Apr 25, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Debbie Lesko wins Arizona special election

Voters wait in line in front of a polling station to cast their ballots in the 2016 presidential election. Photo: Laura Segall/AFP/Getty Images

Former Republican State Senator Debbie Lesko has secured the victory in Arizona's eighth district against her Democrat opponent, Hiral Tipirneni, 52.9% to 47.1%, reports the New York Times.

Why it matters: President Trump, who endorsed Lesko, won the district by 20 points, per the Times. Republicans poured money into the district after a hot streak from Democrats in recent special elections, although the district wasn't expected to flip.

About the race:
  • The seat was left empty by former Rep. Trent Franks, who announced he'd be resigning immediately in December, about a month early from his original plan to resign in January after admitting to raising the topic of surrogacy with two female staffers.
  • Per Axios' Caitlin Owens, the "Republicans' strategy for today's special House election in Arizona was to target digital ads to GOP early voters — and it appears to have paid off."
  • Politico reports that the GOP "poured more than $1 million into a deep-red slice of the Phoenix suburbs to boost Debbie Lesko."

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