Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham wins primary election

City Councilmen Paul Cunningham won the Democratic primary election for Tucson’s Ward 2 seat, taking about 76% of the votes counted so far in unofficial results released by the City Clerk’s Office.

His Democratic challenger, political newcomer Lisa Nutt, has about 23% of the votes.

The results as of Tuesday night represent 129 of 144 precincts reporting from the ballots received by the Tucson’s city clerk through mail. Voters could also drop off their ballots at drop boxes throughout the city up to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Lisa is disappointed with the result but she’s very happy with the campaign. She had an opportunity to talk about issues that she feels are important to the folks in Ward 2 and the city of Tucson,” said Sean Bertram, a campaign manager for Nutt. “She had the support of a lot of family and friends along the way in her campaign and she just wants to thank them for all the hard work they did to get to election night.”

Cunningham, 48, was elected to the City Council in Ward 2 in November 2011 and is seeking his fourth term. A 12-year veteran of the Pima County juvenile probation department, he is now a teacher at Gridley Middle School.

If reelected in November, Cunningham hopes to continue local neighborhood improvements; he said his office has made significant headway on building playgrounds, recreational fields and splash pads.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Nutt, 52, grew up in Douglas and has been a small business owner and local realtor since 2018. She also previously served as the president of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Her campaign’s priorities are housing, public safety and economic development if she were to be elected.

Tuesday night marks the end to an intense race, with concerns of outside money and transparency issues with regards to campaign finances.

Nutt has received $80,000 from outside realty-related agencies, but Cunningham has outraised his opponent by nearly $20,000 in individual contributions, according to each candidate’s last campaign reports.

In the primary election, voters could only vote for nominees running for the office of the ward they live in. All city voters will elect council members in the upcoming general election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, in which tonight's winner will face Republican Ernie Shack and Libertarian Pendleton Spicer in the Ward 2 race.

City Council members serve four-year terms with no term limits.