Ballot Math / City races / Phoenix

Candidate races: City of Phoenix

Phoenix votes on four council seats, two of them wide open

November 3, 2026 general election. Phoenix is the exception to Arizona's July pattern: its regularly scheduled council election is itself in November. Voters in Districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 choose council members for four year terms beginning April 19, 2027. The mayor and Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7 are not up until 2028. No party labels appear on the Phoenix ballot. Sixteen candidates, four races, one page.

How a winner is decided: a candidate needs a majority, more than 50 percent, on November 3. If nobody gets one, the top two finishers advance to a runoff on March 9, 2027. That makes the crowded races below, especially eight candidate District 4, very likely to be decided in March rather than November. Districts 2 and 4 are open seats because the incumbents are term limited. Districts 6 and 8 have incumbents defending their seats.

District 2: northeast and north Phoenix (open seat)

Incumbent Jim Waring is term limited. Three candidates, and Turning Point Action took the unusual step of endorsing all three of them, per the Arizona Republic.

Matt Evans

Senior platform engineer at Parchment, a college transcript company, and a part time Uber driver. Phoenix native, father of three. He has run for office before: unsuccessfully for this council and for mayor, losing to Mayor Kate Gallego in 2024. In a candidate questionnaire he says he has knocked on nearly 10,000 doors.

Stated priorities: support police and address what he calls a shortage of 600 to 700 officers; mandatory drug treatment for homeless people and more police on the street, as the Republic summarized his platform; lower taxes and cut wasteful spending; stop Flock camera expansion and remove new speed enforcement cameras; and, from his door to door conversations, data centers, water, affordability, homelessness, public safety, and illegal immigration.
Endorsements found: Turning Point Action (which endorsed all three candidates in this race), Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Sam Stone, and State Rep. Joseph Chaplik, per the Republic.
The controversy, documented, with his response: court records detailed a 2011 Scottsdale police investigation and arrest when Evans was in his early 20s. Police said he sold small amounts of marijuana, oxycodone, and percocet, including a pill sold for $25 to a man in a vehicle, and believed he was a member or associate of the 40 Block gang. Charges were suspended for a drug treatment program and later dismissed. Evans told the Republic he was never an official gang member, described the group as a brotherhood of friends, said he regretted his decisions, found religion, and stopped using drugs to care for his children; he admitted relapsing once, three years after the arrest, before stopping permanently, and called pharmaceutical companies the real criminals.
Money: no campaign finance total for Evans was found in the coverage searched. Phoenix reports are filed with the City Clerk; see Verification notes.

Danny Mazza

Lawyer specializing in estate planning and probate law, and a small business owner. He grew up in District 2, lives, works, and owns his business there, and is raising four children in the district. Before law school he worked for former District 2 Councilmember Peggy Neely, and he served 12 years on Phoenix Village Planning Committees for Paradise Valley and Deer Valley. In college he interned for U.S. Sen. John McCain and worked on political campaigns.

Stated priorities: water security, including fighting for Phoenix's fair share of Colorado River water, modern water infrastructure, and leak detection; public safety staffing and response times, with support, training, and tools for first responders; and affordability for families.
Endorsements found: the Arizona Police Association, per his candidate questionnaire; Turning Point Action's endorsement of all three District 2 candidates applies to him as well, per the Republic.
Money: no total found in the coverage searched.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Julie Read

Former special education teacher and small business owner. Fourth generation Arizonan, 25 years in north Phoenix. She served on the Deer Valley Unified School District governing board, the North Gateway Village Planning Committee, and the Phoenix Planning Commission, and advocated for the buildout of Fire Station 55. She is the wife of a longtime firefighter. The Republic reported that in May she helped pull a man from a car before it burst into flames, and was portrayed as a hero by a TV news outlet.

