Democratic candidates led Republican opponents in all six legislative races covering Oro Valley and the Catalina Foothills in updated, unofficial election results Wednesday, Nov. 4.
In Legislative District 17, which includes parts of Oro Valley, Marana, SaddleBrooke, Tucson's East Side and Vail, Democrat Edgar Soto led Republican Christopher King in the open state Senate race. Democrats Kevin Volk and Holly Lyon also led Republicans John Winchester and Rachel Keshel in the race for two Arizona House seats.
In neighboring Legislative District 18, state Sen. Priya Sundareshan and state Reps. Nancy Gutierrez and Chris Mathis, all Democrats, led their Republican challengers.
The updated totals were reported by Tucson Spotlight and are also reflected in AZ Family's Arizona election results. The Pima County Elections Department has posted its own unofficial general-election results.
The results remain unofficial. Pima County still had tens of thousands of ballots that could potentially be counted Wednesday, and the margins could change as additional votes are processed.
LD17: Oro Valley's swing district
In Legislative District 17, Democrat Edgar Soto led Republican Christopher King in the open state Senate race, receiving 58,006 votes to King's 48,359, according to the updated results. Soto held a lead of nearly 9 percentage points.
The seat is open because Republican Sen. Vince Leach retired and did not seek reelection, according to the Tucson Agenda.
Democrats also led in the race for the district's two House seats. Rep. Kevin Volk had 54,249 votes and Democrat Holly Lyon had 54,002. Republican John Winchester had 46,384 votes, while Republican Rep. Rachel Keshel had 44,308.
The district leans Republican. The GOP held a 10-percentage-point voter registration advantage there, though 35% of district voters were not registered with either major party, the Tucson Agenda reported in October. Volk demonstrated the district's competitiveness when he won one of its two House seats in 2024.
LD18: Catalina Foothills and beyond
In Legislative District 18, which includes the Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes and parts of Tucson's East Side, Democratic candidates held substantial leads.
State Sen. Priya Sundareshan led Republican challenger Douglas Everett with 56,694 votes to Everett's 29,134.
In the race for two House seats, Democratic Reps. Nancy Gutierrez and Chris Mathis also led Republican challenger Bob Dohse. Gutierrez had 53,780 votes, Mathis had 50,510 and Dohse had 28,832.
What comes next
Pima County's ballot-counting process was expected to continue beyond Wednesday. The Tucson Sentinel reported Wednesday afternoon that roughly 80,000 ballots, along with several thousand provisional ballots, could still be counted. County officials had not provided a complete accounting of the remaining ballots, and the number could change as ballots are verified and processed.
Some early ballots dropped off at vote centers require signature verification by the Pima County Recorder's Office before they can be sent to the Elections Department for tabulation. The Recorder's Office publishes ballot-processing and ballot-curing reports.
The results will remain unofficial until the counties complete their canvasses. Tucson Spotlight reported that county canvasses must be completed by Nov. 19, with the state canvass due Nov. 23.
