Gallego, Valenzuela appear headed to Phoenix mayoral runoff

Jessica Boehm | The Republic | azcentral.com

Phoenix's mayoral election appears headed toward a March runoff between former council members Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela.

Early returns indicated Gallego had a substantial lead over Valenzuela but appeared unlikely to hit the 50 percent plus one vote required to win the election outright.

Republican Moses Sanchez and Libertarian Nicholas Sarwark lagged behind Gallego and Valenzuela, likely reaching the end of their mayoral campaigns.

Gallego, reached by phone Tuesday night, said she was in an excellent mood.

"People care about the future of this city. I think they responded to my record and my vision," she said.

Valenzuela said he believes the March runoff election will be less partisan and more focused on the issues, which he said will play in his favor.

"I really believe we will see a different result," he said.

The four-way contest to replace former Mayor Greg Stanton, who resigned in May to run for Congress, has been long and expensive — but mostly civil. Candidates began announcing their candidacy in October 2017.

The front-runners, Valenzuela and Gallego, have raised a combined $2.5 million and spent hundreds of thousands on television commercials and campaign mailers.

Gallego and Valenzuela, although politically similar, have tried to differentiate themselves.

Gallego has come out against public financing of professional sports facilities, while Valenzuela remains open to it. Valenzuela, a Glendale firefighter, has tried to convey himself as friendlier to public safety than his former council colleague.

Sanchez and Sarwark have been critical of Valenzuela, Gallego and the "status quo" at City Hall. They have criticized the former council members for accepting hefty donations from developers and accused them of spending taxpayer money unwisely.

Phoenix voters also were on track to overwhelmingly approve a ballot measure that would outlaw "dark money," or campaign donations without disclosed donors, according to early returns.

If Proposition 419 is approved, the city would require individuals and organizations to disclose any campaign donations valued at more than $1,000 that are intended to influence a Phoenix election.

VOTING PROBLEMS? We’re part of ProPublica's Electionland project, a collaboration of newsrooms across the country tracking voting problems on Election Day. You can help us by signing up now. Text VOTE to 81380. You can also use WhatsApp to contact us at +1 850 909-8683 or reach us through Facebook Messenger here: http://m.me/electionland.