Stated priorities: public safety, including recruiting and retaining police, supporting firefighters and first responders, and improving emergency response; responsible growth, so roads, water, drainage, parks, and public safety infrastructure keep pace; homelessness prevention and effective services with accountability for taxpayer funded programs; and strong city services.
Endorsements found (campaign site list): United Phoenix Firefighters Local 493, the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association PAC, State Representative Justin Wilmeth, former Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Chucri, former Phoenix Councilman Claude Mattox, the Arizona Multihousing Association, and the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Turning Point Action's all three endorsement was also reported by the Republic.
One opponent claim, flagged as such: Evans's campaign site claims Read was a lobbyist on Capitol Hill. That is an opponent's claim; it was not verified in the coverage searched, and this page does not treat it as fact.
Money: no total found in the coverage searched.
Controversies: none documented in the coverage searched, beyond the opponent claim above.

District 4: central Phoenix, downtown, midtown, and part of Maryvale (open seat)

Incumbent Laura Pastor, first elected in 2013, is term limited after three terms. Eight candidates make this the most crowded city race in the county, and the money race is just as lopsided as the field. Finance figures below are from city records as reported by the Arizona Republic on October 13, 2026, as of June 30, 2026.

Ed Hermes

Attorney with Snell and Wilmer, the state's largest law firm, working on housing, construction, and gambling issues. He is in his second term on the Osborn School District governing board, chaired the Phoenix Vision Zero Street Transportation Committee, and served on a Tempe rental housing advisory board. Earlier: legislative liaison and spokesperson work under Gov. Janet Napolitano, and an unsuccessful run for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in 2008 at age 24. He grew up on a farm in rural Illinois, moved to Arizona as a kid, and graduated from ASU's law school in 2013.

Money (as of June 30, 2026): leads the race with $316,139 raised and $231,096 on hand. About 100 Snell and Wilmer lawyers donated just under $60,000 combined; he put in $29,000 of his own money plus $4,114 from his school board campaign account; more than $20,000 came from outside Arizona and more than $32,000 from labor union PACs.
Endorsements found: Attorney General Kris Mayes and Planned Parenthood, per the Republic.
Controversy, the firm's business before the council: the Republic reported that Snell and Wilmer has brought general plan amendments, rezoning cases, and development plans before the City Council more than a dozen times since 2021, and that the city uses the firm in several active lawsuits. Hermes acknowledged he may need to recuse himself from time to time on matters represented by his firm.
Controversy, a 2008 questionnaire: in a 2008 Arizona Right to Life PAC questionnaire obtained by the Republic, Hermes supported reversing Roe v. Wade and allowing abortion only to save the mother's life. He now campaigns as progressive and pro reproductive freedom. His response: the questionnaire no longer reflects his views, abortion was difficult for him growing up Catholic and he fell victim to misinformation, and he has studied the issue since. He declined to say when his views changed.
Controversy, party registration: Hermes said he was a lifelong Democrat; records showed a brief Republican registration in 2002 at age 18, then no party designation, then Democrat in 2003. He told the Republic he does not recall registering as a Republican and assumes he or the county recorder made a mistake. The Republic said it sent him a copy of the form with Republican written in the party field.

Ashley Harder

Founder and owner of Harder Development, whose projects include restoration of the Reverend Henry M. Campbell House in the Roosevelt Historic District. She sits on the Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation board and co chairs the Central City Planning and Development Committee of Phoenix Community Alliance. She has lived in Arizona since 2005 and founded and helped run art galleries. Her financial disclosure, per the Republic, lists a $30,000 annual salary as a director of Command Credit, where she is an owner, plus work as co manager and trustee of family trusts.

Stated priorities (campaign site): housing affordability through zoning reform, smart land use, and building housing that fits neighborhoods; water security through new supplies, advanced purification and reuse, infrastructure investment, and regional partnerships.
Money (as of June 30, 2026): $273,364 raised, $191,404 on hand, second in the race. She loaned her campaign $150,000 and is her own biggest donor. More than $27,000 came from out of state contributors.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Robb Olivieri

Director at the Luminosity Lab at Arizona State University since early 2025, after eight years at the lab, and president of the Melrose Community Alliance. He graduated from Iona University in New York in 2014, worked in alumni engagement for Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity in Charlotte until 2016, then at a small healthcare technology company in Scottsdale before joining the lab in 2018.

