Race to replace Trent Franks in Congressional District 8 heats up

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It's down to the wire for the hotly contested race to be the next representative for Arizona's 8th Congressional District.

With the special election set to be held a week from Tuesday, Republicans are hoping to hold onto the seat vacated by Rep. Trent Franks. Rep. Franks gave up the seat, following a scandal in 2017.

If the polling is any indication, the special election will be a tight one. The latest poll from Emerson College calls the race a statistical dead heat, giving Democratic candidate Hiral Tiperneni a slight 46% to 45% edge over former GOP state senator Debbie Lesko.

"It's just reconfirming what we've already felt," said Tipirneni. "We know that folks from all across the political spectrum have been connecting with our campaign, and that our message and our platform has been resonating with them."

"I've talked to a number of people who were experts at polling, and they said this one isn't really credible," Lesko responded. "It's really an outlier."

Congressional District 8 is a district that heavily favors Republicans.

"The numbers, technically the voter registration not being in our favor, and I get that, but people aren't necessarily voting party line, even though that's the assumption that everyone's making," said Tipirneni.

Lesko says she's not taking anything for granted, with just 8 days to go.

"They're trying to take back the house. I just don't want to let that happen," said Lesko. "I count on winning, but I work very hard, I don't take anything for granted, I just really think I'm a better fit for this district."

The poll is an outlier, as many other polls have Lesko ahead by double digits, especially with the expected voting population in that district. This all adds up to some election night drama next week.