Incumbent Kozachik, newcomer Dahl win their Tucson City Council primaries

Newcomer Kevin Dahl and incumbent Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik will advance to the at-large general election for Wards 3 and 6, respectively, on the Tucson City Council.

That’s according to unofficial Democratic primary election results released by the Tucson City Clerk’s office Tuesday night.

Incumbent Democratic Ward 5 City Councilman Richard Fimbres was also up for reelection, but he ran for his fourth four-year term uncontested.

About 22% of the 95,277 registered voters in the three wards cast ballots; about 27% of eligible Democratic voters cast ballots, according to the city.

Ward 3

In Ward 3, there was no question that a newcomer would win the seat. Outgoing Councilwoman Karin Uhlich, who served on the council from 2005-2017, was not seeking a full term. She was appointed to the council earlier this year after former Councilman Paul Durham announced his resignation.

That put Dahl, a longtime Ward 3 resident and career conservationist, and Juan Padrés, a business owner who spent several years working on the city’s economic development team, against each other in this race.

According to the unofficial results available Tuesday night, Dahl had a significant lead in the race with 60% of the votes and 24 of 27 precincts reporting. Padrés received 40% of the votes.

On Tuesday night, Dahl said the 20-point lead in the unofficial results had him feeling confident that he would officially clinch the primary win. During the general election, he said he plans to campaign on the same issues he has all along: climate change and quality of life.

“Climate change is my issue,” Dahl said. “I think this shows it resonated with the voters. They know it not only affects the environment and water supply, but it has a huge financial burden on those least able to afford it.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Only residents of Ward 3 who are also registered Democrats and independent voters who chose to fill out a Democratic primary ballot were allowed to vote for Dahl or Padres. Registered Republican voters in the district had the chance to vote for Republican write-in candidate Alan Harwell Jr. Harwell needed 134 votes to advance to the general ballot. He received 232 votes.

Independent Lucy LiBosha will appear on the general election ballot for Ward 3.

Ward 6

Kozachik ran for his fourth term in office, but this was the first time he faced primary challengers. Andres Portela, a housing policy expert, and Miranda Schubert, a student advisor at the UA, both campaigned against Kozachik in the Democratic primary.

In the end, however, Kozachik took home the most votes, capturing 58% of the total. Schubert came in second with 27% and Portela was third with 15%.

“I just want to make clear that this is about my staff and me, not just me. I’ve got a great staff. We are totally engaged in constituent services and it shows what building relationships in a big small city like this means,” Kozachik said, adding that he plans to “stay on top” of the policy issues he’s been working on for years as a council member, including PFAS water contamination and water security, the 5G rollout and transit, among other issues.

“People recognize that I’m down here at the ward office right now. I’ve been working all day and I’ll be here tomorrow to work again. Nothing’s going to change,” Kozachik said after beating out his two challengers. “People understand that I read the material and do the homework. I’m also not afraid of grabbing the third rail when there’s a tough issue.”

Independent Val Romero will appear on the general election ballot for Ward 6.