Money (as of June 30, 2026): $104,535 raised, $57,301 on hand. No PAC money. He donated more than $8,500 to his own campaign.
Stated priorities: no detailed platform was verified in the coverage searched; his ASU and Melrose community roles are the public record available.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Megan Schmitz

Research analyst and chief of staff for more than eight years under Councilmembers Laura Pastor and Tom Simplot, which the Republic calls the most direct experience with the District 4 council office among the eight candidates. Before and around that: six years at Arizona Public Service as chief of staff to former CEO Donald Brandt, consulting at Northland Strategies, and senior vice president at Horizon Strategies of Arizona. She served on the Phoenix Women's Commission and the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and chaired one n ten, an LGBTQ advocacy group.

Money (as of June 30, 2026): $79,189 raised, $39,079 on hand. Donald and Ginger Brandt each gave $6,750; Jessica Pacheco gave $2,500; one PAC donation, $1,000 from the Cox AZ Political Action Committee, appears on her form.
Stated priorities: no detailed platform summary was found in the coverage searched, beyond the staff experience and board service above.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Michael Mazzocco

Former operating partner and president of The Herb Box Catering Company; owns an events planning business; worked as an ASU faculty associate mentoring restaurant entrepreneurs. He points to service on nearly a dozen boards and committees, is vice chair of the Phoenix Gay Men's Chorus, sits on the Phoenix Police Department LGBTQ Advisory Board, and emphasizes LGBTQ advocacy.

Money (as of June 30, 2026): $73,751 in contributions, $16,633 on hand. No PAC money; $205 from himself; $14,200 from out of state, including $6,000 from Virginia philanthropist Kathleen Burke Barrett.
Controversy, the campaign manager recordings: former campaign manager Randy Clarke resigned on June 17 and sent a letter and transcripts of recordings to the other District 4 campaigns; the Republic and Arizona Agenda covered them. Clarke alleged poor treatment, said Mazzocco withheld work after honest feedback, said he felt like punching Clarke in the face, and described recordings in which Mazzocco disparaged opponents, including calling Hermes a privileged white man cosplaying as a Latino progressive who keeps, in Mazzocco's words as transcribed, little brown kids like puppets, and saying of Hermes's campaign manager that he would be nice in person but behind the scenes wanted him, in the Republic's expletive deleted rendering, shot down. Mazzocco's response, by email to the Republic: regarding material circulated from private campaign conversations, he recognizes things he said in candid moments that he would phrase differently with reflection, he has reflected, and his focus remains on District 4 residents and issues. He confirmed he is still in the race.
Stated priorities: no detailed platform summary was found in the coverage searched, beyond the board service and advocacy emphasis above.

Patricia Jimenez

Member of the Isaac Elementary School District governing board since 2003, more than 22 years, and board president 13 times; she is also running for another term on that board. She works at the Costco distribution center in Tolleson, has lived in the Maryvale area her entire life, and attended Phoenix College. An earlier Republic overview described her as a real estate broker; that description was not separately verified, and the October finance reporting describes the Costco job.

Money (as of June 30, 2026): $69,350 raised, $35,442 on hand. Don and Debra Luke contributed $13,300 combined; she put in $2,655 of her own money. Fundraising slowed in the most recent report, with not quite $8,000 raised and no single donation over $500.
Stated priorities: no detailed platform was found in reputable coverage. A campaign aligned District 4 site lists clean alleys and 311 response, public safety, affordable housing, and heat relief as her key issues; that listing is not a news source and is noted as such.
Controversy, the Isaac district's finances: Isaac Elementary is under state receivership after spending millions of dollars the district did not have. As board president, Jimenez was booed at a meeting last year where she explained the district had spent $9 million over budget because of accounting errors that led to late submission of a report required for federal pandemic relief funds, per the Republic. The receivership is the district's defining fact, and her two decades on its board, much of it as president, are the record voters will weigh it against.

