Hobbs declares victory, Gaynor concedes in Arizona secretary race

PHOENIX — Democrat Katie Hobbs declared victory over Republican Steve Gaynor in the Arizona secretary of state race as votes continued to be counted Friday.

“Tonight we won the race for Arizona’s secretary of state,” she said in a statement.

“As secretary of state, I will work to ensure that every eligible voter … can cast your ballot with the confidence that your vote counts and your voice matters, and do so in a way that is meaningful and convenient for you,” she said.

Gaynor tweeted shortly after she released her statement that he called Hobbs to congratulate her.

Tonight I called @KatieHobbs to congratulate her on winning the race for AZ Secretary of State. It was an honor to be the Republican nominee. Many thanks to everyone who supported my campaign. Best of luck to Katie.

— Steve Gaynor (@realSteveGaynor) November 17, 2018

Gov. Doug Ducey told reporters at the HeroPreneur National Veterans Business Summit in Phoenix he’d already congratulated Hobbs.

“I said ‘congratulations, race well run, and I’m looking forward to working with you. I think we can work well together,'” he said.

The latest daily update showed Gaynor trailing Hobbs by about 15,000 votes, with 67,000 total votes remaining.

Hobbs was leading by about 13,000 votes as of Thursday’s update.

The Associated Press prematurely called the race in Gaynor’s favor on Election Day, when he was leading by 44,000 votes.

The District 28 state Senate seat is still up for grabs in an ever-tightening race.

Republican incumbent Kate Brophy McGee lost part of her lead over Democrat Christine Porter Marsh, who is now only trailing by 284 votes, down from 380 on Thursday.

Yuma County submitted the last of its outstanding ballots Friday, leaving only Maricopa and Pima counties with uncounted votes.

Yuma is confirmed complete. Maricopa and Pima are the last counties standing.

— The AZ Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) November 16, 2018

Maricopa County reported about 25,000 votes Friday, with about 60,000 remaining.

Maricopa plans to continue making reports at 5 p.m. daily, including over the weekend, until all of its votes are counted.

The latest results for Maricopa County in the 2018 General Election are in, and can be found here: https://t.co/yJpuLCiCXe

The next update will be tomorrow at 5 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Fv1yQEtaeq

— Adrian Fontes (@RecorderFontes) November 17, 2018

Pima County is reportedly planning to post an update on its 7,000 remaining ballots Saturday.

Arizona’s election manual requires each of the state’s 15 counties to canvass, or certify its final results and send them to the state.

Secretary of State Michele Reagan is to issue the final canvass for Arizona’s total election results Dec. 3.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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