GOP State Senator Kate Brophy McGee Wins Re-Election

She won by 267 votes.

November 19, 2018

State Senator Kate Brophy McGee (center) will serve another term. Gage Skidmore/Flickr

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

Republican State Senator Kate Brophy McGee, who represents a wealthy enclave of suburban Phoenix, won re-election following a nail-biter race against Democrat Christine Marsh.

McGee’s victory in Legislative District 28 marked the final call in a vote count that dragged on for two weeks. Maricopa County dropped its final ballot tally on Monday evening, wrapping up Arizona’s 2018 elections.

McGee beat Marsh by 267 votes, 47,278 to 47,011. Her tally narrowly avoids an automatic recount that gets triggered when the margin between legislative candidates stands at 50 or less.

McGee will be serving her second term in the State Senate, representing a district that covers Phoenix's Arcadia and Biltmore areas, parts of north central Phoenix, and the town of Paradise Valley. She previously represented District 28 as a state representative from 2011 to 2017.

In her decade in office, McGee has developed a reputation as one of the more moderate Republicans in the Legislature, more inclined toward bipartisanship than most of her GOP colleagues.

Riding on momentum from the #RedForEd movement, Democrats viewed McGee as one of the more vulnerable Republican legislators this election cycle.

Marsh is a high school English teacher in the Cave Creek Unified School district who won Arizona’s 2016 teacher of the year award. She was a first-time candidate.

McGee out-raised Marsh $450,000 to $225,993. Marsh also benefited from outside independent expenditure groups that spent nearly $300,000 against McGee.

Democrats in the running for the State house seats in District 28 fared better. State Representative. Kelli Butler won re-election, while first-time candidate Aaron Lieberman knocked Republican Maria Syms out of her seat.

Phoenix New Times will update this article with a statement from McGee when it's available.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.