Zachary Lauer

Entrepreneur. He works in sales for USHEALTH Advisors, a Texas company that sells health insurance plans, and calls himself a health insurance expert on his campaign website. He describes himself as a regular guy in public meetings and employs no campaign staff.

Stated priorities: he emphasizes belief in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement, per the Republic's summary of his campaign website.
Money (as of June 30, 2026): $2,323 raised in total, $544 on hand, the smallest campaign in the race. He put in $100 of his own money.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Cassandra Hernandez

Elected to the Cartwright Elementary School District governing board in 2024 at age 19. Her mother, State Rep. Lydia Hernandez, has served on the same board for over 20 years. She told the Republic she works as an assistant general manager at EoS Fitness.

Stated priorities: no questionnaire response, platform, or priorities statement was found in the coverage searched. Her campaign website is listed in the official publicity pamphlet.
Money: as of the Republic's October 13 article, she had not yet filed a campaign finance report, and did not return the Republic's calls or texts.
Controversy, the family service ruling and her resignation: Arizona law bars certain family members from serving together on a school board. A Superior Court judge ruled her mother could not appear on the November ballot, and the Court of Appeals ruled in a separate case that mother and daughter could not legally serve together because they had lived together within the previous four years. Cassandra Hernandez resigned her board seat on July 27, and the Superior Court then allowed Lydia Hernandez to remain a candidate. In her resignation letter, per the Republic, she said she was stepping down to focus on her council race and being a single mom. She did not respond to a Republic request for comment.
Controversy, an accusation the district retracted: in August 2025, one week after a fatal stabbing at Maryvale High School, Phoenix Union High School District accused Lydia and Cassandra Hernandez of bringing a box cutter to the school to test its weapon detectors. Cassandra Hernandez denied being there and said she was at work at EoS Fitness. Phoenix Union later released surveillance video and issued an apology acknowledging mistaken identity as to Cassandra. The accusation against her was withdrawn by the district that made it, and any account of this episode that omits the apology is incomplete.

District 6: Ahwatukee, Arcadia, Biltmore, and North Central

The incumbent is a former assistant police chief. His challenger is a real estate investor. The race's loudest issue is a data center in Ahwatukee, and a campaign contribution connected to it.

Kevin Robinson (incumbent)

Retired Phoenix police assistant chief after 36 and a half years in law enforcement; he began as a patrol officer in Arcadia in 1980 and holds the Medal of Valor and Medal of Merit. He is a full time lecturer in ASU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Elected in 2022 and sworn in April 17, 2023. Phoenix native and longtime District 6 resident, with more than 20 years of nonprofit board service, including 17 and a half years with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central and Northern Arizona and two terms as its board president.

Council record: chairs the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee, a role he has held for two years. The Republic describes him as a former Republican, now unaffiliated, who considers himself a fiscal conservative.
Money: more than $400,000 in campaign contributions from hundreds of supporters, as reported by the Republic on September 26, 2026; that article did not tie the total to a specific filing date.
Endorsements found: the Greater Phoenix Chamber, in its 2026 voter guide.
Controversy, the data center donation, with his response: in March, Robinson received a $5,000 contribution from Jane Vaughan, a partner in Menlo Equities and chief development officer for Menlo Digital, which is building a million square foot, five building data center near 48th Street and East Thistle Landing Drive in Ahwatukee. Neighbors opposing the project pressed him, and he gave $5,000 to the opposition nonprofit, the Ahwatukee Community Alliance. He told the Republic he had no idea the contribution was from Vaughan when it arrived, that it just looked bad, that there was constituent concern, and that giving the same amount to a nonprofit in the area was the right thing to do; city election officials cleared the donation. An opposition leader, Craig Evans, criticized him for doing too little and pointed to the maximum $6,750 contributions Robinson also accepted from a Phoenix lawyer who represents Menlo Digital and another $6,750 from that lawyer's wife, with no action on those described in the article. Robinson's response in the article addressed the Vaughan donation and the city's July 2025 data center ordinance, which he said could not be applied retroactively to the Ahwatukee project.
Earlier episode: he won his first term in 2022 after successfully defeating a residency challenge, per the Republic.

