Scottsdale sets November council race after July primary
Scottsdale’s July 21 primary fixed one seat on the next City Council and created a four-way contest for the two seats that remain open.
Solange Whitehead won reelection in the primary, receiving 28,338 votes, or 17.48%, according to the City of Scottsdale’s election results. The primary was held to elect three council members.
Barry Graham, Bob Littlefield, Michelle Ugenti-Rita and Raoul Zubia will compete for the remaining two seats in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The two November winners are scheduled to take office in January 2027.
Whitehead is the only primary winner
Whitehead was the only candidate in the three-seat contest to secure a seat through the primary results. Her reelection means Scottsdale’s next council will include at least one returning member from the 2026 cycle, while the other two positions remain undecided.
Ugenti-Rita received 24,221 votes, or 14.94%, followed by Graham with 23,565 votes, or 14.54%. Littlefield received 22,091 votes, or 13.63%, and Zubia received 21,897 votes, or 13.51%.
Those four candidates now move into a separate general-election contest. The primary totals identify the November field, but they do not determine which two candidates will win the remaining seats.
November election will decide two seats
The Nov. 3 election will give Scottsdale voters the next decision point in the council race. Graham, Littlefield, Ugenti-Rita and Zubia will be competing for two available positions, so two of the four candidates will join Whitehead on the council’s next roster.
The result matters beyond the primary because the three-seat contest will not be fully settled until the general election. Whitehead’s reelection establishes one part of the council’s upcoming lineup, while the November vote will determine the other two members elected in this cycle.
The City of Scottsdale’s July 27 Scottsdale Update confirmed Whitehead’s reelection and said the two remaining council seats would be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.
Results remain labeled final unofficial
The city’s election-results page labels the posted totals “final unofficial results.” It identifies the canvass as the certification step and said that canvass was scheduled for Aug. 3, 2026.
That distinction leaves the November field and the primary outcome clearly identified in the city’s posted results while preserving the city’s stated status for the totals. No November winner has been determined.
For Scottsdale residents following the council transition, the timeline is now set: Whitehead has won reelection through the primary results, four candidates remain in contention for two seats on Nov. 3, and the winners of those two seats are scheduled to begin their terms in January 2027.
Sources
- Election Results — Scottsdale Primary Election, City of Scottsdale
- Scottsdale Update — July 27, 2026, City of Scottsdale
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