Election Day: District 6 and 8 voters to elect council members
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Voters in some Phoenix neighborhoods will head to the polls Tuesday, guaranteeing at least one new council member in the nation's fifth-largest city.
State of play: The District 6 and 8 races went to a runoff last November after no candidate won more than 50%.
- Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who has represented District 6 since 2009, is termed out, guaranteeing a new voice on the dais.
- Councilman Carlos Garcia is in a tight race with Kesha Hodge Washington to keep his District 8 seat.
Why it matters: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego has a chance to build a coalition of allies if her favored candidates win, something she's struggled to accomplish so far during her four years in office.
District 6: This district spans Arcadia, north central Phoenix and Ahwatukee.
- DiCiccio's former chief of staff, Sam Stone, who most recently served as policy director for failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, is hoping to take his seat. DiCiccio has endorsed him.
- Gallego is backing Kevin Robinson, a retired Phoenix police assistant chief, and first-time political candidate. He was the top vote-getter last November, leading Stone by about 2.5 percentage points.
District 8: This district includes much of south Phoenix and part of downtown.
- Garcia is a former organizer with Puente Human Rights Movement who's pushed for police reform and accountability during his time in office.
- Washington is a former assistant Arizona attorney general who has practiced law locally for 20 years. She trailed Garcia by about 1.5 percentage points in November but has picked up several key endorsements, including Gallego's, since then.
What we're watching: Polls close at 7pm, and we expect results around 8pm.
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