Aspecial election for Arizona's 8th congressional district was held in 2018 subsequent to the resignation ofRepublican U.S. RepresentativeTrent Franks . GovernorDoug Ducey called a special primary election for Tuesday, February 27, 2018, and a special general election for the balance of Franks' eighth term for Tuesday, April 24, 2018.[ 1] [ 2]
Republican nominee and formerArizona Senate president pro temDebbie Lesko won a closer-than-expected race againstDemocratic challengerHiral Tipirneni .
Incumbent representative Trent Franks announced on December 7, 2017, that he would resign effective January 31, 2018, after admitting allegations regarding the issue ofsurrogacy . However, after his wife was hospitalized, Franks resigned effective December 8, 2017.[ 3]
Candidates must file nomination forms and petitions within 30 days of the governor's proclamation. Candidates in special congressional elections in Arizona must collect a number of valid signatures equal to at least one-fourth of 1% of the number of qualified signers in the district. For the 2018 special election, a Democratic candidate requires 665 signatures, a Green candidate requires 392 signatures, a Libertarian candidate requires 401 signatures, a Republican candidate requires 860 signatures, and an independent candidate requires 4,680 signatures.[ 4]
It was initially thought that Arizona'sresign-to-run law would have required sitting members of theArizona Legislature to resign their seats in order to run in the special election. Arizona's resign-to-run law does not require someone to resign if they file to run when they are in the final year of their term. However, the deadline to submit nominating petitions was January 10 and the end of the current term for members of theArizona Legislature was January 14, 2019.[ 5] [ 6]
Two of the major candidates in the Republican primary drew controversy late in the campaign. Former state senator Steve Montenegro faced calls to withdraw, including by former governorJan Brewer , after news articles revealing sexually suggestive text messages between Montenegro and a legislative staffer surfaced.[ 7] [ 8]
Chad Allen, health care executive[ 9] Brenden Dilley, author, entrepreneur and host ofYour Voice America [ 10] [ 11] Stephen Dolgos, independent candidate for Arizona's 8th congressional district in 2012 and 2014[ 12] Debbie Lesko , former state senator[ 13] Phil Lovas , former state representative, Arizona state chairman ofDonald Trump's 2016 campaign , and regional advocate for theSmall Business Administration 's Office of Advocacy[ 14] David Lien, teacher and formerWillmar, Minnesota council member[ 9] Richard Mack , teacher and formerGraham County Sheriff[ 15] Steve Montenegro , former state senator[ 9] Bob Stump , former Arizona Corporation Commissioner[ 16] Christopher Sylvester, Navy veteran[ 9] Clair Van Steenwyk, radio host and candidate for the seat in 2016[ 17] Mark Yates[ 12] Kevin Cavanaugh, former deputy sheriff[ 12] Hypothetical polling
with Clint Hickman and Kimberly Yee
Poll source Date(s) Sample Margin Travis Clint Debbie Phil Richard Steve Tony Bob Christopher Kimberly Undecided ABC 15 /OH Predictive Insights (R) [ 27] December 11, 2017 400 ± 4.9% 1% 15% 16% 2% – 1% 1% 18% 2% 7% 37% Data Orbital (R) [ 28] December 9–11, 2017 400 ± 4.9% – 9% 15% 2% 3% 4% – 10% – 7% 51%
Results by precinct 20–30%
30–40%
40–50%
50–60%
Tie
No data
Republican special primary results, Arizona 2018[ 29] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Debbie Lesko 27,047 35.37% Republican Phil Lovas 18,652 24.39% Republican Steve Montenegro 18,106 23.68% Republican Bob Stump 4,032 5.27% Republican Clair Van Steenwyk 1,787 2.34% Republican Christopher Sylvester 1,490 1.95% Republican David Lien 1,341 1.75% Republican Richard Mack 1,191 1.56% Republican Mark Yates 871 1.14% Republican Chad Allen 824 1.08% Republican Brenden Dilley 823 1.08% Republican Stephen Dolgos 377 0.49% Write-in 8 0.01% Total votes 76,459 100%
