Lesko's entry scares off candidates in District 4 supervisor race competition

Two candidates for Maricopa County supervisor have dropped their campaigns since retiring U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko announced she would run for the seat in District 4.

Republicans Jack Hastings and Robert Canterbury both said they would halt their election efforts. That leaves just one candidate, Republican Bob Branch, running against the sitting congresswoman. The district covers much of the northwest Valley.

Lesko's surprise campaign announcement came days after sitting Supervisor Clint Hickman revealed he wouldn't seek reelection after more than a decade on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

She previously said she wouldn't run again for her seat in U.S. Congress because she was frustrated with her role in Washington, D.C., and wanted more time at home with her family. Lesko, who formerly served in the Arizona Legislature, also stands to gain a boost to her state pension if she ends up winning the supervisor seat.

Her decision to run for the position is a sign of how the once lower-profile Board of Supervisors has become heavily publicized. Supervisor seats were long highly coveted positions by Arizona politicos because they often served as a useful stepping stone to higher political office. Former county supervisors include former U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor and former Gov. Jan Brewer.

But county supervisors faced false allegations of election fraud following the 2020 and 2022 elections, as well as threats and harassment. That drew public attention to the control county officials have over voting.

The seats are now drawing in bigger names and more money than ever before. In addition to Lesko, the list of people running for supervisor spots this year includes several former state lawmakers.

That makes it hard for city officials, school board members and others who often pursue county supervisor seats to compete.

Hastings, a teacher at West Point Elementary and a city council member in Surprise, said he made his decision to withdraw from the race after spending about $10,000 collecting signatures to file his nomination paperwork.

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He said he has "a lot of respect for Lesko" but was "frustrated" she decided to run because he is "all about new blood in politics."

"I just know I don't really have a chance against her," he said.

In a statement on social media, Canterbury compared himself to a military commander looking across the battlefield.

"Sometimes the best course of is to retreat, live another day and come back and not only win the next battle, but sometimes the war," he wrote, adding that "the odds" were clearly against him. "In the fight for Maricopa County, this is one of those such times."

With two candidates left, what's next?

Branch, a professor at Grand Canyon University, said he was disappointed so many candidates chose to drop out of the race in Lesko's wake.

"It's unfortunate that the other people saw her and ran," he said. "But I'm not going anywhere. People need a choice."

It won't be his first time going up against a seasoned politician. Branch previously ran for superintendent of public instruction against Frank Riggs, a former California U.S. congressman and charter school founder. He only narrowly lost the Republican primary, and Riggs went on to lose the general election to Democrat Kathy Hoffman.

"You run on who's the most qualified, not who has the biggest name," Branch said.

He also has long represented District 4 on the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. He's hoping his county bona fides and in-state experience will help distinguish him from Lesko.

"Debbie is a legislator, and that's good," Branch said. "I'm a leader and I know how to govern. So, there's two different sets of skills there."

Lesko didn't immediately respond to The Republic's request for comment.

Whoever wins the July primary will face Democrat David Sandoval in the November general election.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and regional issues for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Debbie Lesko's Maricopa County supervisor run prompts 2 GOP withdrawals