Several high-profile races in Arizona were not called. See the list

Many races in Arizona remained too close to call after Election Day.

Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local and state officials count all ballots and certify the results. However, media organizations call races when it becomes mathematically unlikely that the trailing candidate will be able to catch up. Official election results are not confirmed until the end of the month, although media organizations and campaigns often predict the results earlier.

Full, unofficial election results are expected to take days. The more last-minute early ballots cast at polling stations and other locations, the longer it will take to count votes and determine close races. Officials in populous Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, currently estimate it will take 10 to 13 days to complete the count.

State law gives county election officials about two weeks to finish counting ballots. Races may be called earlier depending on the scores and the number of early ballots not yet counted.

These are the key races in Arizona that had not yet been scheduled as of early Wednesday:

US presidential election

Arizona’s 11 Electoral College votes are up for debate as voters decide between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The margin between the candidates was among the narrowest in swing states, even as Trump defeated Harris nationally early Wednesday.

Throughout the election season, Trump and Harris campaigned aggressively in Arizona, with both candidates visiting the state multiple times. Arizona’s final decision will not affect the national outcome, but the narrow margin reflects the influence of independent voters in the Grand Canyon State.

Election to the US Senate

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., took an early lead over his Republican opponent, former television news anchor Kari Lake, although no winner was announced until early Wednesday.

At a Democratic Party meeting on Election Day evening, Gallego failed to claim victory but said he expected to become Arizona’s first Latino senator.

A week ago, Lake appeared to be gaining ground on Gallego, who had held a lead in the polls since the race began. Either Lake or Gallego will replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, who announced in March that she would not seek a second term.

Arizona’s 1st Congressional District

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, held a slim lead over Amish Shah, a former state representative, in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.

Schweikert, who has represented parts of Maricopa County including Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Cave Creek on Capitol Hill since 2011, was widely considered one of the most vulnerable sitting members of Congress. Schweikert won his seat in 2022 by a single percentage point.

Shah, an emergency room doctor and former state lawmaker, beat a crowded field of Democrats for that party’s nomination. His campaign focused on abortion rights, immigration concerns and public education.

Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District

Incumbent Rep. Eli Crane had a significant lead over his Democratic challenger for Congressional District 2, according to early Election Day returns.

Crane, R-Ariz., led his Democratic rival, former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, although no winner has yet been announced.

Several prominent political analysis firms predicted that Crane would win, but that the race would be closer than they expected.

Crane, a self-described “outsider” and former military sniper, has supported former President Donald Trump. Nez’s campaign marks the first time a Native American candidate from Arizona advanced beyond the primary in a congressional race.

Arizona’s 4th Congressional District

Incumbent Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, has a significant lead over Republican candidate Kelly Cooper but has yet to be declared the winner. Stanton ran unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination, while Cooper defeated three other candidates in the Republican primary.

Since 2019, Stanton has represented Arizona’s 4th District, which includes major cities in Maricopa County, including Tempe and large parts of Mesa and Chandler. He also served as mayor of Phoenix from 2012 to 2018.

Cooper attacked Stanton in a televised debate last month, saying he had little to show for his six years in office.

Arizona’s 6th Congressional District

In a 2022 rematch, incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., faced Democratic former state lawmaker Kirsten Engel, an environmental lawyer whom he defeated by less than two percentage points two years ago. Ciscomani was just behind Engel early Wednesday.

Ciscomani is a free-market Republican and served as an adviser to former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, also a Republican. The race is classified as a toss-up. Arizona’s congressional delegation has a six-to-three advantage over Republicans, so a flip in both seats could result in the delegation switching to Democrats.

While Engel had a significant lead in the Tucson district, the race was not yet decided. The district covers Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties.

Arizona’s 8th Congressional District

Republican candidate Abraham Hamadeh led Democratic candidate Gregory Whitten by a significant margin, but the race was not yet decided. Whitten and Hamadeh ran for the seat held by Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, who announced her retirement from Congress in October 2023.

Hamadeh, a former Army Reserve captain and intelligence officer who worked as a Maricopa County prosecutor, beat six opponents to win the Republican primary. He has vowed to stand with Trump to fight the “radical left.”

Whitten was unchallenged in the Democratic primary. A third-generation Arizona native, he previously served as a biosecurity expert at the Pentagon.

Maricopa County Sheriff

The race for Maricopa County sheriff went in favor of Republican candidate Jerry Sheridan in the primary election. Sheridan faced Democrat Tyler Kamp, who previously worked as a shift supervisor for the Phoenix Police Department.

For the first time in decades, an incumbent sheriff was not in the race after former Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat, resigned in January.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest sheriff’s offices in the country, employing over 3,000 people including deputies, jailers and civilians.

Several voters told The Arizona Republic during the primary that they supported Sheridan because they believed he would adopt the tactics of controversial former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who described himself as “America’s toughest sheriff.” Sheridan was Arpaio’s chief deputy; Arpaio was defeated by Penzone in 2016 and Penzone defeated Sheridan in 2020.

Mesa Mayor

Mesa mayoral candidate Mark Freeman held a slim lead over Scott Smith early Wednesday.

Since there are no major differences between the two established candidates, the election depends on the nuances of their background, their vision for the city and their ideology. The race was largely civil and without controversy.

Throughout the campaign, Smith, a former mayor, criticized the city for not being business-friendly enough. In response, Freeman defended his eight years on the city council.

Mayor of Scottsdale

Incumbent Mayor David Ortega was well behind former City Council member Lisa Borowsky early Wednesday, setting the stage for what could be one of the bigger election upsets in a Valley city.

Ortega, an architect who first took office in 2020, was seeking his second term as Scottsdale mayor. He was the top vote-getter in the July primary election, where former City Council member Linda Milhaven was eliminated.

The two candidates criticized each other’s leadership in a heated race that featured back-and-forth arguments.

Ortega defeated Borowsky in the 2020 mayoral race, so conventional wisdom has him sailing to victory this year. But Borowsky’s strong showing in the early votes has cast serious doubt on this expectation.

Proposal 133

Republicans in the Legislature put Proposition 133 on the ballot to compete with Proposition 140, the Make Elections Fair Act, which did not pass but would have ended partisan primaries. Proposition 133 would enshrine taxpayer-funded partisan primaries in the Arizona Constitution, giving them additional protection from alternative ideas. It was negative as of Wednesday afternoon.

This story will be updated as election results are announced.

Hannah Dreyfus is an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. Reach them at [email protected]. Follow her on X @Hannah_Dreyfus or threads @hannahdreyfus.