Michael Del Prete

Real estate investor and executive director of the Arizona Real Estate Investors Association. He owned the We Heart Houses real estate company until 2022 and owned a hair salon in Phoenix for 12 years with his wife. About 20 years in Arizona business and real estate, by his campaign's account.

Stated priorities (campaign site): housing costs; slow permits; and criticism that the city balanced its budget by raising water, trash, and sales taxes instead of running the city better. He says he will not outspend the incumbent and is running on showing up and answering questions.
On the data center: he told the Republic he is not anti data center in any way, is anti irresponsible, and believes city officials could have done a much better job letting neighbors know how large the Ahwatukee project would be.
Money: no total found in the coverage searched.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

District 8: south Phoenix, Laveen, and parts of downtown

The incumbent, the council's vice mayor, faces a demolition contractor and a pastor and activist who is under indictment. The indictment is the fact of this race, and it is reported below with his attorney's response.

Kesha Hodge Washington (incumbent)

Attorney from Laveen, with 20 years of experience across law firms, government, and in house practice, and an intellectual property focus per the Republic. Sworn in April 17, 2023, she is the first African American woman elected to the Phoenix City Council, and her colleagues selected her as Vice Mayor on January 7, 2026. She moved to Arizona from the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1999, earned degrees from the University of the Virgin Islands and ASU's College of Law, clerked at the Arizona Court of Appeals, and served as an Assistant Attorney General protecting children in abusive environments before private practice.

Council record: chairs the Community Services and Education Subcommittee and sits on the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee. The city lists her top priorities as homelessness, affordable and attainable housing, and economic development. She won the seat by defeating incumbent Councilmember Carlos Garcia in a March 2023 runoff, contrasting herself with targeted problem solving and a stronger economic development focus.
Endorsements found: the Greater Phoenix Chamber, in its 2026 voter guide.
Money: no 2026 total found in the coverage searched.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Frank Abasciano Jr.

Business owner in the construction industry. He grew up in upstate New York on a farm, moved to south Phoenix in 2013, raised his son and put him through Arizona State University, and has built and run his demolition business since 2017, per his campaign site; the Republic reported he started the business when he arrived in 2013.

Stated priorities (campaign site): affordability, including lower taxes, rates, and fees and addressing the cost of building new homes; economic development, including small business support and a new shopping and restaurant corridor; transparency, including eliminating fraud and waste and auditing city programs and the budget; and safer neighborhoods, including support for police and fire and solutions to lower crime and homelessness.
Money: no total found in the coverage searched.
Controversies: none found in the coverage searched.

Jarrett Barton Maupin Jr.

Pastor and civil rights activist who grew up in south Phoenix and has aligned himself with victims of police violence. He ran a losing race for Phoenix City Council at age 17.

Stated priorities: no detailed platform was found in the coverage searched. His campaign website is listed in the official publicity pamphlet.
Money: no total found in the coverage searched.
Controversy, a current felony indictment: a grand jury indicted Maupin on May 4, 2026, on nine felony counts related to fraudulent cashing of checks, per court records cited by the Republic. The indictment alleges he cashed personal checks belonging to two people at Desert Financial Credit Union in November 2022 and a cashier's check belonging to Edwards Oil Company at Navy Federal Credit Union in March 2022, each check between $4,000 and $25,000. He appeared in court June 2 and was released on his own recognizance. A trial date is tentatively set for November 5, 2026, two days after this election. His attorney, Robert McWhirter, said his client did nothing wrong and is innocent of the charges.
Controversy, a prior federal conviction: in 2008, Maupin falsely accused then Mayor Phil Gordon of a sex crime. He pleaded guilty in April 2009 to providing a false statement to the FBI, a federal felony, and served a month in prison after his probation was revoked.
Controversy, a 2017 allegation, with his response: a woman whose son was killed by Phoenix police told the Republic in 2017 that Maupin asked her for money after a news conference and did not hold rallies he promised. Maupin told the Republic she had asked for photos and a private autopsy and he needed to pay for those services, and the article said he returned most of her money after meeting with her and other activists.

