A MAGA Republican vying for a state senate seat gained a modest lead overnight as ballot counting continued in Senate District 17, unofficial results show.
Realtor Justine Wadsack had 51.8% of the vote, compared to 48.2% for her Democratic opponent Mike Nickerson as of 3 p.m. on Nov. 9, according to the Arizona Secretary of State election website.
Wadsack now leads by 3,066 votes in the new district that covers Marana, Oro Valley, Rita Ranch, Vail, SaddleBrooke and part of southern Pinal County.
Nickerson, a retired United Methodist pastor, started out in the lead on election night by capturing 58% of the early vote, but his edge evaporated as results from in-person voting were counted.
Nickerson, 72, who once interned for a Republican congressman in Washington, D.C., is making his first attempt at public office, and campaigned on the need to reform Arizona politics, which he said is “poisoned by a lack of integrity” and by the influence of money and extreme partisanship.
Nickerson and Wadsack have disagreed on almost every issue. He supports increased funding for public schools and opposes private school vouchers. A longtime gun owner, he supports firearms safety measures such as tighter background checks and safe storage laws. Having counseled many women with troubled or unwanted pregnancies as a pastor, Nickerson said he supports the right to abortion.
He describes himself as a problem-solver who believes “politics is about compromise. When you bring people together you find the best solution for the whole group, not just one group.”
Wadsack, 48, a licensed real-estate agent who describes herself as a "Pro Trump America First conservative," won the Republican nomination for the District 17 senate seat by defeating longtime Arizona legislator Vince Leach in a primary race. It's her second try for a state Senate seat after losing in another district in the last election.
At a recent Arizona Clean Elections debate, Wadsack described herself as a “fighter” motivated by a 2016 run-in with state child protection authorities.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety “came to my household and tried to take my kids,” said Wadsack, who did not elaborate except to say it was in retaliation because she questioned the amount of respite care one of her children, who has disabilities, was supposed to receive. The department declined comment on her allegations.
Wadsack has proposed defunding the child safety agency she clashed with and also wants to defund Planned Parenthood and the U.S. Department of Education. She has pledged to “stop all stages of abortion” and opposes gun safety measures such as red flag laws. She supports using public funds for private school vouchers and last year took part in storming a Vail school board meeting to protest mask requirements for students during the pandemic.
Her endorsers include a local Republican group called Tucson Trump MAGA, which repeatedly posted election conspiracy theories and QAnon content on its Facebook page last year including alien messages from the "Intergalactic Alliance of Light Beings."
Wadsack posted a popular QAnon slogan on her own Twitter account twice in 2020 but recently disavowed QAnon as “crap” in an interview with the Arizona Republic.
See how election ballots are sorted, secured, processed and counted in Pima County after you vote.