Richard Grayson (write-in), candidate in Green Party presidential primary in Arizona in2012 [ 9] Gary Swing (write-in), Green Party candidate for U.S. senator in Arizona in2016 [ 9] Each candidate received 13 write-in votes in the primary. Neither was placed on the special election ballot.[ 33]
Libertarian primary [ edit ] Kelly Noble (write-in)[ 34] The candidate received 22 write-in votes in the primary and was not placed on the special election ballot.[ 33]
Debbie Lesko at a campaign event in Peoria, Arizona Hiral Tipirneni at a campaign event in Sun City, Arizona Republican candidate Debbie Lesko received over $1 million in funding from Republican groups outside the state.[ 35]
Host Date Link(s) Participants Hiral Debbie KAET March 26, 2018 [ 38] Invited Invited
Debbie Lesko
Federal politicians
Andy Biggs , U.S. representative (R-AZ)[ 42] Paul Gosar , U.S. representative (R-AZ)[ 43] Jim Jordan , U.S. representative (R-OH)[ 44] Jon Kyl , former U.S. senator (R-AZ)[ 43] Kevin McCarthy ,House Majority Leader and U.S. representative (R-CA)[ 45] Martha McSally , U.S. representative (R-AZ) and candidate forU.S. Senate in 2018 [ 46] Mark Meadows , U.S. representative (R-NC), and chairman of theHouse Freedom Caucus [ 47] David Schweikert , U.S. representative (R-AZ)[ 43] Donald Trump , president of the United States[ 48] Local and state politicians
Organizations
Hiral Tipirneni
Federal politicians
Ami Bera , U.S. representative (D-CA)[ 55] Judy Chu , U.S. representative (D-CA)[ 56] Ruben Gallego , U.S. representative (D-AZ)[ 57] Gabrielle Giffords , former U.S. representative (D-AZ)[ 57] Raul Grijalva , U.S. representative (D-AZ)[ 57] Pramila Jayapal , U.S. representative (D-WA)[ 55] Tim Kaine , U.S. senator (D-VA)[ 58] Ro Khanna , U.S. representative (D-CA)[ 55] Ann Kirkpatrick , former U.S. representative (D-AZ) and nominee for U.S. Senate in2016 [ 57] Raja Krishnamoorthi , U.S. representative (D-IL)[ 55] Conor Lamb , U.S. representative (D-PA)[ 59] Grace Meng , U.S. representative (D-NY)[ 56] Tom O'Halleran , U.S. representative (D-AZ)[ 57] Ed Pastor , former U.S. representative (D-AZ)[ 57] Donald Payne Jr. , U.S. representative (D-NJ)[ 55] Kyrsten Sinema , U.S. representative (D-AZ) and candidate for U.S. Senate in2018 [ 60] [ 57] Local and state politicians
Labor unions
Organizations
Arizona's 8th congressional district special election, 2018[ 79] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican Debbie Lesko 96,012 52.37% −16.18% Democratic Hiral Tipirneni 87,331 47.63% N/A Total votes 183,343 100% N/A Republican hold
^ "Congressman Franks resigns" .Arizona Capitol Times . RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ "Gov. Ducey sets dates for special election to fill Rep. Trent Franks' seat" . KPNX. Archived fromthe original on December 13, 2017. RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ "Rep. Trent Franks to Resign Immediately After Wife Is Hospitalized" .Time . Archived fromthe original on December 8, 2017. RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ "2018 Congressional District 8 Special Primary and Special General Election Information" (PDF) . Arizona Secretary of State. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on December 12, 2017. RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ "Franks' immediate resignation puts monkey wrench into special election" .Arizona Capitol Times . RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ Bob Christie (December 14, 2017)."Legislature's lawyers says "resign-to-run" not triggered" .The Associated Press . ^ Yvonne Wingett Sanchez; Ronald J. Hansen (February 21, 2018)."Steve Montenegro faces calls to quit congressional race; backers largely mum" .The Arizona Republic . ^ "Arizona Special Primary Election Results: Eighth House District" .The New York Times .