Debbie Lesko wins Republican primary race for vacant congressional seat

Debbie Lesko won the Republican primary race for the vacant West Valley congressional seat Tuesday night, drawing on her deep ties to the area to defeat 11 challengers.

"It feels awesome! I'm very thankful to all of the voters that put their trust and faith in me and all of the people that have helped me, either at the polls or donated money or supported me in any way," Lesko said in an interview. "It took a team effort."

Steve Montenegro and Phil Lovas conceded about 9 p.m., with Election Day ballots still to be counted.

Tuesday night's initial count from the Arizona secretary of state included ballots mailed early, largely voted before Montenegro's texting scandal came to light last week. As the night wore on, Montenegro slipped behind Lovas in the balloting.

Lovas tweeted his concession shortly before 9 p.m.: "While the result was not what we had hoped, I am grateful for the support that we received ... I look forward to continuing to work to advance Conservative principles & solutions in the West Valley."

Earlier in the night, Hiral Tipirneni was declared the winner of the Democratic primary.

Lesko and Tipirneni will face off in an April 24 special general election. The race will settle who finishes the current two-year term for Trent Franks, who resigned in December after being accused of sexual misconduct by some of his female staffers.

In a statement, Franks, who had endorsed Montenegro, congratulated Lesko on her victory.

"I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Sen. Debbie Lesko in her hard-fought victory in last night’s Republican Congressional primary election," he said. "I also want to express my warmest wishes to all of the candidates who ran, especially to Senator Steve Montenegro whom it was my honor to endorse."

Arizona's 8th District is among the state's most conservative, suggesting that whoever emerges from the Republican primary Tuesday is considered the favorite to head to Washington.

DEMS: Results from the Democratic primary for Trent Franks' seat

But Democrats have fared better in federal elections across the country since 2016, suggesting the party will make a more competitive showing in the 8th District than usual.

Franks didn't have a Democratic challenger in his 2014 and 2016 re-election campaigns.

Lesko’s victory wasn’t unexpected.

Some polling and unofficial prediction markets had favored the former state senator to win the primary. Her Peoria-based legislative district fits neatly within the congressional district, giving her a solid voter base in the primary.

She faced unwanted scrutiny in the campaign's final days about moving $50,000 from her state campaign coffers to a pro-Lesko federal political-action committee that is supposed to operate independently of her.

RELATED: Debbie Lesko accused of moving $50K from campaign to this PAC

"I just focused on the positive things that I had done in the community," Lesko said of her closing strategy. "I've been working in this community for the last 20 years ... and so I just kept talking to the voters."

Looking ahead to the special general election with Tipirneni, Lesko said, "The majority of the voters share the values that I share. It's a Republican district for the most part and good patriotic people that believe in good values, fiscal conservatism and I share their values."

Montenegro, also a former state senator, attracted the most visible slate of endorsements in the race: Franks, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former GOP presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz among them.

But Montenegro's campaign was hit by scandal in the final days of the race, after The Republic and others detailed his yearlong flirtatious texts with a junior legislative staffer. The woman in that matter acknowledged sending Montenegro topless photos of herself and engaging in sexually charged chats with Montenegro on multiple occasions.

RELATED: Flirtatious texts, topless photo roil Montenegro's campaign

Montenegro described initial accounts of the cyber affair as "false tabloid trash" but later admitted the texts were his.

Lovas, a former state representative, had spent the brief campaign trying to lay claim to being the most enthusiastic supporter of President Donald Trump, whom he backed early in the 2016 campaign.

Lovas served as the Trump campaign's state chairman in Arizona, but he could not secure perhaps that which he coveted most: Trump's endorsement.

While Trump's approval rating is poor nationally, it is stellar in the West Valley district and had everyone clamoring to establish their support for his agenda.

Former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Bob Stump struggled to stay afloat in the race after voters learned he was not related to former Congressman Bob Stump, who represented the West Valley for 26 years. Adding to Stump's problems, his opponents noted his early attacks on Trump's energy positions.

Also running in the GOP primary were: Chad Allen, Brenden Dilley, Stephen Dolgos, Dave Lien, Richard Mack, Christopher Sylvester, Clair Van Steenwyk and Mark Yates.

Arizona's open seat is one of four current vacancies in the House of Representatives. Three of the vacancies were previously held by Republicans.

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