Tempe voters have secured another term for City Council member Arlene Chin in the March 10 election, according to unofficial election results from Maricopa County.
Chin surpassed the majority vote threshold under the Tempe City Charter and City Code, and results will be made official following a canvass.
The city's remaining council seats will be elected in a runoff later this spring.
Seven candidates competed for three open seats on the Tempe City Council. Chin was the only candidate to receive enough votes to win a seat outright.
The other candidates fell short of that mark, sending the race for the final two seats to a May 19 runoff election among the following four most-voted candidates.
Incumbent council members Jennifer Adams and Berdetta Hodge will advance to the runoff alongside challengers Brooke St. George and Bobby Nichols.
In a written statement on March 13, Chin thanked her supporters, as well as the other candidates.
"The next four years won't be easy, but Tempe is a resilient community," Chin said. "I'm confident we'll meet the challenges ahead and come out stronger."
She said she would continue listening to residents and working to improve their lives, including those who did not vote for her.
"I'm honored by the trust the voters of Tempe have placed in me to serve another four years on Council," Chin said.
St. George, the second-highest vote earner, said in an interview that she will continue her campaign efforts after seeing how it resonated with voters.
"I am so honored by their faith in this campaign," St. George said.
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Hodge, who came in third, posted on Facebook thanking voters and signaling she plans to continue campaigning ahead of the runoff election.
Nichols, who placed fourth in the race, said he is satisfied with the current state of his campaign.
"I don't plan on changing hardly anything," he said. "I plan on maintaining the same energy."
Nichols said the close voting margins mean every vote is important. He said residents should ensure that they are registered to vote ahead of the runoff.
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Adams, who came in fifth, thanked her supporters in a March 12 Facebook post.
"While I didn't get the results that I was hoping for tonight, I look forward to having a runoff," Adams said in a March 11 video shared the next day by The Arizona Republic.
Hodge and Adams did not respond to requests for comment.
The deadline for voter registration for the May 19 election is April 20.
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Henry Smardo and Sophia Braccio.
Reach the reporter at swang496@asu.edu.
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