Arizona Senator Steve Gallardo is leading former Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson in the race fo ther Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
"The night is still early and not all the polling places have reported," says a cautiously optimistic Gallardo. "However, we feel very confident that our lead will continue to grow."
Early results posted by the Maricopa County Elections Department show that, with about half of the precincts reporting, Gallardo has about 9,500 votes, or nearly 43 percent.
Johnson is at about 6,500 votes, or nearly 30 percent.
Marie Lopez Rogers, who was appointed to fill the post left vacant when former Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox resigned for what's turned out to be an unsuccessful bid for Congress, is trailing with about 6,110 votes, about 27 percent.
Whether their candidates won or lost tonight, Arizona Democrats are enjoying more competitive political races than they've seen in a while.
"I don't know if I've ever seen Democrats celebrate with this much hope," says Stacy Mann Pearson, a Valley political consultant who showed up at Ruben Gallego's victory party in the race for Arizona's 7th Congressional District. "Victories used to be an anomaly, but we hope this is the future."
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