Arizona voters returned Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to office for another four years, according to an Associated Press projection early Wednesday, while the race for the 5th Congressional District seat that represents Queen Creek remained too close for a call on Thursday morning.
All figures below are unofficial. Counting continues, and ABC15 reported that counties can open their canvass on Monday and have until Nov. 19 to complete it.
Governor and statewide offices
NBC News' results page, at its 11:54 a.m. Eastern update Thursday (9:54 a.m. in Arizona), showed Hobbs with 1,235,630 votes (55.6%) to 949,421 (42.7%) for Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, with about 85.6% of the expected vote counted. Biggs conceded in a post on X that read, "Thank you, Arizona," ABC15 reported.
Hobbs' running mate, former Mesa Mayor John Giles, will become Arizona's first lieutenant governor. Giles, a Republican-turned-independent, joked at the Wednesday night rally in Maryvale, "I think I may be also the only non-Democrat that had a good night last night," KJZZ reported. Hobbs told supporters she would focus on affordability.
"In my second term, we'll keep building on our progress and make Arizona the affordable state it was when I was growing up," she said, according to KJZZ and ABC15.
The AP also projected that Democrats Adrian Fontes and Kris Mayes won new terms as secretary of state and attorney general. NBC's page showed Fontes at 54.8% to Republican Alexander Kolodin's 43.8%, and Mayes at 55.4% to Republican Warren Petersen's 44.6%.
In the superintendent of public instruction race, Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz led Republican Kimberly Yee as of Wednesday afternoon, ABC15 reported; no AP call had been reported in the coverage we reviewed. Democrat Nick Mansour also held a lead over Republican Elijah Norton for state treasurer.
The 5th District
According to KJZZ, the district covers Queen Creek along with Gilbert and east Mesa. NBC's page showed Republican Mark Lamb, the former Pinal County sheriff, with 141,352 votes (51.2%) and Democrat Elizabeth Lee with 134,940 (48.8%), with about 86.1% of the expected vote in and an estimated 45,000 ballots left. By NBC's estimate, Lee would need about 57.2% of the remaining ballots to overtake him.
The district's two counties are pulling in opposite directions. In the Maricopa County portion, Lee had 113,865 votes to Lamb's 112,727. In the Pinal County portion, Lamb led 57.6% to 42.4%.
How the Queen Creek area voted
Maricopa County's latest precinct file, time-stamped 5:27 p.m. Wednesday, allows a closer look. In 18 precincts that sit almost entirely inside the Queen Creek Unified School District, an area that also takes in some neighborhoods outside town limits, Biggs drew 55.7% to Hobbs' 42.9%. Lamb took 57.4% there to Lee's 42.4%, and Republicans led every other statewide race in those precincts, including Yee at 59.4%.
Countywide, Hobbs led Biggs 57.2% to 41.3%. Countywide in Pinal, Biggs led 50.4% to 47.8%, NBC's page showed.
Maricopa County voters who are contacted about a signature problem on their early ballot envelope have until 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, to resolve it with the county Recorder's Office, KJZZ reported.
