Tight races emerge in Maricopa County justice of the peace primaries

The first unofficial results in Maricopa County’s five contested justice of the peace primaries showed two races nearly even in early results, while three candidates opened wider early advantages. The results were preliminary while additional ballots remained to be counted.

In the southwest Valley, former House Democratic leader Lupe Chavira Contreras held a narrow early lead over longtime Judge Joe “Pep” Guzmán.

A central Phoenix contest was even tighter, with former Moon Valley Judge Deborah Ann Begay holding a slight edge over incumbent Ken Cheuvront.

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Incumbents Hernandez Sama and Elaissia Sears posted substantial early leads in downtown Phoenix and west Mesa. Lizbeth “Liz” Feria also held a clear early advantage over Lennie McCloskey in the Republican contest in the northwest Valley.

Justices of the peace handle lower-level court cases including missed rent payments, traffic stops that turn into DUI cases and requests for protection from an abusive partner.

Arizona does not require candidates to be lawyers or have any legal experience.The winners advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Tuesday’s winners will be heavily favored to become the next justices of the peace since there were no named opposing party candidates in any of the five races.

San Marcos is the only Maricopa County JP race currently set for a named Democratic-versus-Republican contest in November.

Democrat Jennifer Jermaine and Republican J.D. Mesnard are unopposed in their primaries.

Thirteen justice of the peace candidates are running unopposed in their party primaries, which include five Democrats and eight Republicans.

The first unofficial results for the five contested races across Maricopa County came about 8 p.m. June 21 and included early ballots tabulated before Election Day.

• Northwest Valley, Manistee: Former courtroom clerk Lizbeth “Liz” Feria led former constable Lennie McCloskey in early returns for the open seat. Neither is a lawyer. Feria is a certified legal-document preparer while McCloskey spent about 20 years carrying out evictions as constable.

• Southwest Valley, Agua Fria: Joe “Pep” Guzmán, the county’s longest-serving JP, trailed former House Democratic leader Lupe Chavira Contreras in early returns. Guzmán has served 35 years on the bench but received public reprimands in 2015 and 2020 over delayed rulings. Contreras is a former paralegal with about 14 years in the Legislature but no prior judicial experience.

• Downtown Phoenix, El Centro: Incumbent Jennifer “Jen” Hernandez Sama had a large lead over Enrique Medina Ochoa, who served as the same precinct’s judge from 2017 through 2022. Sama came to the bench after a career in luxury fashion while Medina Ochoa previously led housing and government organizations and served as a Yuma County pro-tem judge.

• Central Phoenix, Encanto: Incumbent Ken Cheuvront, a former lawmaker with construction and property interests, narrowly trailed Deborah Ann Begay, an attorney, Navy veteran and former Moon Valley JP, in early returns.

• West Mesa: Incumbent Elaissia Sears had a big lead over counselor and businessman Warren Bodine in early returns. Sears has served since 2019 and was one of the youngest JPs ever elected. Bodine has no verified legal or courtroom-management experience and works as a mental health counselor.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tight races emerge in Maricopa County justice of the peace primaries