Kathy Hoffman for Superintendent, Tom Horne for Superintendent of Public Instruction

Incumbent Democrat Kathy Hoffman and Republican challenger Tom Horne are running for the Arizona superintendent of Public Instruction.

Most votes have been counted across Arizona, but there are still two statewide races are too close to call.

In the race for superintendent of public instruction, Republican Tom Horne holds a roughly 8,500 vote lead over the incumbent, Democrat Kathy Hoffman as of Tuesday night.

The race is likely to go into a recount. A new state law triggers automatic recounts when the margin of victory is less than half a percentage point.

While Hoffman won the office in 2018, Horne is no stranger to the role. He was the state’s superintendent from 2003 to 2011 and immediately after, he served as Arizona’s attorney general.

When Hoffman was elected, it was the first time in more than 20 years that an educator was chosen for the role.

Horne has focused his campaign on giving power to parents, improving test scores, and what he calls “restoring discipline” to classrooms. Hoffman has put an emphasis on addressing mental health needs and making sure students in rural areas have access to technology.

Both candidates want to increase teacher pay.

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