Babeu projected GOP winner in CD1; Heinz called CD2 Dem winner

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu was the projected winner of the Republican primary in Congressional District 1.

And in Southern Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, Tucson doctor and former state legislator Matt Heinz clinched the Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press.

In November, Heinz will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Martha McSally in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched U.S. House races. McSally, a Republican, won the seat in 2014 by only 167 votes.

McSally faced no opposition in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Heinz defeated challenger Victoria Steele, a former state lawmaker and past news anchor and mental health counselor, The Associated Press reported late Tuesday.

The 2nd Congressional District covers most of Tucson and parts of Cochise County.

In the five-person Republican primary in Congressional District 1, Babeu had roughly one-third of the total ballots counted so far. Reporting problems at the Secretary of State’s Office were delaying final results.

Babeu’s closest rivals, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers and rancher Gary Kiehne, trailed him by roughly 4,000 votes late Tuesday, with about 36,000 votes tallied.

“I am so so thankful for Republican voters for this,” Babeu said.

Babeu, who has been sheriff in Pinal County for nearly eight years, focused heavily on border security issues during the campaign.

He said the top issue in the general election will be energy issues, saying the use of coal to generate energy is important to controlling rising energy costs.

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On the Democratic side in Congressional District 1, former state Rep. Tom O’Halleran had a sizable lead over his Democratic rival Miguel Olivas.

Heinz claimed victory late Tuesday.

“We have to look forward, we have to look at the general election,” he said. “People in Southern Arizona are not interested in the extreme issues; they are concerned about who is going to help them get a job, and it doesn’t appear to be her,” he said of McSally.

A computer server crashed in the Cochise County elections department Tuesday night, delaying final results in the CD2 race.

“Win or lose, I know we put in our hardest,” Steele said Tuesday night. “Our biggest challenge was a financial challenge because people have been so concerned that no one can beat Martha (McSally) and her millions.”

Heinz raised considerably more than his Democratic rival — $914,122 to Steele’s $228,535 — but the pair’s fundraising efforts were dwarfed by those of Republican incumbent.

McSally has raised more than $6 million in the current cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission.

McSally kicked off her general election campaign Tuesday night and focused on results of her first term in Congress.

“For the past 20 months, I have worked tirelessly to fight for their priorities in Congress, and we’ve already gotten a lot done,” she told supporters. “I’m asking for their support again so I can continue to serve them by fighting to protect the A-10, ensuring our country and communities are kept safe, and expanding economic opportunity.”

In Congressional District 3, Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva had no formal challenger in the Democratic primary, only a write-in candidate. Grijalva also faces no opposition in the November general election.