Schweikert squeaks by, faces Mitchell for Congressional seat

The hotly-contested Congressional race to see who will take on Democrat Harry Mitchell appears to have been narrowly won by former Maricopa County Treasurer David Schweikert.

Unofficial election results show him defeating former Scottsdale Councilmember Susan Bitter Smith 12,289 to 11,499 with a few thousand ballots left to count. Four other candidates ran far behind Schweikert and Bitter Smith.

Mitchell defeated GOP superstar J.D. Hayworth two years ago and since then, Republicans have been anxious to regain control of Congressional District 5, which includes all of Ahwatukee Foothills, Tempe, Scottsdale and parts of Chandler.

But Mitchell is no push over, having served as mayor of Tempe, where he has a statute, along with terms in the Arizona Legislature.

Along with the GOP mainstream, Schweikert, also a former Arizona lawmaker, has the support of Washington D.C.-based The Club for Growth. The group directed $337,000 in campaign contributions to Schweikert and spent more than $200,000 in independent expenditures on his behalf. The Club for Growth believes prosperity comes from low taxes and reduced government regulation.