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Our call — see the breakdown
The race
Decided earlier — Glendale's three 2026 council races were all resolved at the July 21, 2026 primary; there is no Glendale mayor's race in 2026 and no Glendale candidate race on the November 3 ballot. The Rose Law Group Reporter election summary records the outcome district by district: "Glendale — elected in July primary: 3 Council spots: Lisa Baker (Barrel District), Lauren Tolmachoff (Cholla District), Rory Goree (Ocotillo District)." Two of the three races were real fights; one was a coronation, and the details matter.
The candidates
Barrel District — Lisa Baker, elected. The open seat (incumbent Bart Turner did not seek re-election, leaving the race to two first-time candidates). Baker is a real estate adviser who served on the city's Community Development Advisory Committee and its citizen bond election committee and is a Chamber of Commerce member; she was endorsed by Turner, former Mayor Elaine Scruggs, and state Senator Analise Ortiz. She narrowly defeated Michael Calles, a civilian investigator for the Phoenix Police Department who served 25-plus years as a Phoenix officer before retiring in 2018; Calles was backed by the Arizona Freedom Club PAC, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, the police and fire unions, and Councilmember Dianna Guzman. Establishment-civic vs. public-safety-conservative, decided narrowly for Baker.
Cholla District — Lauren Tolmachoff, re-elected unopposed. The county results show 6,125 votes, 99.43% — the entire opposition was write-ins.
Ocotillo District — Rory Goree, elected; incumbent Leandro Baldenegro heavily defeated. Goree is the national president of Greyhound Pets of America and served on the state Racing Commission; he was backed by Senator Ortiz, Councilmember Lupe Conchas, and Turner. Baldenegro, appointed to the seat in 2024 — a welder employed by the Glendale Elementary School District since 2007 — was backed by Guzman and the police unions, and lost heavily per azcentral's reporting ("Glendale council hopeful Goree heavily favored over incumbent").
Pros and cons
- Baker — Pro: A civic-apprenticeship record (development advisory committee, bond committee) and endorsements from the seat's last two generations of holders. Con: First elected office, and a narrow win — a mandate to perform, not to coast.
- Calles (lost) — Pro: A quarter-century of law-enforcement service and the public-safety unions behind him. Con: Voters chose the civic-committee candidate; the margin was narrow, the verdict clear.
- Goree — Pro: Ran against an appointed incumbent and won heavily — the strongest anti-incumbent verdict in the city. Con: His lane (animal-welfare advocacy, racing regulation) is narrow; his council record starts now.
- Baldenegro (lost) — the priced fact: An appointee who never won his seat at the ballot box lost it decisively at his first election. Recorded without embroidery.
- Tolmachoff — Pro: Unopposed re-election. Con: Untested this cycle.
OUR CALL
Our call: no November call — decided July 21, 2026; we record the outcome. Baker (Barrel), Tolmachoff (Cholla), and Goree (Ocotillo) are elected. Note for the record: the slug for this race once implied a 2026 Glendale mayor's contest; there is none — Mayor Jerry Weiers was not on the 2026 ballot — and this article corrects that framing on its face.
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
- Rose Law Group Reporter, "Sam's Muni Agendas!" (August 2026) — Glendale: three council spots elected in the July primary: Lisa Baker (Barrel), Lauren Tolmachoff (Cholla), Rory Goree (Ocotillo) — http://roselawgroupreporter.com/2026/08/sams-muni-agendas-by-rose-law-group-land-use-attorney-sam-demoss-3/
- azcentral, "Who's running for office in Glendale in 2026?" (June 2026) — Baker (real estate adviser; Community Development Advisory Committee; bond committee; Chamber; endorsements: Turner, Scruggs, Ortiz); Calles (Phoenix PD civilian investigator; 25+ years an officer, retired 2018; backed by Arizona Freedom Club PAC, Mitchell, police/fire unions, Guzman); Goree (Greyhound Pets of America national president; Racing Commission; backed by Ortiz, Conchas, Turner); Baldenegro (appointed 2024; welder; Glendale Elementary since 2007); Turner not seeking re-election — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2026/06/09/glendale-arizona-city-council-candidates-2026/89381427007/
- azcentral, "Glendale council hopeful Goree heavily favored over incumbent" (July 2026) — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2026/07/21/glendale-arizona-primary-results-2026/90854038007/
- Maricopa County Elections, 2026 primary results — Cholla District: Tolmachoff 6,125 votes, 99.43% — https://elections.maricopa.gov/
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.