Posted July 23, 2026 | by KimS | in 2026 Elections, DemDaily, Democratic Party, Gubernatorial, House

DemDaily: Arizona Election Results! Trump on the Ticket

July 23, 2026

In the swing state of Arizona on Tuesday, Republican primary voters ushered in a slate of Trump-endorsed candidates, affirming the president's hold on his party's conservative constituency -- to the increasing disadvantage of their general election prospects.

The 2026 Governors Races: Republicans and Democrats are each defending nineteen of the 36 gubernatorial seats up this year. Of those, Democrats are trying to hold onto five seats -- Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin -- which Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election. Republicans have only two seats -- New Hampshire and Vermont -- to protect in states Kamala Harris won.

The 2026 Governors Races: Republicans and Democrats are each defending nineteen of the 36 gubernatorial seats up this year. Of those, Democrats are trying to hold onto five seats -- Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin -- which Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election. Republicans have only two seats -- New Hampshire and Vermont -- to protect in states Kamala Harris won.

ARIZONA
The Landscape
Arizona was long considered a red state, voting for the Republican in every presidential election from 1952 to 2016, with the exception of Bill Clinton in 1996. Over the last decade, however, the state has shifted away from the GOP.

Democrats successfully flipped Arizona's US Senate seats in 2018 and 2020, currently held by Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. Joe Biden won the state's 11 electoral votes in 2020 by just under 11,000 votes over former President Donald Trump -- cementing The Grand Canyon State's status as a key battleground.

In 2022, they flipped the open Arizona Governor's mansion with the razor-thin victory of Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs over former Fox News anchor and Trump acolyte Kari Lake (R). With the elections of Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Attorney General Kris Mayes the same year, Democrats unified control of the state's highest executive and federal offices for the first time in 72 years.

Although the GOP controls the legislature, and Arizona flipped back to the Republican column with Trump's 5.5% victory over Harris in 2024, Democrats still hold a triplex with control of the top three statewide offices.

Governor
Governor Katie Hobbs, a former social worker, served in the Arizona State House (2011–2013) and State Senate (2013–2019), rising to the position of Senate Minority Leader. She served as the elected Secretary of State from 2019 to 2023, gaining national prominence for overseeing and defending the state's 2020 presidential election results amid intense political scrutiny and legal challenges.

Hobbs succeeded term-limited Republican Governor Doug Ducey in 2022, defeating Lake 50.3% to 49.6% in the most expensive gubernatorial contest in Arizona's history, with over 60 million in candidate spending alone. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Ultra-conservative Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-5), a long-time Trump ally, swept the Republican primary with 73.6%, defeating the more moderate two-term First District Congressman David Schweikert (14.7%) and businessman Ken Miceli (4.7%).

The four-term Congressman and former chair of the alt-right US House Freedom Caucus previously served in the Arizona State House (2003-2011) and State Senate (2011-2017), where he served as president of the upper chamber. Biggs, 67, was a vocal election denier of the 2026 presidential results, echoing Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud.

The last public polling of general election matchups conducted May 5-7 by Noble Predictive Insights of registered voters found Hobbs narrowly leading Biggs, 42%-37%.

Lieutenant Governor: Arizona will hold its first election for Lt. Governor in November 2026 after voters created the office by approving Proposition 131 in 2022. Hobbs and Biggs have until September 4th (60 days before the general election) to officially declare their running mate, who will run with them on a joint ticket.

Lieutenant Governor: Arizona will hold its first election for Lt. Governor in November 2026 after voters created the office by approving Proposition 131 in 2022. Hobbs and Biggs have until September 4th (60 days before the general election) to officially declare their running mate, who will run with them on a joint ticket.

Secretary of State: incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes, who ran unopposed in the primary, faces far-right State Representative Alexander Kolodin, a Phoenix-based lawyer who rose to prominence as one of the lead attorneys fighting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona.

Attorney General: incumbent Democrat Kris Mayes, who had no primary opposition, is being challenged by frequent nemesis, ardent Trump supporter and Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen.

US House
Arizona's Congressional Delegation includes six Republicans, including two open seats, and three Democrats. Two seats -- the First and Sixth Districts -- are among the country's top "toss-ups."

First Congressional District: In a race just called this morning, emergency medicine physician and former State Representative Dr. Amish Shah prevailed in the Democratic primary, narrowly defeating establishment favorite Marlene Galán-Woods, 39.5%-34.3%, and two other candidates.

Shaw, 48, was the 2024 Democratic nominee, coming within 3.8% of defeating Schweikert, who vacated the seat to unsuccessfully run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination

In a rare and high-profile primary intervention, Democratic leaders in Arizona and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) backed Galán-Woods, a veteran TV journalist and former registered Republican, who lost the Democratic nomination to Shaw in 2024. The parties' support, which included $500,000 in ad buys, drew widespread criticism from House Democrats and donors. It is the third race, and third loss, this cycle where the DCCC has publicly weighed in on a primary contest -- in the first two, supporting a more moderate candidate over the progressive victors.

Jay Feely, 50, a Trump-endorsed former NFL kicker who played for the Arizona Cardinals, won the high-profile Republican primary, defeating former State Representative Joseph Chaplik, 49.8% to 35.7%. Tech businessman John Trobough secured 14.5% of the northeastern Maricopa County vote.

Fifth Congressional District: In the open seat race to replace Biggs, nurse and healthcare Advocate Elizabeth Lee won the Democratic primary with 65.9% of the vote. She will face former Pinal County Sheriff and 2024 US Senate candidate Mark Lamb, who, with Trump's blessing, defeated homebuilder Daniel Keenan, 58.3%-41.7%.

The 5th CD, based in the East Valley region of the Phoenix metropolitan area, is considered a Republican stronghold, with a Cook PVI of R+!0.

Sixth Congressional District: The Southeastern CD, held by two-term incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomoni, is one of the most evenly divided districts in the country, with a Cook PVI of R+0. Trump lost the district by less than one point in 2020, and won it by less than one point in 2024.

Ciscomoni is being challenged by JoAnna Mendoza, a US Navy and US Marine Corps combat veteran, instructor and Congressional advisor, who was uncontested for the Democratic nomination. The veterans' advocate self-identifies as LGBTQ+.

In the newly competitive Grand Canyon State, Republicans still have a solid registration advantage of 35.39%, closely followed by 34.60% who identify as Independents (or no preference) and 28.11% Democrats. The No Labels Party has 1.07%, the Libertarian Party 0.71%, and the Green Party 0.12%.

In the newly competitive Grand Canyon State, Republicans still have a solid registration advantage of 35.39%, closely followed by 34.60% who identify as Independents (or no preference) and 28.11% Democrats. The No Labels Party has 1.07%, the Libertarian Party 0.71%, and the Green Party 0.12%.

DemList will keep you informed.

DemList
Connecting You to The Party
Connecting You to Each Other

Kimberly Scott
Publisher