Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Republican Sen. Sylvia Allen surged to a commanding lead overnight in Legislative District 6, one that Democrat Nikki Bagley appears unlikely to overcome.

Voters in southern Arizona’s heavily Democratic Legislative District 2 have thrown out Republican Rep. Chris Ackerley, who won a seat in the state House just two years ago.

Political newcomer Sean Bowie is headed for victory over Republican Frank Schmuck, providing Democrats with a rare win in an East Valley district that has long been a Republican stronghold at the Legislature.

Republican Rep. Frank Pratt defeated Sen. Barb McGuire in a race that spoils Democrats’ hopes of picking up enough votes to split the Senate.

Republican Rep. Kate Brophy McGee leads Democratic Rep. Eric Meyer in the race for Legislative District 28’s Senate seat.

Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, has won re-election despite a last-minute flurry of spending against her.

As the election comes to a close, campaign finance documents filed with the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office show that, with only one statewide race, outside spending is in state and legislative elections is way down from 2014.

Democratic voters trail their Republican counterparts in returning their early ballots, but they’ve narrowed the gap they had in 2012, buoying the beleaguered minority party’s hopes that it’s in for a relatively good election year in historically red Arizona.

Two years ago, Republican Chris Ackerley blindsided Democrats when he won a seat in the state House from a Democratic stronghold in the heart of solidly blue southern Arizona. Ackerley faces his biggest challenge yet.

After a mailer and robocall urged voters to support only one of the two Republicans running for the state House in central Phoenix’s Legislative District 28, accusations are flying from the two GOP nominees for the district’s seats.