← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · Arizona
Our call — see the breakdown
The race
Decided earlier — Chandler elected its mayor and all three council members on July 21, 2026; no Chandler candidate race is on the November 3 ballot. Chandler's November items are its six ballot measures, covered in our measures coverage. The city's official canvass (Resolution No. 6033, adopted August 10, 2026) declares the results: Matt Orlando won the mayor's race with a majority at the primary and was declared elected, and Jane Poston, Angel Encinas, and Cicely Rocha-Miller each won a majority for council and were declared elected. The city's final-results release gives the numbers: Orlando 25,319 votes (58.46%); Poston 23,033; Encinas 22,527; Rocha-Miller 20,445. The new mayor and councilmembers take office in early January 2027. Incumbent Mayor Kevin Hartke was term-limited.
The candidates
Matt Orlando — mayor-elect. Orlando had served six terms as a councilmember — "over the past three decades, I've had the privilege of serving the people of Chandler on our City Council," he wrote after winning — and defeated state Representative Jeff Weninger, who took 17,991 votes (41.54%). azcentral's account describes a low-turnout election in which voters signaled contentment with how the city is run; Orlando made toning down partisanship in Chandler government a hallmark of his campaign, and Weninger cited his bipartisan legislative record in debates. The two offered similar visions, per azcentral, and the race was decided on familiarity and tone more than on a policy split.
The council three. Poston and Encinas, both incumbents, were re-elected to second terms. Rocha-Miller, who had run for council in 2024, won the seat Orlando vacated. The losing candidates were Lisa Askey (17,015), Joe Granado (15,656), and Ron Hardin (14,285), per the azcentral results tally. azcentral notes the four winners did not officially run as a slate, though factions formed: Orlando, Poston, and Encinas endorsed Rocha-Miller; Hartke endorsed Weninger and Askey.
Pros and cons
- Orlando — Pro: Thirty years of Chandler council service and a 17-point win — the deepest local record in the race, ratified decisively. Con: He is the status-quo candidate of a contented city; voters who wanted change at City Hall did not get a vehicle for it in either finalist's similar vision, per azcentral's reporting.
- Weninger (lost) — Pro: A sitting state legislator with council experience of his own and a bipartisan pitch. Con: Voters chose the insider they knew; 41.54% is a clear verdict, not a near-miss.
- Poston / Encinas — Pro: Incumbents re-elected with the two highest council totals. Con: Continuity again — no challenger broke through.
- Rocha-Miller — Pro: Won an open seat on her second run, with the winners' informal backing. Con: First term; no governing record yet to price.
OUR CALL
Our call: no November call — decided July 21, 2026; we record the outcome. Orlando is mayor-elect and Poston, Encinas, and Rocha-Miller are elected, all by primary majorities under the city's official canvass. The verdict voters delivered — continuity, by wide margins, in a low-turnout July election — is the story of this race, and it is stated here with its numbers rather than relitigated. Chandler's live November decisions are Propositions 430–434 and Question 1.
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
- City of Chandler, Resolution No. 6033 (official canvass, adopted August 10, 2026) — Orlando declared elected mayor with a primary majority; Poston, Encinas, and Rocha-Miller declared elected to council — https://public.destinyhosted.com/chanddocs/2026/CC/20260810_2352/10284_Resolution_No._6033_-_Canvass_Primary_Election_2026.pdf
- City of Chandler, "City of Chandler final Primary Election results" (August 11, 2026) — Orlando 25,319 (58.46%); Poston 23,033; Encinas 22,527; Rocha-Miller 20,445; January 2027 installation — https://www.chandleraz.gov/news-center/city-chandler-final-primary-election-results
- azcentral, "Chandler votes Orlando for mayor, status quo for city" (July 21, 2026) — six council terms; similar visions; faction and endorsement lines; Askey, Granado, and Hardin trailing — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/chandler/2026/07/21/chandler-arizona-primary-results/90905604007/
- azcentral, Arizona primary election results 2026 (live results page) — council tallies for all six candidates — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/07/21/live-arizona-primary-election-results-2026/90743515007/
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.