In 2022, Alicia Goforth was swept into office in the District 5 Mesa City Council race when she ran unopposed to represent the northeast corner of the city
Four years later, Goforth is going head-to-head with cosmetics consultant Aleks Vranicic in a race some Mesa political observers see as a proxy battle between Mesa's traditional approach to local governance and a growing conservative movement seeking a bigger voice in city politics.
Goforth finished first in the crowded July 21 primary, earning 34% of the vote, compared to Vranicic's 27%.
Goforth said she was pleased with the results and looked forward to winning in November, while Vranicic said the results show District 5 voters wanted a new direction on the council.
Mesa's changing political landscape
Former Mesa Mayor Scott
Smith said the District 5 race reflects a trend of increasing partisanship in city elections, which fell sharply into focus after a successful Turning Point campaign to recall and replace District 2 Councilmember Julie Spilsbury in 2025.
"Mesa used to be immune from this," Smith said. While the city has traditionally elected conservative state legislators, Smith said school board and city council races stayed non-partisan, he added.
Smith argued Goforth hasn't done anything significantly controversial in her four years in office.
"She just isn't MAGA enough for the MAGA crowd, and so they run somebody against her," he said.
Former City Councilmember David Luna, who preceded Goforth in the District 5 seat, said conservative Mesa residents have gotten more active in the last four years.
"I think people have decided, 'Well, I'm going to run for office because I want to change the government," he said.
Both Smith and Luna pointed to Spilsbury's 2025 recall election as part of the rightward shift in city politics.
Spilsbury was unseated by Dorean Taylor roughly a year after winning re-election by a two-to-one margin.
Spilsbury, a registered Republican, drew the ire of conservative groups like Turning Point USA after endorsing Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
District 5 is significantly more Republican than Mesa as a whole, according to an analysis of results and registration data from the Maricopa County Recorder's Office.
Voters in Mesa's District 5 backed President Donald Trump over Vice President Harris in 2024 by a 3-2 margin, compared to a roughly 55% to 42% margin citywide.
In the same election, they favored the more conservative-leaning Mark Freeman over the more traditional moderate Republican Scott Smith for mayor, but to a significantly lesser extent. Freeman won by about 6 percentage points, the same margin in District 5.
Voters in Goforth's precinct narrowly favored Smith for mayor, even as they backed Trump even more than the rest of the district or city, by nearly a 2-1 margin.
Party registration data are not always a strong indication of how District 5 voters act. Party affiliation barely budged between Goforth's 2022 campaign and 2026.
Vranicic, the conservative 'family values' challenger
Vranicic is running on a campaign focused on government accountability and transparency about city finances. He's pledged to make government budgeting documents easy to access and "reduce backroom decision making," according to his website.
His campaign website also makes mention of preserving western values, references conservative cultural issues, and leans into his personal story of immigrating to the United States from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
He did not respond to an Instagram direct message, phone call, and three emails requesting an interview. City council meeting minutes show he's frequently shown up to oppose utility rate hikes as well as to oppose Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, and support the city's 287(g) agreement with the federal government on immigration.
Vranicic stands up for conservative family values, said State Sen. David Farnsworth, R-Mesa. Vranicic lives in Farnsworth's State Senate district and the two men have known each other for six years.
Farnsworth argued the City Council has gotten away from those values, and that Vranicic would bring a strong conservative voice to City Hall.
Vranicic has also been critical of the council's responsiveness to residents.
In a November 2025 council meeting, Vranicic accused the council of not listening to residents who rallied against a utility rate increase.
"You didn't even throw us a bone. Not even one of you voted with the people," he said.
Goforth calls herself a 'commonsense conservative'
In that same November 2025 council meeting, Goforth argued the council had been challenging city staff for months to keep the utility rate increase as low as possible.
She noted the city's original proposal was reduced from a 6% increase to a 2.5% increase while supporting the city's philosophy of small gradual rate hikes to prevent larger jumps in the future.
Goforth did not respond to two emails and a phone call requesting an interview.
She's described herself in her campaign literature as a "commonsense conservative" focusing on strengthening public safety, protecting neighborhoods and protecting Mesa's quality of life.
She's been endorsed by Mayor Freeman along with Councilmembers Rich Adams, Jenn Duff, and Vice Mayor Scott Somers.
Mesa voters have fewer than three weeks to decide District 5 race
Mesa has a history of putting partisanship aside to solve problems for residents, former Spilsbury said.
"When you call 911 or turn on your water, have your trash picked up, drive on the roads, like no one cares if you're a Republican or Democrat," she said.
She said Goforth is more of a moderate who would govern in that mold.
There are forces in Mesa trying to destroy family values, and Vranicic will stand up to them, Farnsworth said.
Voters will have their final say on Nov. 3. The last day to mail in ballots is Oct. 27. You can find your polling location at the Maricopa County elections website.
Reporter Harrison Mantas, who covers Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley, can be reached at hmantas@azcentral.com. Follow him on X @HarrisonMantas or Instagram @harrisonmantas
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa council District 5 runoff tests competing brands of conservatism
