Arizona Capitol Times Election Coverage Your Inside Track to Arizona Elections
Tea Party candidate Don Shooter defeated incumbent Democrat Sen. Amanda Aguirre in Legislative District 24.
Shooter captured 14,612 votes compared to Aguirre’s 11,449.
Meanwhile, Libertarian candidate Jack Kretzer finished with 1,189 votes, with all 49 precincts reporting.
Although she lost, Aguirre said she’s not closing her doors on politics.
Voters in his district will see in the next few years whether Republicans can deliver in the areas of job creation or funding education, she said.
“I think we’re going to hold them accountable,” she said.
Shooter, a farmer and former chairman of the Yuma Tea Party, qualified to be on the ballot after receiving an impressive 2,300 write-in votes during the primary.
His campaign appeared to be gaining steam in the final weeks leading up to Election Day, and even the Democratic Party acknowledged Shooter’s strong showing.
But he faced a formidable foe in Aguirre, a moderate Democrat who, according to political insiders, fit the district’s business-leaning profile.