By Ben Giles | Arizona Capitol Times
Early voting figures have bolstered Democrats’ hopes of picking up enough seats in the Senate to split the chamber, thanks to strong showings in two districts in which Democrats are considered most vulnerable to lose.
Of the four races Arizona Democrats have targeted in the Senate, defeating longtime Sen. Sylvia Allen in Legislative District 6 is considered the most difficult task. The Snowflake Republican fought off a tough challenger in 2014 when she bested Tom O’Halloran, a former Republican lawmaker who ran as an independent, by more than 1,600 votes.
Former Jerome Mayor Nikki Bagley is Allen’s opponent this cycle, and while Democrats have been painting the district as winnable for months, such talk has been brushed aside by most political observers, given the strong Republican leanings of LD6, which covers portions of Coconino, Gila, Navajo and Yavapai counties.
