19-year-old Democrat set to become next Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court

Democrat Sebastian Matta, a 19-year-old sophomore at Arizona State University, is set to defeat Republican Jeff Dial in the race for Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court.

In a statement posted to social media Wednesday afternoon, Dial appeared to concede, stating he hoped the clerk’s office had a successful future and thanking everyone who helped with his campaign and the election.

To everyone who volunteered and helped out — thank you. And to everyone in Maricopa County who worked hard on Election Day to run a good election: this great state runs on people like you. I hope the Clerk’s Office finds great success in the future. — Jeff Dial

— Jeff Dial (@jeffdial) November 4, 2026

Results on Wednesday evening showed Matta with 689,669 votes, or 53.4%, and Dial with 602,745 votes, or 46.6%, with 1,360,007 ballots cast.

The Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court manages all official court records and financial services for the justice system.

“That is our future right there. … And those like him, those are the young people that we’re working with,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Charlene Fernandez said of Matta during KTAR News 92.3 FM’s election special Wednesday night.

Matta’s interest in the clerk’s office started when he began going to work with his father, who was a car crash investigator. He then became passionate about politics through speech and debate.

He decided to run for the office in August 2025 after identifying issues he wanted to resolve. He centered his campaign around bringing new thoughts and a youthful energy to the role.

Dial is a former state senator and state representative, as well as an Army Reserve veteran. After leaving office, he managed operations, budgets, payroll, contracts and regulatory compliance for 10 years while working in business.

He ran on expanding online filing and access to court records, creating ease by having the clerk’s office and Superior Court work together, protecting tax dollars and cutting waste.

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