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Our call — see the breakdown

The race

Decided earlier — Avondale's three council seats were filled at the July 21, 2026 primary, and the city's own canvass states that no general election will occur. The city's declaration of results, adopted with the canvass, lists six candidates for the three at-large seats and concludes: each of the top three "received a majority of votes cast in the Primary Election and are therefore declared elected to the office of Councilmember pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-645 and Avondale City Code § 2-174," adding that "a General Election will not occur." Ramon Sanchez (3,730 votes), Natosha Edmonds (3,326), and Patti Nielson (3,250) are elected. Falling short: Bryan Kilgore (3,105), incumbent Max White (2,906), and Levi Johnston (1,863). (Avondale's November 3 ballot carries a separate item, Proposition 418, the APS franchise — covered in our measures coverage.)

The candidates

Ramon Sanchez — elected, top vote-getter. A real estate agent. He finished first in a six-candidate field — the clearest voter verdict in the race.

Natosha Edmonds — elected. A corporate trainer, author, and speaker who owns her own consulting firm, per azcentral's pre-primary candidate guide.

Patti Nielson — elected. The wife of outgoing Councilmember Curtis Nielson, who was term-limited; the Nielsons have lived in Avondale since 2004, per azcentral. Her candidacy extends a household's two decades in the city's civic life — continuity voters could weigh in either direction, and they chose it.

Max White — incumbent, defeated. Retired from Bank of America in 2020 after 23 years in banking and elected in 2022, per azcentral. First in line at the August 2024 swearing-in order as the senior member — and the only incumbent in the field to lose his seat, finishing fifth at 2,906 votes. That is the one hard verdict in this race: Avondale's voters retired their incumbent.

Bryan Kilgore — defeated, narrowly. A former councilmember (appointed in 2014, elected twice) and schoolteacher/artist; he missed the third seat by 145 votes.

Levi Johnston — defeated. azcentral reported he had no campaign website or social media presence and did not return calls; he finished last at 1,863.

Pros and cons

OUR CALL

Our call: no November call — decided July 21, 2026 under the city's official canvass; we record the outcome. Sanchez, Edmonds, and Nielson are elected; White is out. The race's one argument — whether Avondale wanted continuity or change — was settled by the voters themselves with a full field to choose from, and we record it with the numbers attached.

For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources

Election result — November 4, 2026

Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.

AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.

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