Once considered a Republican stronghold, Arizona has emerged as one of the country’s most competitive battleground states in recent years. Democrat Joe Biden narrowly carried the state in the 2020 presidential election, while Donald Trump won Arizona in 2024. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s primary elections.
When are the polls open?
Polling stations opened at 18:30 IST (13:00 GMT) and close at 7:30 am (02:00 GMT on Wednesday). Voters who are in line before the closing time will still be allowed to cast their ballots.
Who is eligible to vote?
Registered Republicans and Democrats can vote only in their respective party’s primary. Independent voters, however, can choose whether to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary.
Arizona has around 4.3 million registered voters, including roughly 1.5 million Republicans, 1.2 million Democrats, and 1.5 million independents or unaffiliated voters.
Which races are being decided?
Voters will select party nominees for several major offices, including governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and state superintendent of public instruction. Primaries are also being held for all 30 seats in the Arizona Senate and all 60 seats in the State House of Representatives.
Who is running in the Republican governor’s primary?
The biggest contest on Tuesday’s ballot is the Republican primary for governor, with four candidates vying to take on Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in the general election. The race has largely narrowed to Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, two longtime Republican congressmen.
Image: Reuters/AP
When will the results be announced?
Although polling ends, election officials cannot release results until 8:30 am IST (03:00 GMT on Wednesday). Since Arizona conducts a large share of its voting through mail ballots and early voting, officials are expected to report a substantial number of votes soon after polls close.
Which congressional races are in focus?
The primary elections will also determine the candidates for Arizona’s open 1st Congressional District, after Representative David Schweikert vacated the seat to run for governor. Covering Scottsdale and northeastern Phoenix, the district is expected to be one of Arizona’s most competitive contests in the November general election and could influence the battle for control of the US House of Representatives.
In the Republican primary, voters will choose between state Representative Joseph Chaplik, former NFL kicker and sportscaster Jay Feely, who has Donald Trump’s endorsement, and technology executive John Trobough.
Image: AP
On the Democratic side, physician and former state Representative Amish Shah, who narrowly lost to Schweikert in the 2024 election, is contesting against former television news anchor Marlene Galan-Woods.
Galan-Woods, who was a registered Republican until 2018, is the widow of former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, a Republican who later became a vocal critic of Trump. She has the backing of the national Democratic Party, which supported Shah during the 2024 election. Publisher Rick McCartney and entrepreneur Jonathan Treble are also in the race.
Another closely watched contest is in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, where Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani and Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine Corps veteran, are both unopposed in their respective primaries. They will face each other in November in a race widely seen as one of the Democrats’ strongest opportunities to flip a Republican-held House seat as they seek to regain control of the chamber.
