 300 votes, Republican Eddie Cook was 60,000 votes ahead for Assessor, John Allen was 59,000 votes ahead for Treasurer, and Republican Allistair Adel was 16,000 votes ahead for County Attorney.
In the race for Sheriff, the lingering effects of Joe Arpaio’s final years in office appear to be too much for Republican Jerry Sheridan to overcome. Sheridan had served as Arpaio’s Chief Deputy for several years and Penzone used his financial advantage to tie Sheridan to Arpaio.
Perhaps the most significant gain for Republicans is the County Recorder’s office, where Democrat Adrian Fontes has quickly developed a reputation for playing games with the electoral process, often requiring the courts to step in and try to return him to legal compliance. Steven Richer has closed the large gap to just 14,800 votes and is closing fast. Restoring normalcy and transparency to the County Recorder’s office would be a huge gain for Arizona Republicans, given that 60% of the state’s vote is cast in Maricopa County.