What is LOOKOUT covering this election season?

Most people show up in primaries to vote their support for a presidential candidate, Arizonans did that a while ago in their presidential preference vote several months ago.

Instead, last night was when many races were decided across the state. Not only do those who won in their primary battles continue on to fairly uncompetitive districts, but there were a handful of nonpartisan races that decided leadership in smaller towns and cities.

For this election season, LOOKOUT is the only news agency in the state that will focus on the candidates with a history of anti-LGBTQ+ messaging, either through their campaigns or through their time in office, as well as following the races of people who are in the state LGBTQ+ caucus in competitive districts, or people who champion LGBTQ+ rights.

Below are the races we're watching.

Kari Lake beats Mark Lamb, advances to November ballot

Lake, a former news anchor at Phoenix's FOX affiliate who has consistently denounced drag queens and trans rights, took the win against Mark Lamb, the Pinal County Sheriff. She will be running against current state U.S. House Representative Ruben Gallego. They both are vying to fill the seat for Kyrsten Sinema, a divisive Democrat-turned-Independent and the first openly bisexual woman in Congress.

Hamadeh wins to be on November ballot

LOOKOUT is keeping an eye on three congressional races this primary.

Eli Crane, a MAGA loyalist who has voted in-step with Republicans on LGBTQ+ issues, handedly won his race.

Yassamin Ansari, a Phoenix city council member who has been a champion for LGBTQ+ rights and housing availability is currently leading against Raquel Terán, who has been a fierce advocate for workers and migrant rights.

But the most interesting race this primary has been congressional District 8, which is currently being lead by Abe Hamadeh, another Trump loyalist who has made multiple false accusations about voter fraud, and opposes adding statewide protections for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination.

While Ansari and Terán's race is still too close to call, Hamedeh's win was called early Thursday morning.

This chart will be updated as winners are called by the Associated Press.

The LGBTQ+ Caucus leader retains party favor

Oscar de los Santos, the current leader of the LGBTQ+ caucus in the House of Representatives, won his primary alongside Junelle Cavero, who was appointed to her seat after Marcelino Quiñonez resigned to run for Phoenix City Council.

Wildly different outcomes for Senate races

Ken Bennett, who gained favor among Democrats because of his middle-of-the-road approach to nonpartisanship and helped kill an anti-LGBTQ+ resolution from going to the November ballot, lost to Mark Finchem, the far-right extremist who has said that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump. He joins in the long list of people who won last night and argue that the election was "stolen."

But while northern Arizonans rejected Bennett's moderate approach, Southern Arizona's Republican voters ejected an extreme conservative politician from the Senate. Justine Wadsack, the anti-trans and drag lawmaker who has pushed conspiracy theories about drag performers being pedophiles and groomers, is behind former lawmaker Vince Leach. And though Leach is no ally to the queer community (he voted in favor of banning medical treatment for trans children when he was in office), he is a noticeable shift away from Wadsack.

Local Gays Against Groomers leader's message falls flat

Fountain Hills, the upper middle class enclave northeast of Phoenix, is a Republican stronghold. It's also home to Arizona Sen. John Kavanagh, who is the leader among far-right lawmakers in pushing bills and resolutions that would eliminate LGBTQ+ rights in Arizona.

So it's no surprise that Robert Wallace, the local chapter leader of Gays Against Groomers (a national group of self-described gay people that aligns itself with hate groups such as Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA), thought that he stood a chance to win city council.

Wallace, who is the former treasurer of the Log Cabin Republicans of Phoenix, was invited to the state capitol during LGBTQ+ Youth Visibility Day, and was featured in a lengthy documentary talking—without evidence—on how "woke" people are attempting to "indoctrinate" children into being transgender. He has been using his platform online to try and publicly shame zoos for hosting drag events, hold rallies across the Valley denouncing trans people, and push far-right talking points against socialism.

But Fountain Hills residents—even if they consistently elect Kavanagh—have voted down extremism in other forms. For example, Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff who was indicted for contempt of court and then pardoned by friend and former President Donald Trump, has lost every election for mayor in the area, including this past election.

Wallace also performed poorly. He didn't even receive 1,000 votes.

Cottonwood votes for sanity

After a troubling two years of Cottonwood's City Council meetings being inundated with far-right propaganda, off-the-rails videos, prayer circles, and religious heckling, city residents last night voted in Ann Shaw, who campaigned on bringing back normalcy to a non-controversial role of overseeing city budgets and planning.