Republican Party primaries in Arizona, 2018
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 13 min
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 10 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Republican Party primary elections were held in Arizona on August 28, 2018, in order to select the party's candidates for Arizona's 2018 elections. These primaries included elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
The primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, and the 1st Congressional District were battleground races.
Incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey beat former Secretary of State Ken Bennett in the Republican primary for governor. Bennett criticized Ducey for his handling of teacher pay raises following a week-long teacher strike in the state, while Ducey touted his role in increasing education funding on the campaign trail. Ducey faced Democrat David Garcia in the general election.
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the three-way Senate primary. The seat, left open by Jeff Flake's (R) retirement, was expected to be competitive in November.
Retired Air Force pilot Wendy Rogers, who made her support for President Donald Trump the central theme of her campaign, won the primary in Arizona's 1st Congressional District and faced incumbent Tom O'Halleran (D) in the general election. Arizona's 1st is one of 13 districts nationally to have voted for both a Democratic representative and Donald Trump (R) in 2016.
National background[edit]
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on the party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Republican Party's legislative record during Donald Trump’s presidency figured into several Republican primaries. This record included the passage of major tax legislation in December 2017 and the confirmation of federal judges. It also included a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill in March 2018, which Trump opposed, and unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.[1][2]
Trump, himself, also played a role in Republican primaries. His approval rating reached 90% in June among self-described Republicans, according to a Gallup survey.[3] Many Republican candidates campaigned on their support for Trump, and negative ads accusing opponents of criticizing the president were common.[4][5][6] A May report found Trump's name or image had appeared in 37% of all Republican campaign ads at that point in 2018.[7]
This page focuses on the Republican primaries that took place in Arizona on August 28, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Battleground primaries[edit]
Battleground elections are those that Ballotpedia expected would either be more competitive than other races or attract significant national attention.
- United States Senate election in Arizona (August 28, 2018 Republican primary)
- Arizona's 1st Congressional District election (August 28, 2018 Republican primary)
- Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election (February 27, 2018 Republican primary)
- Arizona gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)
Federal elections[edit]
U.S. Senate[edit]
Republican primary candidatesU.S. House[edit]
District 1[edit]
Republican primary candidatesDistrict 2[edit]
Republican primary candidatesDistrict 3[edit]
Republican primary candidates
District 4[edit]
Republican primary candidates- Paul Gosar (Incumbent) ✔
District 5[edit]
Republican primary candidates- Andy Biggs (Incumbent) ✔
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 6[edit]
Republican primary candidates- David Schweikert (Incumbent) ✔
District 7[edit]
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
District 8[edit]
Republican primary candidates- Debbie Lesko (Incumbent) ✔
- Sandra Dowling
District 9[edit]
Republican primary candidates = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyState elections[edit]
Arizona Party Control: 1992-2026
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Gubernatorial election[edit]
Republican primary candidates
- Doug Ducey (Incumbent) ✔
- Ken Bennett
- Robert Weber (write-in candidate)
Attorney general election[edit]
Republican primary candidates
- Mark Brnovich (Incumbent) ✔
Secretary of state election[edit]
Republican primary candidates
- Michele Reagan (Incumbent)
- Steve Gaynor ✔
Did not make the ballot:
State legislative elections[edit]
Ballotpedia identified battleground races in the 2018 Arizona state legislative Republican primary elections. These primaries had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could have led to changes in the membership of the Republican caucus or had an impact on general election races.
To determine the Arizona state legislative Republican primary battleground races in 2018, Ballotpedia examined races that fit one or more of the three factors listed below:
- Identified by the media as a notable primary election.
- One or more of the candidates received a notable endorsement.
- The primary was known to be competitive based on past results or because it was a rematch of a primary that was competitive in the past.
Senate District 13[edit]
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
| Yes |
What made this a battleground race?
| Former state Rep. Don Shooter challenged incumbent Sine Kerr (R) after being expelled from the state House in February 2018 over sexual misconduct allegations. Shooter said some of the allegations were true but that others were not and that he did not deserve to be expelled. Another candidate in the race, Brent Backus, challenged Shooter's eligibility to run based on his residence. However, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that he could appear on the ballot.[8] |
State party overview[edit]
- See also: Republican Party of Arizona
Arizona has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of March 13, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.
In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Arizona had a Republican trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.
