PHOENIX — Maricopa County reported finishing the tabulation of its ballots Monday, producing results that still placed Democrat Kris Mayes narrowly ahead of Republican Abe Hamadeh in the state's highly-competitive race for attorney general.
The county reported tabulating 1,562,758 ballots, which represents about 64% of registered voters.
Arizona's unofficial final results have placed Mayes only 510 votes ahead of Hamadeh to become the state's next attorney general. The results will likely spur an automatic recount after state election numbers are certified on Dec. 5.
In Maricopa County, Mayes beat Hamadeh by nearly 26,000 votes. But the Republican candidate outperformed Mayes in areas that included Yavapai, Pinal, Cochise, and Mohave counties.
Mayes said in a statement Monday that she's confident the recount will yield the same results.
"I’d like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who supported my campaign. Every vote mattered — and this race is surely a testament to that," Mayes said.
In a statement to his supporters, Hamadeh said his team is in "good spirits" as they prepare for a recount.
"This has been a frustrating week for all of us, but I’m here to say, this race is not over yet," Hamadeh said.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors plans to canvass the November General Election results on Monday, Nov. 28.
The county's post-election logic and accuracy test of its tabulation machines is scheduled for tomorrow. It will be witnessed by both political parties.
“I want to say thank you to our election heroes who have worked countless hours to verify and tally more than 1.56 million ballots — including a 70 percent increase in early ballots dropped off on Election Day,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates, District 3.
Republican Tom Horne was ahead of Democrat Kathy Hoffman by almost 9,000 votes in the race for state school superintendent. Horne's lead is currently less than 0.5%, which is the state's threshold for triggering an automatic recount.
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