>> reporter: and i've done three of these elections and three of these watch parties with republicans. the media savvy sheriff, joe arpaio, has always made sure he is live at the podium at 10:00 for these newscasts. of course, it is a very different election this time around for him. if it does show up, we will make sure to bring him to you. >> something that joe arpaio has never gone through and that is losing a race for maricopa county sheriff. brahm resnik is standing by with reaction from the penzone penzone with me a few moments ago. an interview with the sheriff elect. he told us -- >> you were a part of that. i know you all knocked doors. >> the only division we should ever see in the community is those that commit the crime and those of us who are willing to

>> reporter: and again, that was sheriff elect paul penzone speaking a few moments ago. we were the first station to interview him one-on-one. he told us he had not received a concession from sheriff joe arpaio and it was clear he wasn't expecting to, nor was he waiting for that. paul penzone has been waiting for this day and ready to plow ahead with running the maricopa county sheriff's office. you will remember he lost in 2012 by an error of margin i he sued the sheriff for defamation at one point over a campaign ad. paul penzone clearly knows what he wants to do and extended an olive branch to cherish -- sheriff joe arpaio supporters. he says he wants to be sheriff to all the people. he now takes on a department that has had many problems that

he is inheriting a pretty tough job right now. my colleague spoke to paul penzone's wife veronica just a few moments ago. veronica, telling her, underlining how tough this campaign was and how bitter it was and how that really did get to them. it's a very tough life being in politics. they have learned it now twice, this time paul penzone has emerged try and fit. he is a bright light in what so far has been a very mixed results for democrats. they are awaiting results in the presidential race in high hopes that hillary clinton by now would have won the white night. brahm resnik, 12news. >> all right, brahm resnik live with us who has been there throughout the night. before we move on, i just wanted to ask you. we are seeing a lot on our social media about the influx of george soros money that came in to go against joe arpaio. when you look at that and the latino vote, which do you think

let's talk about money for a second. joe arpaio spent more than $10 million in the campaign. that is typical of this campaign. at least three quarters of that money came from outside the county and outside the state. the money, $2 million, aimed at taking out joe arpaio. it was the largest expensed george soros made during this campaign. he spent a lot of money getting law and order, ti wanted in office. he also targeted bill montgomery. so yes, that played a big role. you cannot underestimate the role of the latino vote in this campaign. it was huge. many more latinos registered and also you cannot underestimate or overlook the fact that republicans and independents had to cross over to defeat joe arpaio. joe arpaio is losing maricopa county by 10 points.

maricopa county by about two points. that does tell you it wasn't the latino voter registration and get out the vote effort alone and the larger democratic vote effort alone, but this was done with the help of republicans and independents who clearly were fed up with joe arpaio. >> i also wonder if it wasn't just the perfect storm to mark the end of arpaio's long run charges he is facing with contempt of court, racial profiling, abuse of power, along with the money and the latino vote. if all of this just wasn't the perfect storm to end his run as maricopa county sheriff. >> reporter: you can call it the perfect storm or say eventually it caught up to him. joe dana pointed that out. i would say it all caught up to him. you know, it was hard for many to believe, even many who have

that he could be defeated. he has had nine lives. he could have been charged four years ago by the federal prosecutor. that never happened. he has been in court countless times. i would say yes, this did finally all catch up with him, the perfect storm in the sense that this was a year that was hard for establishment candidates and the irony of irony, joe arpaio you know, the rebel sheriff, the establishment being booted out. >> great point. we want to basically reiterate a big win here in maricopa county. paul penzone is now the new sheriff elect of the county. i want to pass along to viewers, we will not be taking commercial breaks tonight so we can bring you the most in-depth coverage and go nonstop to

nbc at the bottom of the hour. >> and election night sparking protest at two phoenix high schools. >> large groups of students from maryvale and north high school walked out of the classes saying they are upset about donald trump and sheriff joe arpaio. >> and another group that opposes arpaio gathered at a park to make sure their voices were heard. krystle henderson is live with those details. crystal, i am assuming i don't know, what are you hearing out there after that protest? >> reporter: [ laughter ] well, i think we might have just heard a pin drop. that party was really going about 15 or 20 minutes ago at grant park but it has emptied out and here's why. after everyone here heard of paul penzone's victory, they celebrated as you would imagine, moved on to the trump pi?ata and then just took off, chanting down second street to march 2 and rally at the jail.

