Democrats spent more money than ever
in their bid to flip control of Arizona’s legislature away from
Republicans, but preliminary — and partial — election results show those
efforts came up short of convincing voters in swing districts to award
them the levers of power at the Capitol.

Although it’s too soon to make any
declarations, as of 1 a.m. Wednesday, Democrats were positioned to split
the 30-member state Senate with Republicans, while the GOP maintained
its slim majority in the House of Representatives.

But a lot could change in the coming days, as county elections officials count ballots overnight and throughout the week.

Seeing this year as their best
opportunity to wrest legislative control from Republicans since the GOP
rose to power in the mid-1960s, Democrats went all out, spending more
than $10 million in a handful of battleground races.

Republicans tried to match the flood
of spending by Democratic groups, managing to counter with almost $7.4
million to protect the one-seat majorities they have in each chamber.

The vast majority of that spending was concentrated in 13 races, mostly in suburban Phoenix and Tucson districts. 

And even among the battleground
races, the money has been concentrated in a few contests, with the top
five races accounting for nearly $10 million of that spending — and two
races attracting more than $2 million in outside spending each.

The battle for the two House seats in Chandler-based District 13
has attracted the most money from outside groups, with $2.43 million
flowing into the contest. Nearly two-thirds of that — more than $1.5
million — has gone to boost Democratic newcomers Brandy Reese and
Nicholas Gonzales, with about $880,000 spent trying to persuade voters
to back incumbent Republican Rep. Julie Willoughby and former GOP
lawmaker Jeff Weninger.

With 91% of precincts reporting, the
four candidates are separated by fewer than 1,000 votes. Reese led the
field, but Weninger was just 200 votes behind her and Willoughby only
about 300 votes behind him. Gonzales sat in fourth, trailing Willoughby
by fewer than 450 votes.

One of the district’s representatives
is currently a Democrat, making it critical for Democrats to win at
least one of the seats.

And voters in north Phoenix’s District 2 have been bombarded with $2.35 million in outside spending in the Senate contest between incumbent Shawnna Bolick, a Republican, and Democratic state Rep. Judy Schwiebert.
The lion’s share of that spending, more than $1.3 million, has gone to
help Schwiebert, with another $1 million backing Bolick. 

While Schwiebert jumped to an early
lead when initial early ballot results were reported, Bolick overtook
her when ballots cast on Election Day were tallied. As of early
Wednesday morning, she sat with a 180-vote lead.

But Democrats are poised to capture a southern Arizona Senate seat
that has long been held by Republicans. John McLean, a former
Republican, held a nearly 5,000-vote lead over Vince Leach, a former
legislator, in the race to represent the suburban Tucson Legislative
District 17.

Other key Senate races appeared
likely to maintain the status quo, with incumbent Democrats Christine
Marsh and Eva Burch fending off GOP challengers, while Republican Sens.
J.D. Mesnard and T.J. Shope defended their seats — though Mesnard led
Democrat Sharon Winters by only about 950 votes.

In other House contests, Republicans
and Democrats appeared likely to swap seats in neighboring districts. In
Legislative District 16, which encompasses much of Pinal County,
Democratic incumbent Keith Seaman trailed Republican Chris Lopez for the
second seat by almost 700 votes. But in District 17, political newcomer
Kevin Volk seemed almost certain to oust GOP Rep. Cory McGarr, who was
in third place, about 1,700 votes behind his seatmate, Rep. Rachel
Jones.

The Democratic incumbents in
Mesa-based Legislative District 9, Lorena Austin and Seth Blattman, held
a solid lead over GOP challengers Kylie Barber and Mary Ann Mendoza.
And Rep. Michele Pena seemed to have defended her seat in heavily
Democratic Legislative District 23, which stretches from the southwest
Phoenix suburbs to Yuma.