Two Republicans running for the state House in Legislative District 13 have jumped to leads over their Democrat opponents Wednesday. 

Republican Jeff Weninger and Rep. Julie Willoughby, R-Chandler, are now leading the race at approximately 10:00 a.m.

The two Democrats Brandy Reese and Nicholas Gonzales trail after Reese jumped to an early Tuesday night lead over Weninger and Willoughby. 

Weninger has received 25.79% of votes cast in the district and Willoughby has 25.49%.

Reese has fallen to 24.06% ang Gonzales has brought in 23.34% of votes.

Green Party candidate Cody Hannah has received 1.31% of votes.

LD13 is one of the purple districts of the state and is represented in the House by Willoughby and Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, D-Chandler. 

Pawlik is not running for re-election this year and has started a new position as the Arizona School Board Engagement Director with Stand for Children Arizona. 

Republicans hold a 31-29 majority in the House, and LD13’s House seats are important for both parties’ attempt to take control of the chamber but Democrats will see a loss in the chamber if results hold.

The district has one of the tightest vote spreads favoring one party over the other in the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission’s competitive analysis. Republican candidates have about a 1.5% advantage in the district, but Pawlik received the most votes among House candidates in her 2022 race, beating former Republican state Rep. Liz Harris and Willoughby by more than 2% each. 

There are no elected incumbents running in the race this year. Harris beat Willoughby in 2022 by just 0.2% of votes. Harris was expelled from the House shortly into her legislative career, and Willoughby was appointed to replace her. 

Weninger is a strong candidate in the district, having served both on the Chandler City Council and in the House from 2015 to 2023. He ran for state Treasurer in 2023 but lost to Kimberly Yee in his primary race. 

Democrats have ditched their single-shot strategy for the district from 2022 when they only ran Pawlik. Both Reese and Gonzals are seeking their first term in the legislature. 

Some political consultants have predicted difficulty for Gonzales in picking up a seat after The Arizona Republic reported in October that Gonzales has spent a decade in a custody battle with his ex-partner over parenting their son, leading to a conviction in Gilbert Municipal Court of false reporting to law enforcement in connection with his son was missing in 2021.