Justin Heap declares victory, Tim Stringham concedes in Maricopa County recorder race

PHOENIX — Republican Justin Heap is on his way to winning the Maricopa County recorder race after his opponent offered his congratulations on Wednesday.

Democrat Tim Stringham called Heap even though he was ahead slightly when the first batch of results came out Tuesday night and was down by a margin of just 51.8%-48.2% with over 1.2 million votes reported as of Wednesday morning, according to the Maricopa County Elections Department.

“We are both well aware there are a lot of votes left to count and the outcome isn’t fixed but … I detest procrastination,” Stringham, an attorney and and political newcomer, said in a post on X.

I did indeed call @azjustinheap to congratulate him on a long campaign completed for both of us and wish him luck on his likely win in the County Recorder race.

We are both well aware there are a lot of votes left to count and the outcome isn’t fixed but as I told Brahm Resnick…

— Tim Stringham (@TimStringhamAZ) November 6, 2024

Heap took to social media after receiving Stringham’s congratulatory call. The conservative state lawmaker promised to represent all voters as the Maricopa County recorder and restore the the office’s reputation.

I am humbled and honored to have been elected as the next Maricopa County Recorder. A short while ago, I spoke with Tim Stringham who conceded the race and congratulated me on my victory.

I am grateful for the trust that the voters have placed in me. I intend to fulfill my… pic.twitter.com/LioYjQX3tG

— Az State Rep. Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) November 6, 2024

“It is undeniably true that past elections, under both parties and spanning more than a decade, have denigrated our county’s reputation and made us the laughing stock of the nation,” he wrote in a lengthy X post.

“That ends today.”

The winner will take control of what has become a high-profile office in recent years. The Maricopa County recorder is responsible for recording documents, the mail voting process and maintaining voter registration rolls.

Justin Heap ousted Stephen Richer as Maricopa County recorder

In July, Heap defeated incumbent Stephen Richer in the Republican primary.

In Wednesday’s victory post, Heap said he looked forward to working with the Legislature to make Arizona elections “more effective, efficient, and most importantly, honest” while speeding up the results process.

He also credited state Sen. Jake Hoffman as the “chief architect of my campaign strategy.”

“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but if we all work together, in good faith, I know that we will produce election improvements and optimizations that will restore Maricopa County to its rightful place as the preeminent leader in elections management in all of America,” Heap wrote.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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