Incumbent Maya M. Donnelly defeated challenger Sonia Sanchez in the Democratic primary for Santa Cruz County School Superintendent in Tuesday’s primary election, while Miguel A. Lopez ousted incumbent Adriana Olaiz in the race for County Justice of the Peace.
Republicans did not field a candidate in either race, so barring unusual circumstances, Donnelly and Lopez will be elected to office in the November general election.
In the lone contested Republican race for local voters, David Gowan and Lupe Diaz will be on the ballot for State Representative in District 19 after outpolling Cheryl Caswell. Diaz is an incumbent, while Gowan is attempting to switch chambers after being term-limited as State Senator. Diaz and Gowan will be challenged by Democrats Jackie Anderson and Aiden Swallow in the heavily Republican district.
In unofficial vote totals posted by Santa Cruz County, Donnelly received 2,148 votes to 1,865 for Sanchez, while Lopez had a 2,290 to 1,750 advantage over Olaiz. The Justice of the Peace race is a reversal of Olaiz’s narrow victory over Lopez in 2024.
The county’s results are expected to become official on Thursday, after tabulation of verified and accepted Late Early Ballots.
In the District 19 primary, which includes voters from Cochise, Greenlee, Graham, Pima and Santa Cruz counties, Gowan has 16,718 reported votes (43.97 percent), Diaz has 12,199 (32.09 percent) and Caswell has 9,101 (23.94 percent).
For Patagonia voters, incumbent Andrea Wood was unopposed in the mayor’s race, as was newcomer Caleb Weaver for a seat on the town council. Voters also approved Proposition 416, which allows the town council to set an alternative spending limit following a mandatory public hearing, rather than a state-mandated spending limit. The measure passed by a vote of 135-38.
In the highest profile statewide races, Republican Andy Biggs won the race to face incumbent Katie Hobbs for Governor, Alexander Koludin will challenge Adrian Fontes for Secretary of State, and Warren Peterson will take on Kris Mayes in the Attorney General’s race.
Incumbent Tom Horne was unseated by Kimberly Yee for the Republican nomination for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Yee will Face Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz in the general election.
Santa Cruz County’s preliminary results show a voter turnout of 20.27 percent, with Democrats at 36.47 percent and Republicans at 25.78. Independents make up more than a third of the county’s registered voters.