With a big lead in the initial results, the Tucson City Council incumbents gave victory speeches at an election night party Tuesday.
Meanwhile at a party about two miles away, their Republican challengers were saying they would wait to concede until all the votes have been counted. They said they were staying optimistic.
Council members Regina Romero, Paul Cunningham and Shirley Scott exchanged hugs and looked at results on their phones.
Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was the only one whose victory was certain. He ran unopposed except for write-in candidates.
“We know we have our challenges ahead, but I will tell you that I’m very happy that I’m going to spend those next four years with Shirley, Regina and Paul,” he said.
The results posted so far reflect mostly early mail-in ballots counted by the county Elections Department before Election Day.
Cunningham, a middle-school social studies teacher who has served on the council for five years, is seeking a second full term.
“Win or lose, we can walk away knowing that we ran a quality campaign and an organized campaign,” he told supporters. “We can look at the last four years and we know for a fact we moved Tucson forward and made Tucson better.”
Scott, the longest-serving member of the City Council, is seeking a sixth term, and Romero is seeking a third term.
“It’s the end of a long campaign and I’m looking forward to the results and an early evening,” Scott said at the party.
Romero criticized her opponents for what she called half-truths in their campaigning. Scott said the Republicans used untrue rhetoric.
Romero said she and incumbents have brought “progress, innovation and prosperity” to the city.
The Republican slate for City Council is Margaret Burkholder, Bill Hunt and Kelly Lawton.
Burkholder said she would consider running again if the city changes to ward-only elections “because I am very confident my ward supports me.”
Hunt said, “It was a privilege to run. It was an honor to run for this office. Win, lose, or not — it’s still an honor.”
Lawton said, “There is always an opportunity to serve the city. I’ll evaluate everything and we’ll see where we end up. I’m optimistic about a lot of things,” including the possibility of running again.
The Republicans received a financial boost from independent expenditure committee Revitalize Tucson, which spent more than $50,000 on billboards, robocalls and street signs targeting the Democrats and supporting the Republicans.
