YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Republican candidate David Lara currently has a large lead in the Yuma County Recorder race, making him the likely winner of the race.

Early results show Lara being favored by about 22,000 votes, and if the results become official and he becomes Yuma County’s next recorder, Lara will have a message for voters: It turns out.

“Wait for the fireworks. It’s a surprise, so look forward to it,” Lara said.

On the other hand, his opponent, Democrat Emilia Cortez, received just over 12,000 votes.

As Mr. Lara nears victory, he is demanding full control of election operations from the Recorder’s Office, which the Board of Supervisors took away in September, and Mr. Lara’s message to voters remains unclear. be.

“Go get your supervisor, whoever it is, and tell them to take the elections division back to the registrar. There’s no reason for them to take that away from me,” Lara said.

Lara would also like to thank everyone who came out to vote.

“I was a little worried because I thought it had been so long that people would get frustrated or tired and drop out, but they continued to stay and it didn’t matter who the voters voted for. , we have to really congratulate them on the fact that they wanted to vote,’ and we salute and thank them for participating and participating because that’s what we want,” Lara said. I did.

Cortez shared a message to local residents who voted for her and her campaign.

“We’ll see what path I take next, but I think it will be a good starting point for me and allow me to launch myself in other roles and contribute to our state and community. ,” Cortez said.

Results are not final, but KYMA will always update you with the latest numbers. More than 11,000 ballots have yet to be processed.

As of Wednesday morning, voter turnout in Yuma County was about 32%.