Democratic primary in Arizona’s 3rd District is too close to call, AP determines

PHOENIX (AP) — The race for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District narrowed further Monday, making it too close to call and ensuring an automatic recount.

The district lies in Maricopa County, which finished counting ballots Monday. Former Phoenix City Council member Yassamin Ansari led former state lawmaker Raquel Terán by 42 votes, with 42,819 ballots counted — a margin of 0.1 percentage points.

The Associated Press determined the race is too close to call.

Under Arizona law, a recount is triggered when the margin is .5 percentage points or less. The recount starts with a request from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to the Maricopa County Superior Court once the canvass is complete early next week.

The court then would set a deadline for the tally to be completed and the results announced.

The 3rd District seat that encompasses parts of Phoenix was left open by Rep. Ruben Gallego’s decision to run for U.S. Senate. The district leans Democrat, giving whoever wins the primary a favorable chance of winning the November contest against Republican Jeff Zink.

Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, previously served as vice mayor of Phoenix. She resigned from the council in March to focus on the congressional district race.

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Terán, who previously chaired the Arizona Democratic Party, was in her first term serving in the Arizona Senate after being elected in November 2022. She resigned in April 2023 to focus on her congressional run.

Races in swing state Arizona have been close before.

In November 2022, a recount was required in the Arizona attorney general contest after the canvass showed Democrat Kris Mayes just 511 votes ahead of Republican Abraham Hamadeh.

The results triggered an automatic recount, and a subsequent repeat tally confirmed she had won, but with just 280 votes. The win that was certified by Maricopa County Superior Court was among numerous Democratic victories in the mid-term contests in what was once a predictably Republican state.

Hamadeh challenged the results in court, alleging problems with ballot printers and mishandling of ballots. A judge said he failed to prove his arguments.

Hamadeh, one of two Republicans endorsed by Trump last month, clinched the GOP nomination for the November contest in a conservative leaning congressional district northwest of Phoenix.

There were also recounts in two other races in Arizona’s 2022 mid-terms, with Republican Tom Horne prevailing in the race for state superintendent of public instruction and Republican Liz Harris winning a state legislative seat in the Phoenix suburbs.

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Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.