Weekend whirlwind

There was no rest for the weary this weekend as ballots continued to be counted and reported to the Arizona Secretary of State, shaking up the remaining contested races.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema has gained more traction against opponent Rep. Martha McSally in the U.S. Senate race. Sinema now has a lead of 32,169 votes (1.49 percent).

Sinema’s team believes that the votes counted over the weekend solidified her victory.

“With the latest ballot count, Kyrsten’s lead is insurmountable,” Sinema for Arizona Campaign Manager Andrew Piatt stated on Sunday. “Kyrsten has now expanded her overall lead to 32,640 or 1.52 percent, meaning McSally would have to win the remainder of Maricopa County ballots by 22 percent to take the lead in this race. This is not plausible. Kyrsten will be declared the next U.S. Senator from Arizona.”

McSally campaign continues to argue that the largest remaining category of votes to be counted are high propensity Republican early voters who dropped off their ballots on election day. who had not turned in their early ballots as of Election Day.

In the superintendent of public instruction race, Kathy Hoffman (D) sent out a press release in which declared herself the winner.

“I’ve traveled around the state meeting with teachers, community members and education leaders to begin building bridges and understanding the issues each educational community faces,” Hoffman said. “Those conversations and relationships paid off because communities across Arizona have voted to elect an educator leader of our public schools. I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who voted to support my vision of fully-funded and inclusive public education.”

Hoffman is leading Republican Frank Riggs by 46,721 votes (2.1 percent).

Maricopa County has 162,000 ballots left to count with 219,800 ballots remaining statewide. Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Coconino Counties will report their recent ballot count today. Coconino has said all of its remaining ballots will be recorded by November 14^th.

Below is the latest on the closely watched races

Steve Gaynor (R) is neck-and-neck with Katie Hobbs (D). He has a slight lead of 424 votes for secretary of state. Although the AP called the race on election night, Hobbs and Gaynor traded the lead over the weekend.
In Legislative District 17, which encompasses parts of Chandler and Gilbert, three candidates are vying for two seats in the Arizona House of Representatives. Jeff Weninger (R) is in the lead with a total of 41,811 votes. Jennifer Pawlik (D) is ahead of Nora Ellen (R) by 2,813 votes.
In the Legislative District 28 House race (north central Phoenix, Paradise Valley), Kelli Butler is in the lead with a total of 42,685 votes. Aaron Lieberman (D) has extended his lead ahead over Maria Syms (R) by 1,838 votes. Syms is ahead of Kathy Pappas Petsas (R) by 639 votes.
For state senator in Legislative District 28, Kate Brophy McGee (R) is ahead of Christine Marsh (D) by 643 votes.
The Corporation Commission has been shaken up as Sandra Kennedy (D) took the lead with 970,318 votes. Incumbent Justin Olson (R) trails her with 964,743 votes. Rodney Glassman (R) is behind him 960,571. Kiana Sears (D) is behind with 905,438.

In addition to Maricopa County, the following Arizona counties had outstanding ballots as of yesterday afternoon: