Selina Barajas declares victory in Tucson's Ward 5 council race

Selina Barajas declared victory Tuesday night in the three-way Democratic primary race for Tucson City Council in Ward 5.

She had 2,025 votes to Jesse Lugo's 1,199 and Chris Elsner's 288 votes. 

Citywide, 1,777 votes still needed to be counted, but no further totals were to be released Tuesday night, a city spokesman said. 

Barring any write-in candidates in the Nov. 4 general election, the Democratic nominee will represent Ward 5 on the council. There is no Republican running in the general election.

Barajas, a fourth-generation Tucsonan raised on the city's south side, said she is the nominee.

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Lugo has worked in Tucson’s business and nonprofit communities for more than 45 years. He has been the CEO of Lugo and Associates for about 40 years, where he works with gas stations around Arizona and New Mexico to develop business strategies.

This is not Lugo’s first time running for office, but it would be his first win. In 2000, Lugo ran for a legislative seat and in 2001, he ran for City Council.

Elsner previously served as a board member with Tucson Young Professionals and is now president of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona. He served two years in the Peace Corps in Ukraine, where he taught English in a village between Kiev and Moscow.

Democrats in Ward 5, which spans most of Tucson’s south side, have a three-to-one margin over Republicans.

As of Monday, there are 18,702 registered Democrats and 6,830 registered Republicans in Ward 5, according to the Pima County Recorder's Office. Of the 42,543 registered voters, 16,267 are independents.