Pima County general election races take shape

The general election races in Pima County have taken shape following Tuesday night’s primary.

As of Monday there are 623,841 active Pima County voters, according to the Pima County Recorder’s Office. Among them, 223,148 are registered Democrats, 175,186 are Republicans and 206,133 are independent, the office says. Nearly 28 percent of Pima County’s registered voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s primary, according to the Pima County Elections Department’s unofficial results.

About 85% of votes came via mail-in ballots, according to the Election Department’s unofficial turnout statistics.

Election outcomes below are as of Wednesday morning, with 100% of county precincts reporting, according to the Elections Department’s unofficial results:

Board of Supervisors

District 3

The race for the open District 3 seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors produced a four-candidate Democratic primary.

Jennifer “Jen” Allen defeated Edgar Soto, April Hiosik Ignacio and Miguel Cuevas in Tuesday night’s primary, garnering over 53% of the vote to Soto’s 19%, Ignacio’s 16% and Cuevas’ 11%.

Allen will face JL Wittenbraker, a Republican, and Iman-Utopia Layjou Bah, an independent, in November.

District 1

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Incumbent Supervisor Rex Scott defeated Jake Martin in Tuesday night’s Democratic primary, taking 67% of the vote to Martin’s nearly 34%.

Scott, a former long-time public educator and councilman in Athens, Ohio, narrowly won the 2020 election to become District 1’s first Democratic supervisor to win the seat since Ron Asta in 1972. That election cycle, Scott beat out then-political newcomer and IT and hotel management professional Republican Steve Spain, a Republican, who is gearing up for a rematch this November.

In a statement sent to the Star Tuesday night, the incumbent said he is “grateful and honored” to be chosen as the Democratic nominee once again, and thanked his opponent, Martin, for running a “campaign that was a testament to his commitment to our community and his personal integrity.”

District 2

John Backer defeated Beatrice “Cory” Stephens in the Republican primary for the District 2 Supervisor seat; Backer took a little over 62% of the vote to Stephens’ nearly 38%.

Democratic incumbent Matt Heinz was not challenged in the primary.

Treasurer

Brian Johnson took nearly 61% of the vote to become the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 5 race for Pima County Treasurer. He beat out Sami Yrigolla Hamed, who garnered 39% of votes cast.

Johnson will face Chris Ackerley, a Republican, in the November general election. Ackerley was appointed to the post in April by the Board of Supervisors after longtime Pima County Treasurer Beth Ford resigned.