2026 Phoenix City Council election: 2 incumbents win, 2 to other races head to runoff

Two Phoenix City Council incumbents are on their way to clinching reelection, while the races for two open seats won’t be settled until next year.

Four seats with four-year terms were up for grabs in Tuesday’s nonpartisan Phoenix City Council election. Candidates who receive more than 50% of the votes cast in their districts are declared winners. In districts where nobody reaches the majority threshold, the top two finishers advance to a March 9, 2027, runoff election.

Council members Kevin Robinson and Kesha Hodge Washington are handily winning their second terms.

As of Wednesday morning, Robinson led Michael Del Prete in District 1 by a margin of 65% to 35%.

Meanwhile, Hodge Washington pulled 72.4% of the ballots tabulated in the three-way District 8 race. Frank Abasciano Jr. was next at 18.2%, followed by Jarrett Barton Maupin Jr. at 9.5%.

Which Phoenix City Council races need runoff elections?

The other races in the Phoenix City Council election were for the seats in Districts 2 and 4, where Jim Waring and Laura Pastor, respectively, could not run again after reaching the three-term limit.

As of Wednesday morning, the three candidates in District 2 were separated by fewer than 900 votes. Matt Evans was leading with 34.4% (16,799 votes) and was followed closely by Julie Read at 33% (16,100 votes) and Danny Mazza at 32.6% (15,940 votes).

In the crowded District 4 race, Ed Hermes separated himself from the rest of the eight-candidate field with 40% of the vote to claim one of the runoff spots.

The race for the other runoff spot remained tight, with fewer than 600 votes separating the next three candidates. Ashley Harder was at 12.7% (3,859 votes), Patricia Jimenez had 11.4% (3,439 votes), and Cassandra Hernandez sat at 10.8% (3,285 votes).

The other four candidates — Megan Schmitz, Michael Mazzocco, Zachary Lauer and Robb Olivieri — were all under 8%.

The four winners will begin their new terms April 19, 2027, and serve alongside Mayor Kate Gallego and council members Ann O’Brien, Debra Stark, Betty Guardado and Anna Hernandez.

Subscribe to the KTAR Political Brief newsletter to get our top political stories, exclusive guest interviews and more to your email inbox.

Related

Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz leads Republican Kimberly Yee in Arizona superintendent of public instruction raceDemocrat Nick Mansour leads Republican Elijah Norton in Arizona treasurer raceDemocrat Amish Shah holds lead over Republican Jay Feely in Arizona’s 1st Congressional DistrictRep. Eli Crane, Jonathan Nez neck and neck in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional DistrictJoAnna Mendoza maintains lead over incumbent Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional DistrictAfter winning reelection, Adrian Fontes says Arizona voters rewarded leadership focused on ‘getting the job done’