Verification notes

Campaign finance totals for District 2 (all three candidates), District 6 challenger Michael Del Prete, and District 8 (all three candidates) were not found in the Arizona Republic, Arizona Agenda, or other coverage searched. Reports are filed with the Phoenix City Clerk and viewable in the city's Campaign Finance eFiling System; totals were not extracted from that system for this page, so none are printed rather than guessing.
District 4 totals are as of June 30, 2026, from city records as reported by the Republic on October 13, 2026. Later reports exist closer to the election; the June 30 snapshot is what reputable coverage had compiled.
Republic accounts of the outgoing incumbents differ slightly: Waring is described as serving since 2012 in one account and for 15 years counting an appointment in another; Pastor is described as first elected in 2013 in one account and 2014 in another. Term limited status is consistent across accounts.
Detailed platforms were not found for Cassandra Hernandez, Megan Schmitz, Robb Olivieri, or Jarrett Barton Maupin Jr. in the coverage searched. Campaign websites for all candidates are listed in the official City of Phoenix publicity pamphlet.
A vote by vote council record for the two incumbents was not compiled from the city's legislative records for this page. What is printed is their committee roles, the city's stated priorities for Hodge Washington, and the specific episodes documented in Republic reporting.
The box cutter episode is printed with Phoenix Union's later apology and mistaken identity finding because the district itself withdrew the accusation against Cassandra Hernandez. Leaving the retraction out would misstate the record.

How to vote without getting your ballot rejected

Mail it by Tuesday, October 27, 2026. After that day, do not mail it: use a drop box or a vote center instead. Early voting began October 7.
It must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Postmarks do not count.
Sign and date the affidavit envelope, and write a current phone number on it. If your signature is questioned, the county uses that number to contact you so your vote can still count.
Leaving any item blank is allowed. It does not affect the rest of your ballot.
If your race goes to a runoff, it is March 9, 2027, between the top two finishers.

Sources

Ballot, terms, and the official candidate list: City of Phoenix, November 2026 candidate information: phoenix.gov; City of Phoenix Publicity Pamphlet, 2026 General Election (Maricopa County Elections): elections.maricopa.gov (PDF)
The 16 candidates and one line biographies: Arizona Republic, July 18, 2026: azcentral.com; Arizona Republic, September 29, 2026 metro Phoenix overview: azcentral.com
District 4 money, the Mazzocco recordings, the Jimenez receivership context, and the Hernandez filing status: Arizona Republic, October 13, 2026: azcentral.com; Arizona Agenda on the recordings: arizonaagenda.com
Hermes's 2008 questionnaire and registration history: Arizona Republic, October 16, 2026: azcentral.com
The Hernandez family service ruling and resignation: Arizona Republic, July 31, 2026: azcentral.com; the box cutter accusation and Phoenix Union's apology: AZFamily reporting
Evans's record and his response: Arizona Republic, October 16, 2026: azcentral.com; District 2 questionnaire answers: Valley Vibe News; Read's endorsement list: readforphx.org; Evans's claim about Read: mattforphoenix.com (opponent claim, flagged in place)
Robinson's money, the data center donation, and Del Prete's response: Arizona Republic, September 26, 2026: azcentral.com; Robinson biography: kevinrobinsonforphoenix.com; Del Prete's platform: delpreteforphx.com
Hodge Washington's biography and council roles: City of Phoenix, District 8 page: phoenix.gov; Abasciano's platform: frankforphoenix.com
Maupin's indictment, prior conviction, and the 2017 allegation: Arizona Republic, June 18, 2026: azcentral.com
Chamber endorsements of Robinson and Hodge Washington: Greater Phoenix Chamber, 2026 voter guide: phoenixchamber.com; Harder's priorities: ashley4phx.com