Democratic incumbents Shirley Scott, Jonathan Rothschild, Regina Romero and Paul Cunningham celebrated on Tuesday night. Listen:
Tucson's three Democratic incumbent City Council members surged to commanding leads in election returns Wednesday morning, though margins narrowed from the previous night's results.
Regina Romero and Paul Cunningham each had nearly 57 percent of the votes in their respective races, and Shirley Scott had 55 percent.
Democratic Mayor Jonathan Rothschild was unopposed on the ballot and had 93 percent of the vote, with write-in candidates getting 6.6 percent.
Republican candidates remained hopeful as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"It's not over," said Republican Kelly Lawton, who challenged Cunningham. "The numbers that we see are early numbers."
Tucson Democratic candidates cautiously looked forward to another term before the final votes were counted.
“The residents of Tucson actually saw beyond the mudslinging, the half truths and untruths, and saw the tangible results that we’ve worked so hard for," Romero said.
In Ward 1, Republican Bill Hunt, a political newcomer, challenged Romero, who was seeking her third term. Hunt campaigned under the message that it’s time for a change. In a Metro Week interview, Hunt and Romero agreed the city needs to retain a focus on downtown development.
Ward 2 incumbent Cunningham was appointed to a partial first term, won a full second term, and was on his way to re-election for a third term against Republican challenger Lawton. The two disagreedon whether the city is making adequate progress in road repair and police department staffing.
In Ward 4, Vail School District board member Margaret Burkholder challenged Scott, a Democrat seeking her fifth term. Scott said she was proud of the progress she made to get bus service to the southeast side of town, and Burkholder said the city needs to ensure its priorities match the residents' priorities. They also differ on the benefits or costs of annexations.
Republican Tucson City Council candidates Bill Hunt, left, Margaret Burkholder, center, and Kelly Lawton, right.
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