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Key Races to Watch in Arizona Primary

Arizona voters will see as many as 10 state and legislative races on their ballot, not to mention school boards, city councils and local ballot measures. But these are the ones to watch.

Arizona voters will see as many as 10 state and legislative races on their ballot, not to mention school boards, city councils and local ballot measures. But these are the ones to watch.

 

GOVERNOR: Former Cold Stone CEO Doug Ducey has tried to make the race for Arizona governor about ice cream, but it's really about the pie and how it gets divided six ways.

 

In the six-way Republican primary, it won't take a huge percentage of votes to clinch the nomination. Ducey has the backing — and the money — of some of the state's biggest behind-the-scenes political movers and shakers. Former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith won the support of Gov. Jan Brewer. And former GoDaddy executive Christine Jones has been popular for her aggressive stance on immigration issues.

 

Multiple polls show Ducey as the favorite, but nobody's likely to be calling this one until the last primary vote is counted. Pop some popcorn and get comfortable, it could be a long night.

 

ATTORNEY GENERAL: The embattled Attorney General Tom Horne is facing former prosecutor Mark Brnovich in the Republican primary.

 

Horne has played the conservative card, touting his lawsuits against the federal government and highlighting his accomplishments, including his arguments before the Supreme Court. But he's struggled to be heard over Brnovich's boisterous attacks and blaring headlines on Horne's alleged wrongdoing and personal peccadilloes.

 

Horne is in the midst of multiple investigations of allegations he violated campaign-finance laws, and he may never outlive the baseball-hat jokes associated with allegations of an extra-marital affair.

 

No one will be watching this one more closely than Felecia Rotellini, the Democratic nominee, who drew no primary opponent and has been biding her time, waiting for a potential rematch with Horne.

 

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: Over a three-month period, the usually unseen incumbent Superintendent John Huppenthal has become a weepy, self-contradicting spectacle.

 

Huppenthal was publicly pounded when inflammatory blog posts he made under pseudonyms became public. He later made a tearful apology but refused to resign.

 

Common Core standards have become the focal point of this race, and essentially the only issue for opponent Diane Douglas. She vehemently opposes them.

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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