Arizona Count: Maricopa Reported Results of Nearly 86,000 Ballots Saturday; 185K-195K Outstanding Countywide

Arizona’s most populous county, Maricopa, released results Saturday from 85,656 tabulated ballots that broke slightly for Republicans in the gubernatorial and attorney general races and against GOP candidates in the U.S. Senate and secretary of state races.

A breakdown of the votes from KNXV ABC 15 Data Analyst Garret Archer is listed below as Maricopa County estimates its county-wide tabulation is now 87.6 percent complete.

Archer later added that this only included a portion of 114,000 “late early drop-offs” that are expected to break for Republican gubernaotrial nominee Kari Lake and other candidates. 

“It’s not a question that Rs will win the next batches. Only a question of by how much,” he added.  

The statewide results of the four top statewide races were as follows of 9:21 a.m. Eastern Saturday, with an estimated 88 percent of the vote reported, per the New York Times:

U.S. Senate Race:

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ): 1,186,646 – 51.8 percent
• Republican Blake Masters: 1,055,566 – 46.1 percent
• Libertarian Marc Victor: 48,142 – 2.1 percent

Governor’s Race:

• Democrat Katie Hobbs: 1,156,448 – 50.7 percent
• Lake: 1,122,319 – 49.3 percent

Attorney General Race:

• Democrat Kris Mayes: 1,128,784 – 50.47 percent
• Republican Abe Hamadeh: 1,107,974 – 49.53 percent

Secretary of State Race:

• Democrat Adrian Fontes: 1,186,654 – 52.8 percent
• Republican Mark Finchem: 1,060,754 – 47.2 percent

As of 9:00 a.m. Eastern Saturday, all counties had reported at least 95 percent of their respective results except for the following, per the Times: 

• Apache: 68 percent
• Cochise: 82 percent
• Coconino: 93 percent 
• Maricopa: 87 percent 
• Navajo: 88 percent 
• Pinal: 88 percent 
• Pima: 87 percent 

Maricopa County’s estimated 185,000-195,000 remaining outstanding ballots include an estimated 5,000 “Election Day ballots,”  171,227 estimated “early ballots left to process and tabulate,” about 10,159 “early ballots left to cure,” and an estimated 430 “provisional ballots left to research.”

After the results of Friday night’s batch, which favored Democrats, were reported, the Associated Press projected Kelly as the winner of the U.S. Senate race and Fontes as the next secretary of state. 

“For my people who knocked on doors in 115 degree heat, and for the million+ Arizonans who put their faith in me, we are going to make sure that every legal vote is counted,” tweeted Masters on Saturday. 

“If, at the end, Senator Kelly has more of them than I do, then I will congratulate him on a hard-fought victory. But voters decide, not the media; let’s count the votes,” he added. 

At a press conference Saturday, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates said he was “not sure on the timetable” for when results will be reported Sunday.