Pratt handily winning in Legislative District 8

Early voting poll results show Frank Pratt handily defending his seat in the Arizona Senate against a Democratic challenger.

Pratt, a Casa Grande Republican, has a commanding lead over Sharon Girard, an emergency room physicians assistant running for the Senate in Legislative District 8.

The eastern Arizona district, which stretches from Coolidge to Globe, has long been considered a swing district, and thus a potential pickup for Democrats. But it’s grown more conservative over the years, a trend reaffirmed by Pratt’s early lead.

Pratt was one of three Republicans to win seats in LD8 in 2016, earning a clean sweep of the district for the GOP.

Democrats had hoped Sharon Girard could reclaim the seat they last held two years ago, when Kearney Democrat Barb McGuire represented LD8.

But the district’s Republican leanings, and Pratt’s sizeable financial advantage, are proving too difficult for Girard to overcome. Pratt raised nearly $83,000 this election cycle, while Girard received the standard $42,000 as a participating candidate with the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

LD8 Senate by the numbers

Early votes

Republican

Frank Pratt 58.2 percent

Democrat

Sharon Girard 41.8 percent