Supervisor Ally Miller maintained a consistent lead over her Republican challenger, John Winchester, to hold on to her seat as early election results rolled in Tuesday night.
Miller, who is seeking a second term, collected about 57 percent by 10:45 p.m. Tuesday. Election officials did not respond to questions from the Star about how many ballots remained to be counted.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Brian Bickel in the general election on Nov. 8. Early voting begins in six weeks.
At a little after 10 p.m., Winchester said he wasnโt ready to concede to Miller but acknowledged that the incumbent had a โgood leadโ and that his primary challenge had been an โuphill battle.โ
โFrom start to finish, itโs about service,โ he said. โThat doesnโt stop or start with elected office. Regardless of the outcome tonight, I will encourage people to engage in our community.โ
Registered Republicans make up roughly 39 percent of the districtโs active registered voters, giving the partyโs candidates an advantage over Democrats, who make up nearly 31 percent of registered voters, according to recent data provided by the County Recorderโs Office.
In the heavily Republican District 4 primary, Steve Christy had 55 percent of the vote to lead competitors Marla Closen and John Backer.
MILLER OVERCOMES SCANDAL
In recent months, Miller has drawn criticism for her handling of a scandal involving a former staffer who started an online news site while working for the supervisor.
Several local media outlets, including the Star, requested emails pertaining to the website, including emails sent from her personal email accounts. Miller denied that she used her personal email for public business.
However, emails obtained by the Star show that Miller and her staff regularly corresponded about county business as far back as 2013.
That scandal featured prominently in a campaign mailer sent out by Winchester, which equated Millerโs scandal with the ongoing email scandal faced by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Miller did not respond to requests for comment from the Star, but in social media posts she has criticized Winchester for what she described as inappropriate use of campaign funds and posted news articles that claim that Winchester would be a โrubber-stampโ vote for policies proposed by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. Miller has been a vocal critic of Huckelberry during her first term on the board of supervisors.
Miller won a plurality of votes in the 2012 District 1 Republican primary and went on to beat Democrat Nancy Young Wright in the general election.
Fundraising surged for Winchester in the wake of the email scandal, with the University of Arizona employee taking in nearly $55,000 between June 1 and Aug. 18. Miller raised just shy of $20,000 over the same period, though she is roughly $6,000 shy of Winchesterโs total take of roughly $83,500.
CHRISTY LEADS
IN DISTRICT 4
In the District 4 Republican primary, early results gave Christy a strong lead over his two competitors. As of 10:45 p.m., he had collected three votes for every two for Closen. Backer lagged in the unofficial results.
Ray Carroll, the five-term Republican incumbent, announced in February he would not seek re-election. The outgoing supervisor has been a strong critic of Miller, but Christy said the District 1 incumbent โhas my support.โ
The winner of the District 4 primary will face Green Party candidate Josh Reilly in the general election.
As in District 1, registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in District 4, where there are also 226 registered Green Party members.
Christy enjoyed a massive fundraising advantage throughout the race, raising nearly $177,000 since declaring his candidacy, much of it in large donations. Closen raised roughly $24,600, and Backer raised nearly $9,300.
Christy said Tuesday night heโs hoping for a Republican majority on the board.
For that to happen, Republican Kim DeMarco would have to beat longtime District 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson in the general election.
In other Supervisor races, District 5 Democrat Richard Elias will face Green Party candidate Martin Bastidas in the general election. District 2 Democrat Ramon Valdez is unopposed in the general election.
