Republican Debbie Lesko wins Arizona's special election

Debbie Lesko celebrates her win with former Arizona governor Jan Brewer.

(Image credit: The Associated Press)

published 25 April 2018

Republican Debbie Lesko won a special election in Arizona's 8th congressional district on Tuesday, a race that was closer than expected in this conservative area.

When the race was called by The Associated Press, Lesko had 53 percent of the vote, compared to Democrat Hiral Tipirneni's 47 percent. The seat was vacated by former Rep. Trent Franks (R), who resigned last year in the midst of a sexual impropriety scandal.

Lesko winning with a single-digit margin is worrisome, GOP pollster Mike Noble told Politico. "This district isn't supposed to be competitive, and so to see this margin, especially with the Republicans pouring in resources here — again, it's a tough year." Republican groups plowed more than $1 million into the race, a boost that came after Democrats won several other special elections across the country, including Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama and Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.