Smith leads by a nose in Supervisor race

With all precincts reporting, but thousands of provisional ballots still out, Anthony “Tony” Smith, former mayor of Maricopa, is ahead in the Republican primary for the Pinal County Supervisor District 4, having edged out Nancy Discher by 43 votes.

The unofficial results showed Smith winning with 1,405 votes or 33.17 percent votes cast countywide.

“I’m happy that I have the lead,” Smith said, shortly after all the county precincts had reported. “I’m very excited, not just for me, but for my whole team.”

Discher appeared to be leading for much of the night, but ultimately finished with 1,362 votes, or 32.15 percent.

Smith said he and his supporters, who watched results come in at the Raceway Bar & Grill Tuesday night, “were on pins and needles all night.”

But with thousands of ballots still left to be counted, including provisional and what Pinal County Election Center Director Steve Kizer called “late early” ballots, that could easily change by the time the votes are verified Saturday .

If Smith maintains his lead, the Republican will run against fellow Maricopan, Democratic candidate Henry Wade in the Nov. 6 general election.

Of the other Republican candidates, Fred MacKenzie garnered 1,244 votes, or 29.37 percent of the vote, and Raymond Petrulsky received 216 votes, or about 5 percent.

Earlier Tuesday night, Smith described himself as “optimistic.”

Surrounded by family and supporters, Smith said he was confident in his campaign strategy, which did not include any attacks against his opponents.

“I don’t enjoy, nor do I anticipate any negative campaigning,” Smith said.

“I didn’t do any mailers, I just got out there and met people,” Smith said.

The former mayor’s campaign platform has focused on unifying disparate countywide economic development organizations, creating a local job market and transportation network that can support sustainable growth, prioritizing public safety funding and remaining an accessible public figure.

Meanwhile, over at Seven Cups of Coffee, Wade was watching the votes come in surrounded by fellow Democrats.

Although he didn’t have to face a primary opponent, Wade said he “still got out there and worked.”

“I put out signs and went to meet and greets,” Wade said. “I think more people have gotten to know me that didn’t know me before.”

***ADVERTISEMENT***Wade’s platform also focuses on economic growth, primarily through using advantages Maricopa has through its location in the Sun Corridor. He has written editorials commending Congress for adding the proposed I-11 highway transportation bill and stressed the need for all county departments to work together.

Now that he’ll be facing another candidate one-on-one for the seat, Wade said for the most part his campaign strategy would remain the same, but “I may tweak it a bit.”