Debbie Lesko wins special election in Arizona’s 8th congressional district

On Tuesday, former Arizona State Senator Debbie Lesko won the special election for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District seat. Lesko became the Republican nominee in February among a large field of Republican challengers, and went on to face a Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in the general. This was the first time in two election cycles that the district had a Democratic challenger.

Lesko jumped out to an early lead faring extremely well with early-voters, who made up the majority of the voting pool.  The Peoria-based legislative district that she represented as a state Senator sits within the congressional district, giving her a familiar base that propelled her past the primary and through the general.

In a spirited acceptance speech on Tuesday night, Lesko graciously thanked her supporters and promised that she is “going to continue to work hard for the people in my district, and continue to represent them with the values that have made our nation great.”

Lesko will maintain the Congressional seat until the primary and general elections later this year.