Special elections tend to be low-turnout affairs, attracting only the most loyal voters. Normally, that sounds like a recipe for the older, more conservative voters who are the core of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which includes the Sun Cities.
Even adjusting for the anti-incumbent mood that can prevail in midterms, Lesko delivered a lackluster finish in the Republican-heavy district.“Even though Sen. Lesko has all the data behind her — in terms of party registration, name recognition, voters like her, they know her in that district — she’s still running scared,” said Richard Herrera, an Arizona State University associate professor of political science. “... That translates into the Republican Party being more risk-averse.” Arizona Central