Republican Ken Bennett will continue as Arizona's secretary of state. Bennett, who was appointed to the position when Jan Brewer was elevated to governor last year, defeated Democrat Chris Deschene in the Nov. 2 election.

Nationally, Democrats suffered disaster in the general election. In Arizona, it was even worse. For the first time since 1994, Republicans swept Arizona’s statewide offices. Even the Attorney General’s Office, which has been in Democratic hands for the past 12 years, couldn’t withstand the Republican tsunami.

Polling on Arizona’s statewide races has consistently shown GOP candidates on top, and Republicans are optimistic that the anti-Democratic mood sweeping the state and the country will give them total control of state government.

Only a couple of relatively competitive races stand between Republicans and their first sweep of Arizona’s six statewide offices since 1994, not including the Corporation Commission.

State Rep. Chris Deschene has won the Democratic nomination to compete for the job of Arizona's chief elections officer and second in line to the governor.

Deschene, Chris
Party: Democrat
Age: 39
Campaign Finance: Private
Full candidate bio...

A judge on June 17 ruled against a complaint that alleged Sen. John Huppenthal, the Republican candidate for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, illegally gathered his petition signatures for the office.