Arizona picks winners in two must-watch primary races

State Treasurer Doug Ducey won the Republican primary for Arizona governor Tuesday, setting up a fierce battle against the state’s unopposed Democratic candidate Fred DuVal in the November general election.

The Associated Press declared Ducey the winner about two hours after the polls closed. With nearly 70 percent of the precincts reporting, he had 37 percent of the votes.

Ducey beat five other Republicans who were also vying for the GOP’s nomination in the Arizona governor’s race to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.

“As your governor, my first priority will be to grow and strengthen our economy so that hard work is rewarded and everyone who wants a job can find a job,” Doucey told supporters Tuesday night after he was introduced by Brewer.

SEE ALSO: Why the next Arizona governor will need to make amends with Latinos

Coming in second place in the governor’s race was Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, who picked up 23 percent of the vote and was endorsed by Brewer. And in third place was former GoDaddy executive Christine Jones who got nearly 16 percent of the votes.

Throughout the campaign trail, Ducey touted his knowledge in government and business. He spoke about his experience as a state official and as a former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, an ice cream company.

Ducey will now face DuVal in the November general election. In a speech Tuesday night, DuVal spoke about his vision of working across party lines and “fixing Arizona for Arizona families.”

“I am a problem solver, and I will work with everyone,” DuVal said. “I will work with Republicans. I will work with independents. I will work with Democrats, and together we will move Arizona forward.”

Another contentious race in Arizona was the Democratic primary race to replace longtime Congressman Ed Pastor, whose district is heavily Latino.

Former state Rep. Ruben Gallego won that race with 48 percent of the vote. The 34-year-old Marine veteran and Harvard graduate survived a tough challenge from Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, a longtime politician who picked up nearly 37 percent of the vote. Some political experts referred to the race between Gallego and Wilcox as the “battle of the generations.”

Gallego thanked his supporters several minutes after Wilcox conceded the race. He said many of them canvased neighborhoods under 110-degree weather to encourage people to vote.

“They were fighting for something, and it wasn’t me,” he said. “They were fighting for the future of Arizona. The Arizona that they want to see, not the Arizona that we see right now on TV.”

Gallego is likely to win the general election, when he goes up against independent Jose Peñalosa and Libertarian Joe Cobb.

SEE ALSO: Charlie Crist wins Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida