Early results Tuesday night showed Democrats Kevin Dahl and Miranda Schubert leading comfortably in Tucson’s contested City Council races for Wards 3 and 6, as the party appeared poised to maintain its longstanding majority on the council.

Selina Barajas, who ran unopposed for Ward 5 in the general election, had already secured her seat during August’s primary election.

Both Schubert and Dahl held more than 67% of the vote. Dahl faced Republican Janet “JL” Wittenbraker in Ward 3, while newcomer Schubert went up against Republican Jay Tolkoff in Ward 6.

Voters also weighed in on key local propositions and school district measures. Tucson Unified School District voters approved an override for the first time in three decades, while Flowing Wells and Sunnyside districts also saw success with their funding propositions.

About 56% of voters supported TUSD's Prop. 414, expected to raise about $45 million to fund teacher pay, arts programs and student support services.

In the Flowing Wells and Sunnyside districts, Propositions 415 and 416 earned 55% and 58% voter approval, respectively.

Voters also backed the city’s amended general plan, with Prop. 417 receiving 62% approval.

The energy was high at Hotel Congress on Tuesday night, where Schubert, Dahl, Barajas, and their staffers and supporters gathered to await results, sharing the space with leftover Halloween decorations of skeletons and spiders.

The results mark a milestone in Tucson’s political landscape, with women now holding the majority on the City Council alongside Mayor Regina Romero, Tucson’s first Latina mayor.

“This shift is important,” said Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. “We have more people invested in protecting our environment, investing in our future than ever before.”

Grijalva said local elections play a vital role in shaping broader movements.

“These kinds of local races here are going to make the difference in getting people excited and re-invested in having a voice in our community,” she said. “We have to make sure that this momentum carries us through the midterms and beyond.”

For Barajas, the win was deeply personal.

“I ran unopposed (in the general election), but that didn't mean that I wasn't working,” Barajas said. “I was working with everyone. Why? Because our community deserves that. Tucson deserves that.”

Barajas is the first mother to represent Ward 5 on the City Council — a badge she wears with pride.

“I don't take that role lightly,” she said.

Barajas said she relied heavily on support from young people during her campaign, even those years away from voting.

“In our local government, a lot of these policies and laws that we enact today affect them for the next 15 to 20 years,” Barajas said. “Because they're our future, right? They're going to be our future city council members.”

She said residents in Ward 5 were eager for new representation.

“I had a lot of elders talk to me through the screen doors and share their excitement because they've never had a female knock on their door as a candidate,” Barajas said.

Schubert credited her early lead to conversations she had in neighborhoods across Ward 6.

“We talked about real issues that impact people's everyday lives,” Schubert said. “We talked about safer roads, more connected neighborhoods and communities, better infrastructure, and affordable housing.”

Schubert said she entered the race without assumptions and relied heavily on direct outreach.

“I'm just one of those people who takes nothing for granted,” Schubert said. “I was knocking on doors up until the end today, and we knocked a heck of a lot of doors.”

One of her priorities as a new council member, she said, will be listening — something she plans to keep at the center of her work.

“When it comes down to it, showing up for people and listening to them and working side by side with people to make policies that will make all of our lives better,” Schubert said.

Dahl said he was energized by his lead and proud to be part of the “blue wave” he sees sweeping the country.

“This is a reaction to the MAGA monster in D.C. that is causing so many problems for us,” he said. “We have to extend this sort of energy to serve us in the next year so that we can take back Congress and stop this descent into fascism.”

Dahl credited his volunteers and the party for his success and said he plans to continue his broad focus across many issues, noting that constituents can expect “more of the same” in his second term.

“When I first ran, I had three platforms: climate change, protecting our water, and resilient, safe neighborhoods,” Dahl said. “I've learned that there are so many issues we deal with on a monthly basis, especially housing.”

Dahl said rising homelessness and visible substance use have become urgent concerns for both him and his constituents.

"In my lifetime, I've never seen so much drug use open on the streets, and people are tired of seeing it,” Dahl said. “We feel compassion for those people who are addicted, who need a better life.”

Grijalva said she was optimistic about Tucson’s future.

“We have people who care about our environment and conservation, who care about building up our infrastructure and public education, and are very invested in the success of this community,” she said.

Grijalva, who spent more than two decades on the TUSD governing board and has children in the district, said Proposition 414’s passage felt personal.

“This state does not invest in public education, so it is our responsibility. We have to do it,” Grijalva said. “Thank you to the people that turned out overwhelmingly to support investing in our public schools.”

Tucson Spotlight team members Angelina Maynes and Ian Stash contributed to this story.

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