State political party revenue[edit]
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Republican Party of Arizona's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Republican Party of Arizona revenue, 2011 to 2016[9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $523,290.73 | $231,057.78 | $754,348.51 |
| 2012 | $2,318,972.33 | 165,946.00 | $2,484,918.33 |
| 2013 | $522,281.04 | $253,980.69 | $776,261.73 |
| 2014 | $2,202,461.17 | 265,587.25 | $2,468,048.42 |
| 2015 | $929,827.43 | $246,468.86 | $1,176,296.29 |
| 2016 | $2,684,856.28 | $224,800.00 | $2,909,656.28 |
Arizona compared to other states[edit]
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Voter information[edit]
How the primary works[edit]
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Arizona utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Unaffiliated voters may choose which party's primary they will vote in, but voters registered with a party can only vote in that party's primary.[11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times[edit]
In Arizona, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[12][13]
Registration requirements[edit]
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Arizona, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the county listed on the person's registration. A voter must be 18 years or older on or before Election Day. Arizona also requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote for state and local elections[14]
To be eligible to vote in an election, one must register at least 29 days before the election.[15] Individuals can register online, in person at the county recorder's office, or by mail.[16]
Automatic registration[edit]
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Arizona does not practice automatic voter registration.[17]
Online registration[edit]
- See also: Online voter registration
Arizona has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration[edit]
- See also: Same-day voter registration
Arizona does not allow same-day voter registration.[18]
Residency requirements[edit]
Arizona law requires 29 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.[19]
Verification of citizenship[edit]
Arizona requires voters to submit proof of citizenship with their voter registration application to vote in state and local elections. According to the Arizona Secretary of State's website: "A registrant who attests to being a citizen but fails to provide proof of citizenship and whose citizenship is not otherwise verified will be eligible to vote only in federal elections (known as being a "federal only" voter)."[14] Accepted proof of citizenship include:[14]
- An Arizona Driver's License/Identification Number
- Indian Census Number, Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number, or Tribal Enrollment Number
- A photocopy of U.S. naturalization documents
- A photocopy of a birth certificate and supporting legal documentation (i.e., marriage certificate) if the name on the birth certificate is not the same as your current legal name.
- A photocopy of a U.S. passport.
- A photocopy of a Tribal Certificate of Indian Blood or Bureau of Indian Affairs Affidavit of Birth.
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[20] Six states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Two states, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration[edit]
The Arizona Voter Information Portal, run by the Arizona Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements[edit]
Arizona requires voters to present photo identification or two forms of non-photo identification while voting.[21][22]
The following were accepted forms of identification as of November 2025: Click here for the Arizona Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
| “ |
When you arrive to vote at the polls on Election Day you will announce your name and place of residence to the election official and present one form of identification from List #1 or two different forms of identification from List #2 or 3 ... Valid identification is also required prior to receiving a ballot at any in-person early voting location or emergency vote center or from a special election board. #1: Sufficient Photo ID including name and address (One Required)
Please note: Members of federally-recognized tribes are not required to have an address or photo on their tribal identification in order to cast a provisional ballot. List #2 - Sufficient ID without a photograph that bears the name and address (Two Required)
List #3 - Mix & Match from Lists #1 & #2 (Two Required)
|
” |
Early voting[edit]
Arizona permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting[edit]
All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Arizona. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee/by-mail.
To vote absentee/by-mail, an absentee/mail-in ballot application must be received by elections officials by 5:00 p.m., 11 days before the election.[24] A returned absentee ballot must then be received by elections officials by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.[25][26]
Pivot Counties[edit]
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states. No counties in Arizona are Pivot Counties.
Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election. Trump won 48.7 percent of the vote, while Clinton won 45.1 percent. Arizona was one of 12 key battleground states in 2016. Of the 30 states won by Trump in 2016, Arizona had the fifth closest margin. From when it became a state in 1912 to 2016, Arizona voted Republican in 66.7 percent of presidential elections. It voted Republican in all presidential elections from 2000 to 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district[edit]
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Arizona. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[27][28]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 12 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 25 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 14 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 27.5 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 18 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 22.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 16 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 30.1% | 68.2% | R+38.2 | 28.6% | 66.9% | R+38.3 | R |
| 2 | 57.2% | 41.6% | D+15.7 | 59.4% | 36.1% | D+23.2 | D |
| 3 | 70.0% | 28.1% | D+41.9 | 70.2% | 24.4% | D+45.8 | D |
| 4 | 54.3% | 44.2% | D+10.2 | 56.8% | 38.2% | D+18.7 | D |
| 5 | 28.1% | 70.0% | R+41.9 | 22.2% | 73.5% | R+51.3 | R |
| 6 | 42.2% | 55.6% | R+13.4 | 41.7% | 52.1% | R+10.4 | R |
| 7 | 63.2% | 35.4% | D+27.8 | 59.8% | 34.1% | D+25.7 | D |
| 8 | 44.7% | 53.5% | R+8.8 | 40.2% | 54.6% | R+14.4 | R |
| 9 | 53.4% | 44.9% | D+8.4 | 56.8% | 37.9% | D+18.9 | D |
| 10 | 51.8% | 46.5% | D+5.4 | 52.9% | 41.6% | D+11.4 | D |
| 11 | 39.7% | 59.0% | R+19.3 | 40.6% | 54.5% | R+13.9 | R |
| 12 | 32.5% | 65.9% | R+33.4 | 34.8% | 59.3% | R+24.5 | R |
| 13 | 33.5% | 65.1% | R+31.6 | 34.1% | 61.1% | R+27 | R |
| 14 | 35.7% | 62.5% | R+26.8 | 33.6% | 59.9% | R+26.2 | R |
| 15 | 36.4% | 61.9% | R+25.4 | 39.1% | 55.7% | R+16.6 | R |
| 16 | 35.0% | 63.1% | R+28.1 | 32.9% | 61.3% | R+28.4 | R |
| 17 | 42.1% | 56.2% | R+14.2 | 45.1% | 49.2% | R+4.1 | R |
| 18 | 48.1% | 50.0% | R+1.9 | 51.9% | 41.5% | D+10.4 | R |
| 19 | 66.4% | 32.1% | D+34.3 | 67.4% | 27.2% | D+40.3 | D |
| 20 | 42.4% | 55.3% | R+12.9 | 42.7% | 50.7% | R+8 | R |
| 21 | 40.6% | 58.0% | R+17.4 | 39.8% | 55.0% | R+15.2 | R |
| 22 | 33.4% | 65.4% | R+31.9 | 33.7% | 62.1% | R+28.4 | R |
| 23 | 35.9% | 62.9% | R+26.9 | 41.2% | 54.6% | R+13.3 | R |
| 24 | 63.2% | 34.4% | D+28.8 | 65.9% | 27.7% | D+38.3 | D |
| 25 | 33.1% | 65.1% | R+31.9 | 35.1% | 58.7% | R+23.6 | R |
| 26 | 58.3% | 38.5% | D+19.8 | 59.4% | 31.9% | D+27.5 | D |
| 27 | 75.2% | 23.2% | D+52 | 74.1% | 20.6% | D+53.5 | D |
| 28 | 44.6% | 53.6% | R+9 | 49.9% | 44.6% | D+5.3 | R |
| 29 | 64.7% | 33.6% | D+31.1 | 65.0% | 29.3% | D+35.7 | D |
| 30 | 61.3% | 36.7% | D+24.7 | 62.2% | 31.7% | D+30.5 | D |
| Total | 44.6% | 53.7% | R+9.1 | 45.5% | 49.0% | R+3.6 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also[edit]
| Federal primaries in Arizona | State primaries in Arizona | Arizona state party apparatus | Arizona voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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 |
 |
 |
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ ‘’National Review’’, “Trump Is Not Blameless in the Spending-Bill Disaster,” March 28, 2018
- ↑ The New York Times, "A New Guide to the Republican Herd," August 26, 2012
- ↑ Gallup, "Trump Job Approval Slips Back to 41%," June 25, 2018
- ↑ Daily Commercial, "Trump hurdle looms large in Florida GOP governor primary," July 30, 2018
- ↑ Daily Commercial, "These 2018 Primaries Are Worth Watching," July 25, 2018
- ↑ Washington Post, "Republican primary candidates have one goal: Securing Trump’s endorsement or denying it to an opponent," July 25, 2018
- ↑ USA Today, "Donald Trump once divided Republicans; ads for midterms signal that's no longer true," May 17, 2018
- ↑ Washington Post, "Court: Arizona lawmaker kicked out amid #MeToo can run again," June 28, 2018
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance and Reporting," accessed May 2016 (Search terms AZ Republican Party and Arizona Democratic Party)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Arizona Republican Party and Arizona State Democratic Central Executive Committee)
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-467," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-565," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona generally observes Mountain Standard Time; however, the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time. Because of this, Mountain Daylight Time is sometimes observed in Arizona.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Arizona Secretary of State, "Voters," accessed January 27, 2026
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Arizona Voter Registration Instructions," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Registering to Vote," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Procedures," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Election Day Voting," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-579," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Ballot-by-mail & Active Early Voting List Request Form," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-541," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-547," accessed November 25, 2025
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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