Graham Bosch*UPDATE* While at the time of publication it appeared that the Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Corporation Commission seats would be won by Republicans, some results changed after two weeks of ballot tabulation. The final winners were: Mark Brnovich (R), Attorney General; Kimberly Yee (R), Treasurer; Katie Hobbs (D), Secretary of State; Kathy Hoffman (D), Superintendent of Public Instruction; Joe Hart (R), Mine Inspector; and Justin Olson (R) and Sandra Kennedy (D), Corporation Commission.
Republicans came out on top on all statewide elections Tuesday, re-electing incumbent Attorney General Mark Brnovich and electing Kimberly Yee as state treasurer, the first Chinese-American woman to hold statewide office in Arizona.
Attorney General:
Brnovich beat former county and state prosecutor January Contreras (D) by more than 100,000 votes.
“There’s still a lot of stuff to be done and I enjoy every day serving the people of Arizona because as a first-generation American, this is my way of giving back to a state that has been so much to me,” Brnovich said in an interview with CBN.
The race received a lot of attention when California billionaire Tom Steyer decided to spend more than $3 million in an effort to defeat Brnovich. Steyer’s tactics proved to be unsuccessful, which Brnovich mentioned in his victory speech by defiantly inviting Steyer to kiss his backside.
Treasurer:
Yee, a state senator from Arizona’s 20th legislative district, defeated Democrat Mark Manoil, a small business owner with a Masters of Business Administration and a law degree from Arizona State University, for state treasurer.
Yee is the 1st Chinese-American Republican woman elected to statewide office in our country’s history. “Throughout my campaign, I have always stressed that Arizona taxpayers need honesty, integrity and transparency in their government,” Yee said. “Our money matters, and I am excited and humbled the great people of Arizona have elected me to manage and protect their hard-earned taxpayer dollars. I now look forward to serving as Arizona’s State Treasurer and will always put the needs of Arizonans first.”
Secretary of State:
Business owner Steve Gaynor (R) earned 42,000 more votes to defeat state Sen. Katie Hobbs (D) in the race for Arizona Secretary of State. The race has been called by the AP, but Hobbs has yet to concede, citing the number of uncounted ballots.
Hobbs spent her career as a social worker before becoming an elected official, and she said she ran for secretary of state to make government work better for Arizonans, especially when it comes to voting. Gaynor ensured voters he would save the state money while improving laws and restoring voter confidence.
“I want to thank the whole Republican organization, starting with our chairman Jonathan Lines,” said Gaynor. “The field supervisors the field organizers, the people who knock on doors- it’s been a magnificent effort. I’ve watched, I’ve traveled around the state. Our GOP has done a great job.”
Superintendent of Public Instruction:
In another close race, Frank Riggs (R) is currently leading Kathy Hoffman (D) to become superintendent of public instruction by just 6,720 votes.
Riggs is a former congressman, Army veteran and former CEO of Charter Schools Development Corporation. Hoffman is a former preschool teacher and speech therapist who resigned her position to run for office.
Mine Inspector:
Joe Hart (R) defended his position as State Mine Inspector against William “Bill” Pierce (D) by more than 100,000 votes.
Corporation Commission:
Justin Olson (R) and Rodney Glassman (R) are poised to defeat Sandra Kennedy (D) and Kiana Maria Sears (D) for seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission. Olson and Glassman each received more than 780,000 votes.
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore
Noemi Santaella
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Joseph Kavetsky
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