Ugenti-Rita Leads Scottsdale Council Race

Early county results show Raoul Zubia trailing as Michelle Ugenti-Rita pulls ahead for two open council seats.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections

Ugenti-Rita Leads Scottsdale Council Race

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The Maricopa County Elections Department released the first unofficial Scottsdale results at 8 p.m., showing Raoul Zubia leading the first ballot drops. A 4 a.m. county update placed Michelle Ugenti-Rita ahead for two seats, with Councilman Barry Graham in second place.

Why it matters

The early count shifts the picture in a tight field where three candidates were separated by only a few thousand votes, leaving the final council makeup in Scottsdale unsettled. Results for Scottsdale residents will determine who fills the two council seats.

In the first unofficial count, three council candidates were separated by about 1,700 votes out of 87,571 counted in Scottsdale. The results remain unofficial and subject to later ballot drops.

The players

Michelle Ugenti-Rita

A Scottsdale City Council candidate who led the two-seat race in the 4 a.m. county release.

Raoul Zubia

A Scottsdale City Council candidate who led the first ballot drops before falling behind.

Barry Graham

A Scottsdale city councilman who ran for re-election and held second place in the early count.

Maricopa County Elections Department

The county agency that released the first unofficial results and the later 4 a.m. update.

The details

The 8 p.m. first release from the Maricopa County Elections Department gave Zubia a narrow lead, but the 4 a.m. update showed Ugenti-Rita moving to the top of the two-seat field. Scottsdale Unified School District's $375 million bond request showed early support, with 56% voting yes, while Jennifer Johnson led the school board race with 39.39%.

8 p.m. on November 3, 2026: First unofficial results released by Maricopa County.
4 a.m. on November 4, 2026: County update showed Ugenti-Rita leading the council race.

Political Context

The reversal from the 8 p.m. release to the 4 a.m. update follows the staged-release pattern Maricopa County uses for unofficial results, where late ballot drops can reorder close races. Opposition to the bond request or council candidates has not yet been documented in the source material, so the counter-arguments remain unreported.

The final council seats and the Scottsdale Unified bond outcome will determine local spending and city policy for the coming term. Voters can track certified results once the county completes its counting.

The takeaway

Early unofficial results can shift significantly as later ballots are counted, so the final Scottsdale council standings should be confirmed against certified totals before drawing conclusions.