Arizona elections, 2006
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The Arizona state elections of 2006 were held on November 7, 2006. All election results are from the Arizona Secretary of State's office.[1] Percentages may not add to 100 because of rounding.
The deadline for signing petition signatures to appear on the September 12, 2006 primary ballot for all races was June 14, 2006.
This article does not yet include complete information about the state propositions placed on the ballot, but major propositions for Arizona in 2006 included:
- An attempt to add language to the AZ Constitution that would declare a marriage as only between a man and a woman (did not pass; as of 2006, AZ is the only state to reject a same-sex marriage ban proposed to its voters, though an amendment to the state constitution passed in 2008)
- Two competing statewide smoking bans—one sponsored by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and one sponsored by various health organizations. (The health orgs' Prop 201 passed and will ban smoking in all indoor locations except some tobacco shops and some fraternal organizations)
- Four propositions that affected illegal immigrants, including ones that would make English the official language of Arizona, and restrict some currently held rights of illegal immigrants.
Federal
United States Senate
United States House
State
Races for Governor of Arizona, Attorney General of Arizona, Secretary of State of Arizona, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Mine Inspector, and two seats on the five-member Corporation Commission will be decided. All races except for the State Mine Inspector, State Treasurer, and one seat on the Corporation Commission feature incumbents running for re-election.
Governor
Incumbent
- Janet Napolitano (D) – Former Attorney General, former US Attorney for Arizona
Challengers
- Len Munsil (R) – Former president, Center for Arizona Policy
- Barry Hess (L) – Currency speculator
Republican Primary[2]
| Republican Primary – Governor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Len Munsil | 155,778 | 50.6 |
| Don Goldwater | 122,283 | 39.7 |
| Mike Harris | 18,734 | 6.1 |
| Gary Tupper | 11,250 | 3.7 |
| write-in | 49 | 0 |
Attorney General
Incumbent
- Terry Goddard (D) – Former Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
Challenger
- Bill Montgomery (R) – former Maricopa County prosecutor
Secretary of State
Republican incumbent Jan Brewer, the former chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, ran for a second four-year term, after winning her first term in 2002. She was challenged by Democrat Israel Torres, the former Arizona Registrar of Contractors and a businessman and attorney, and Libertarian Ernest Hancock, a talk radio producer, real estate agent, and restaurant owner.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jan Brewer | 848,394 | 57.2 | |
| Democratic | Israel Torres | 583,646 | 39.4% | |
| Libertarian | Ernest Hancock | 51,093 | 3.4% | |
| Write-in | Selena A. Naumoff | 35 | 0.0% | |
| Total votes | 1,483,168 | 100.0% | ||
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent
- Tom Horne (R) – Incumbent, former state legislator, former Paradise Valley, Arizona school board member
Challengers
- Jason Williams (D) – Executive Director of Teach For America Phoenix, educator
Democratic Party Primary
| Superintendent – Democratic Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Jason Williams | 109,405 | 54 |
| Slade Mead | 93,141 | 46 |
State Treasurer
- Rano Singh (D) – State Citizens' Finance Review Commissioner & businesswoman
- Dean Martin (R) – State Senator
State Mine Inspector
- Joe Hart (R) – Former state representative, broadcast company owner
Republican Primary
| Inspector – Republican Primary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Joe Hart | 127,800 | 50.6 |
| Larry Nelson | 124,778 | 49.4 |
Corporation Commissioner
Two seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission are up for re-election.
Incumbents
- Kris Mayes (R) – Incumbent commissioner (appointed), former Arizona Republic reporter & attorney
Challengers
- Gary Pierce (R) – State representative, chosen by the Arizona Republican Party to run for the seat currently held by appointee Barry Wong. The seat was vacated by Marc Spitzer, who accepted an appointment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in July 2006.
- Richard Boyer (D) – Assistant professor at Wayland Baptist University, former Cochise County Superior Court judge, former New Hampshire state senator and representative
- Mark Manoil (D) – 2004 Corporation Commission candidate & attorney at law firm Carson, Missinger, Elliot, Laughlin & Ragan PLC
- Rick Fowlkes (L) – Structural engineer for Fowlkes Enterprises, Inc.
Legislative Department
All 60 seats in the Arizona House of Representatives and all 30 seats in the Arizona Senate will be up for election. There are five incumbents not seeking re-election to the seats they currently hold, and eight races in which there is only one candidate for election.
Judicial Department
When a vacancy occurs on the bench, a Judicial Nominating Committee approves the names of at least three applicants for nomination, from which the Governor appoints one to the position. After appointment, all Judges and Justices are subject to judicial election retentions, statewide for Justices and in their separate districts for Judges. Supreme Court Justices serve a six-year term; all other state Judges serve four-year terms. There is a mandatory retirement age of 65 for all judicial offices.