Maricopa Primary Results: 2 Candidates Advance to County Generals

Photos of Rich Vitiello and Patrick Melvin are overlayed on an image of the Pinal County Administrative Complex in Florence. [Monica D. Spencer, Victor Moreno, file]

In a notable turn of events from yesterday’s Primary Election, two candidates from Maricopa have secured their positions on the November ballot for major Pinal County races, according to InMaricopa projections.

Former Vice Mayor Rich Vitiello (R-Maricopa) is ahead of his opponent Rob Weber (R-San Tan Mountains) by 17 points, with 41% of precincts reporting. This comes after Vitiello also led Weber by double digits in a July 14 InMaricopa poll of 304 voters.

InMaricopa has called the race in Vitiello’s favor.

“Thank you, Maricopa,” Vitiello declared. “I’ll work hard for you.”

In the Nov. 5 General Election, Vitiello will contest against George Arredondo (D-Coolidge), who ran unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Remarkably, both candidates received a comparable number of votes in the primary, hinting at a potentially tight race.

Ross Teeple (R-Cactus Forest) is leading Kevin Cavanaugh (R-Coolidge) in the Pinal County Sheriff race by 33 points, with nearly 60% of precincts reporting. InMaricopa has called this race for Teeple as well.

“I am very grateful and honored with the trust Republican and Independent voters placed in me,” Teeple told InMaricopa. “My beautiful wife and I are especially appreciative of all the amazing work of our volunteers and the donors who made this possible.”

Cavanaugh, the current county supervisor in District 1, has seen a slight drop in support since last night. Another contender, Charles Austin Jr. (R-Apache Junction), has maintained a steady 5%.

Outgoing Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who lost his U.S. Senate primary bid to Kari Lake yesterday, had endorsed Teeple early in the election cycle.

On the Democratic side, unopposed candidate Patrick Melvin (D-Maricopa) garnered over 15,000 votes and is set to face Teeple in the General Election.