^a b c d e f g h "Updated: Here's Everyone Who's Running To Replace Trent Franks" .Phoenix New Times . December 12, 2017. RetrievedDecember 13, 2017 .^ "Brenden Dilley for Congress – Vote February 27, 2018 in Arizona District 8's Special Election" . Brenden Dilley for Congress. RetrievedDecember 24, 2017 .^ "The Amazing YourVoice America Hosts! – YourVoice America" . Your Voice America. Archived fromthe original on April 1, 2022. RetrievedDecember 24, 2017 .^a b c "Arizona Election Information" .apps.arizona.vote .^ Ronald J. Hansen (December 20, 2017)."Debbie Lesko is officially running for Congress for Trent Franks' seat" .The Arizona Republic ^ "Tweets with replies by Phil Lovas (@PhilLovas)" . Archived fromthe original on June 6, 2020 – via Twitter.^ "12-18-17 Briefs" .archives.mcrcbriefs.org . Archived fromthe original on December 22, 2017. RetrievedDecember 18, 2017 .^a b "Arizona names who could enter the race for Franks' US House seat" . KTAR. December 7, 2017. RetrievedDecember 7, 2017 .^ "First candidate certified in race to replace Trent Franks | Local | azdailysun.com" . Archived fromthe original on January 4, 2018.^ Seipel, Brooke (December 7, 2017)."Rep. Franks resigning after discussing surrogacy with female staff" .The Hill .Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. ^ Ronald J. Hansen; Yvonne Wingett Sanchez; Eliza Collins; Dan Nowicki."Trent Franks stepping down from Congress amid complaints from 2 former female staffers" .The Arizona Republic .Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. RetrievedDecember 8, 2017 . ^ "Trent Franks, Joe Arpaio endorse Arizona senator for Franks' former seat" . KTAR. December 11, 2017.Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. RetrievedDecember 12, 2017 .^ Wallace, Jeremy (December 28, 2017)."Ted Cruz weighing in on races in Arizona and Montana" .Houston Chronicle Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. ^ Roberts, Laurie (December 11, 2017)."Roberts: Is a Trent Franks endorsement a good thing for Steve Montenegro?" .The Arizona Republic ^ @SteveMontenegro (January 17, 2018)."BREAKING: @SteveKingIA endorses Montenegro! "The establishment is never going to support candidates like Steve Montenegro because he will solve problems and put America first. He's exactly the warrior we need to make America great again!" #AZ08" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ "Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum endorses Steve Montenegro for Congress" . Archived fromthe original on November 8, 2023 – via Facebook.^ ABC 15/OH Predictive Insights (R) ^ Remington Research (R-Jobs, Freedom, and Security PAC) ^ ABC 15/OH Predictive Insights (R) ^ Data Orbital (R) Archived July 3, 2018, at theWayback Machine ^a b "2018 Arizona primary special election results" (PDF) . RetrievedJune 9, 2019 .^ "Glendale doctor enters race for Arizona's 8th Congressional District" . KTAR. July 19, 2017.^ Tipirneni, Kishore."Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for Congress" .Hiral Tipirneni . Archived fromthe original on November 30, 2019. RetrievedDecember 27, 2020 . ^ "Campaign finance data" . Federal Election Commission.^a b "Write-in Canvass Summary Special Primary Election 2018 Congressional District 8" (PDF) . Maricopa County Recorder's Information Systems Center. RetrievedApril 14, 2018 .^ "Special election for Arizona's Congressional District 8" .KTVK . February 28, 2018. Archived fromthe original on April 14, 2018. RetrievedApril 14, 2018 .