Lee celebrates, one opponent concedes in Arizona CD5 Democrat primary

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

While nothing's been made official, one Arizona's Congressional District 5 Democratic primary candidate is celebrating, while another appears to have conceded.

Elizabeth Lee surged to a 40-point early lead in the first batch of Secretary of State reporting after polls closed July 21. She got 22,377 votes among the first roughly 35,000 ballots counted,  for about 65% in the winner-take-all three-candidate race.

Her nearest competitor, Chris James, got 7,692 votes in early reporting, or about 22%.  Brian Hualde received 4,609 votes in the first-reported batch for about 13%. 

Little had changed by the next day, July 22, when Lee had 25,866 votes or 65.23%, with James at 8,511 votes (21.46%) and Hualde at 5,724 (13.3%) in the winner-take-all primary.

That prompted Lee to post a "We did it" message on her social media Nurse Lee 4 AZ pages. James' campaign sent out an email appearing to concede Lee's lead is insurmountable.

"This victory belongs to every volunteer, supporter, voter and donor who believed in what is possible," Lee wrote. "Together, we built something different."

James wrote that he's proud of the race the campaign ran and is grateful for the conversations that happened in the process.

"We didn't get the results we wanted, but our voters made it clear they want someone to focus on the issue that most affects them, and right now, that's the cost of everything," James wrote. "Now, the biggest challenge before us remains: ensuring that Donald Trump's federal government doesn't take over our state and local elections. They must not be allowed to interfere. Voters must be allowed to cast their ballots, including by mail, which tens of thousands in our district just showed is a secure and reliable way to exercise our right to vote."

The Democratic nominee will advance to the Nov. 3 general election to face the winner of the Republican primary, where Mark Lamb surged to a big lead over Daniel Keenan in early reporting, in their bid for their party's nomination.

Congressional District 5 includes Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Sun Lakes, as well as the southern and eastern portions of Chandler and eastern Mesa in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

The seat is open, having been vacated by Andy Biggs, who is running for governor.

Arizona's election system allows early ballots to be processed before Election Day, meaning the first results released after polls close at 8 p.m. July 21 typically include the bulk of early voting.

Additional batches of early ballots and Election Day votes will be reported throughout the evening and in the days following as counties continue tabulating ballots.

Unofficial results will remain subject to change until the canvass is completed.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jjbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.