PHOENIX (CN) — Maricopa County will begin a recount Friday in a Democratic congressional primary separated by just a few dozen votes.
In the only primary yet to be called in the most populous county in Arizona, former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari leads activist and former state Senator Raquel Terán by only 42 votes. The margin makes up less than 0.5% of the total votes, which triggers an automatic recount under state law.
The candidates are vying to represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“This close race is a testament that every vote really counts,” Ansari said in a statement last week. “While we are confident this lead will hold, it is important to let the vote-counting process fully play out through an automatic recount, and we welcome the process ahead.”
Though both candidates expected a recount as early as Aug. 5, a state judge on Monday ordered the recount at the behest of Secretary of State Adrian Fontes after completion of the countywide canvass. Ansari has 19,087 votes, and Terán has 19,045.
In a Phoenix courtroom Wednesday morning, attorneys for the county, secretary of state and both candidates agreed to the terms of the recount.
Re-tabulation of all ballots will begin immediately after the secretary of state’s office completes the statewide canvass for the remaining races. The county will also conduct a hand-count audit of a random 5% of the ballots on Saturday.
Both candidates will have two observers: one to watch the tabulation and another to watch the hand-count. The recount should be completed by Monday, and Maricopa County Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill will read the results in her courtroom Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
Ansari’s attorney Brett Johnson said the process has been “harmonious.”
“No one’s disputing anyone’s right to be at the table,” he said in a phone call with Courthouse News. “The county’s doing a great job. The state’s doing a great job. Both campaigns are doing a great job. Everybody’s trying to work collaboratively towards a resolution.
“Back in the day, this was the norm,” he added.
The certification of election results has historically been a tedious, unceremonious process. But election conspiracies have flourished in Arizona in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, casting doubt on the process. The statewide canvass was nearly delayed in 2022 when two Cochise County supervisors tried to withhold the county canvass until the secretary of state put residents’ doubts to rest.
The same supervisors tried to institute a full hand count for the 2020 election, but were blocked by a federal judge.
This year, Cochise and Arizona’s other counties certified their primary results without issue. Officials and government websites in the rest of Arizona’s counties confirmed canvasses there were successful, with a scattering of automatic recounts triggered. Those included county supervisor races separated by just three votes in La Paz and Yuma Counties.
Terán's campaign indicates no animosity or distrust in the process.
“Especially in Arizona, we know that democracy is worth waiting for, and it is critical that every vote is counted,” Teran said in a statement last week. “No matter the outcome, I look forward to continuing our work to create a brighter future for everyone.”
Terán began her political career as an organizer with Mi Familia Vota, and was part of the effort to take down Senate Bill 1070, Arizona’s “Show me your papers” law. She then ran for the Arizona House of Representatives and eventually was appointed to the state Senate in 2021, where she has fought for immigrant rights and access to reproductive care. She was elected chair of the Arizona Democratic Party the same year, and became the Senate minority leader in 2023 before resigning to focus on her bid for U.S. Congress.
As of July 30, she has raised $1,166,034. Terán's endorsers included three U.S. senators, two U.S. representatives, 20 state legislators and the Working Families Party.
Ansari served as the vice mayor of Phoenix from 2021 to March 2024, when she stepped down to focus on her Congressional campaign. She’s the youngest woman and first Iranian American to serve on Phoenix’s city council. In recent years, she has voted to protect mobile home owners from eviction; voted to establish a prevailing wage for government contractors; and advocated for a housing-first approach to homelessness.
Ansari has raised $1,886,723.73, including $171,033.65 in self-funding. Ansari's endorsers include Democratic U.S. Representative Seth Moulton; one former and four current state legislators; and the Arizona Federation of Teachers.
Whoever wins the Democratic bid will face Republican Jeff Zink in the November general election to take the seat left vacant by Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego, who is running against Kari Lake for U.S. Senate.
All 435 seats are up for reelection. Republicans have a 220 to 213 majority with two vacancies. As of June, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for reelection.
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