^ Martin, Jonathan (April 24, 2018)."Debbie Lesko Wins Arizona Special Election for Congress, Rallying G.O.P." The New York Times . RetrievedApril 25, 2018 . ^ Bowman, Bridget (February 28, 2018)."Lesko Wins GOP Primary in Arizona Race to Replace Rep. Trent Franks" .Roll Call . RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 . ^ "Hiral Tipirneni defeats Brianna Westbrook in Democratic Congressional District 8 primary" .The Arizona Republic . RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ "Lesko vs Tipirneni: Eighth Congressional District Special Election Debate" . Arizona PBS. March 26, 2018.^ Dave Wasserman."AZ-08: Republicans Retain Advantage in Special Election" . RetrievedJanuary 2, 2022 . ^ "Rating Change: Arizona 8 Special Gets More Vulnerable | News & Analysis | Inside Elections" . Inside Elections. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ "Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » 2018 House" . Center for Politics. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ Brahm Resnik [@brahmresnik] (February 6, 2018)."BREAKING Congressman @andybiggs4az endorses @DebbieLesko in #AZ08 GOP primary. Biggs a leading conservative voice in #MariCo" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^a b c "Endorsements" . Debbie Lesko.^ Debbie Lesko [@DebbieLesko] (January 19, 2018)."Big news! I have been endorsed by @Jim_Jordan for my campaign for #Congress in #AZ 08. For those of you who don't know he was a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus @freedomcaucus" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ Weigel, David; DeBonis, Mike (April 18, 2018)."GOP enlists Trump, leadership to stave off Democratic challenge in Arizona" .Washington Post . ^ Martha McSally [@MarthaMcSally] (April 21, 2018)."We've got to make sure this district knows, this state knows and this country knows that #AZ08 is RED and Arizona is RED. @DebbieLesko @AZGOP" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ Debbie Lesko [@DebbieLesko] (January 22, 2018)."So honored to have the support of @RepMarkMeadows for my run for Congress in #AZ 08!" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ "Arizona, please get out today and vote @DebbieLesko for Congress in #AZ08. Strong on Border, Immigration and Crime. Great on the Military. Time is ticking down – get out and VOTE today. We need Debbie in Congress!" .Twitter ^ Debbie Lesko [@DebbieLesko] (January 30, 2018)."I am so excited to announce that @GovBrewer has endorsed my campaign! Thank you Governor!! #AZ08 #MAGA" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ Maricopa County GOP [@MaricopaGOP] (April 14, 2018)."Come out and support @DebbieLesko for Congress this Saturday... @GeneralBrnovich is stopping by! Knock some doors, make some calls...keep CD8 Red! Prizes and lunch! #Teamwork #EveryVoteCounts #AZ08 #KeepitRed @AZGOP #LeadRight" (Tweet ) – viaTwitter . ^ "Endorsed Candidates" . KTAR News.^ "Endorsed Candidates" . Maggie's List.^ "National Pro-life Group SBA List Endorses Debbie Lesko in AZ-8" . January 12, 2018.^ "Debbie Lesko" . Women For Winning.^a b c d e "Dr. Hiral Tipirneni Endorsed by Members of Congress" (PDF) . Hiral Tipirneni. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on January 18, 2018. RetrievedDecember 19, 2017 .^a b "Nationwide endorsements for Dr Hiral Tipirneni" .India Post . April 5, 2018.^a b c d e f g Kimbrough, Jason; Tipirneni, Hiral; Sinema, Kyrsten (April 5, 2018)."Dr. Hiral Tipirneni Earns Endorsements of Arizona Congressional Leadership" (PDF) . Dr. Hiral Tipirneni for Congress. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on April 14, 2018. RetrievedApril 14, 2018 . ^ Tim Kaine."Special election TOMORROW in #AZ08 - Democrat @hiral4congress is neck-and-neck in a district Trump won by 20+! She's a mom, a physician, and a longtime health care advocate" .Twitter . ^ "AZ-08: Rep. Conor Lamb (D. PA) Helps Dr. Hiral Tipirneni (D) Pull Off A Special Election Victory" . Daily Kos. April 21, 2018.^ "AZ-08: Kyrsten Sinema (D) Helps Hiral Tipirneni (D) Pull Off Another Special Election Upset Victory" . Daily Kos. April 5, 2018.^ "Dr. Hiral Tipirneni Endorsed by Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo" (PDF) . December 18, 2017. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on January 18, 2018. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ "Dr. Hiral Tipirneni Earns Endorsement of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99" (PDF) . February 2, 2018. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on March 1, 2018. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ "Endorsed Candidates" . AAPI Victory Fund. Archived fromthe original on March 1, 2018. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 .^ Gabby Giffords (February 21, 2018)."Giffords Endorses Dr. Hiral Tipirneni to Replace Trent Franks in Special Election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District" . GiffordsPAC. Archived fromthe original on March 1, 2018. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 . ^ "C4PC Endorses Hiral Tipirneni, MD, for Congress in AZ-8" . Clinicians for Progressive Care. January 2, 2018.^ Schriock, Stephanie (April 4, 2018)."EMILY's List Endorses Hiral Tipirneni in Arizona's 8th District" . Emily' s List. ^ "ECU Endorses Dr. Hiral Tipirneni in AZ-08 Special Election – End Citizens United" . End Citizens United. March 21, 2018.^ Giffords, Gabby (February 21, 2018)."Giffords Endorses Dr. Hiral Tipirneni to Replace Trent Franks in Special Election for Arizona's 8th Congressional District – Giffords" .Giffords . Archived fromthe original on March 1, 2018. RetrievedMarch 1, 2018 . ^ Urbina, Maria; Phelps, Emily (April 3, 2018)."Indivisible Project Endorses First Five Candidates in Midterm Elections" . Indivisible. Archived fromthe original on April 9, 2018. RetrievedApril 9, 2018 . ^ Sittenfeld, Tiernan (April 20, 2018)."LCV Action Fund Endorses Hiral Tipirneni for Congress – League of Conservation Voters" .League of Conservation Voters . ^ Sheyman, Ilya (April 1, 2018)."MoveOn Members in Arizona Vote Overwhelmingly to Endorse Hiral Tipirneni (AZ-08) for Congress" . MoveOn. ^ Hogue, Ilyse (April 16, 2018)."NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Hiral Tipirneni on Her Bid For Congress – NARAL Pro-Choice America" .NARAL Pro-Choice America . ^ "Arizona 2018 Primary Election Candidates & Stonewall Democrats Endorsements" . Stonewall Dems AZ. Archived fromthe original on April 9, 2018. RetrievedApril 9, 2018 .^ Emerson College [permanent dead link ^ Lake Research Partners (D-Tipirneni) ^ Emerson College Archived November 9, 2018, at theWayback Machine ^ OH Predictive Insights ^ Lake Research Partners (D-Tipirneni) ^ "Official Canvas of Special General Election" (PDF) . Arizona Secretary of State. RetrievedDecember 25, 2018 .Official campaign websites
U.S. U.S. (election ) Governors Attorneys State Mayors Alexandria, VA Anaheim, CA Anchorage, AK Auburn, AL Austin, TX Burlington, VT Chula Vista, CA Columbus, GA Fairfax, VA Fort Lauderdale, FL Franklin, VA Irvine, CA Lexington, KY Little Rock, AR Long Beach, CA Louisville, KY Lubbock, TX Nashville, TN (special) Newark, NJ Newport News, VA Oakland, CA Oklahoma City, OK Phoenix, AZ (special) Providence, RI Radford, VA Reno, NV San Bernardino, CA San Francisco, CA (special) San Jose, CA Santa Ana, CA Sioux Falls, SD Tallahassee, FL Virginia Beach, VA (special) Washington, DC Local Anchorage,AK Champaign County,IL Cook County,IL Cuyahoga County,OH El Paso,TX El Paso County,CO Jackson County,MO Jefferson County,MO Los Angeles County,CA Macomb County,MI Orange County,CA Orange County,FL San Diego,CA San Francisco,CA St. Charles County,MO St. Louis County,MO Wayne County,MI Statewide Ballot Related
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)