protesting, going door to door, has paid off in a big way. >> it was great. he is out the door. we get a new sheriff. >> it's going to send shockwaves around the country. >> anyone who feels like their vote doesn't matter, to those people who get discouraged, we get it. we kicked one of the most racist nationwide figure of hate, we kicked him out of office. it took all of these people here to gather together in unity and we accomplish something amazing and we made history. guys, you're not alone and you will never be alone because there will always be somebody fighting for a good cause. >> reporter: what's left of the trump pi?ata is still hanging up. organizers thought they would actually be out here until midnight but now with penzone's victory secured, they are folding of the chairs and closing up shop. grant park in phoenix, but to you in the studio.

election night, facebook and twitter became part therapy and part virtual party for many voters. >> brian west is in the social zone with what is trending right now. >> reporter: as you can imagine, it has been heating up on twitter, facebook and instagram. we are in the social zone monitoring the big talkers. a lot of people are saying goodbye to sheriff joe and congratulating paul penzone. hillary clinton tweeted this up moments ago "this team has so much to be proud of whatever happens tonight. thank you for everything on the other side." donald trump is watching the returns, #election night. meghan mccain congratulated her father shortly after he defeated kirkpatrick. she thanked all the people who supported him. "it's all fun and games until one of these candidates has become president." i wanted to give a special

presidential election. he is strutting his i voted sticker. a lot of people are showing off those stickers that they have worked so hard to get. we're going to pass it back to you and continue monitoring what is happening on social media. senator john mccain won his sixth term in office tonight. calvin kennedy is live at the mccain campaign party, which is being held at the heard museum. he didn't want to be >> he did not. the party out here is winding down. it started about 7:00 this evening when the doors opened about five minutes after those doors opened, nbc actually declared john mccain the winner so he will in fact get his sixth term in washington dc. he went into the night, a pretty clear favorite and he did come out the winner. mccain addressed the crowd at about 9:00 tonight thanking his employers. he said he was honored and

state in the senate. here is part of his speech. >> to my supporters, those who have stood with me in all my campaigns and those who did so for the first time in this campaign, all arizonans who gave me their encouragement, their trust, their efforts, and their most powerful civic possession, their vote, so that i would have another opportunity to be the best senator i can be for you. thank you, thank you, i will get up every day to work harder than you than the year before -- harder for you than the year before to earn your trust. >> reporter: senator john mccain winning reelection, defeating democrat and -- ann kirkpatrick. he will get his sixth term in washington dc. that is the latest of mccain

democratic headquarters. we are standing by with veronica penzone, the wife of the new sheriff elect for maricopa county, paul penzone. monique, what is mrs. penzone telling you?>> reporter: i have to tell you, she is right here with me now, that the biggest cheers we heard tonight or when they said penzone was leading. you said you were nervous until the first votes started rolling in? >> i really was. i just thank god for the opportunity to be here. i was still a little nervous. it was like okay, when i see it, i'll believe it and when they called it, i was like okay now i can relax.>> reporter: it wasn't just this election. >> this has been a long battle. what is it like for it to be

i just have to say i am so happy. i am so happy and i just want to tell the voters of maricopa county that they can be assured that they did choose a great man and he is going to do good things and he has integrity. he is really going to do a great job, i just know it. >> reporter: talk about the ugliness. politics brings it out and people. people talked about how ugly it unfortunate but it did get just as ugly this time as it did four years ago. it's the same thing. people said the same stuff and it was awful. it was really bad. i'm just glad that the voters saw through that this time and didn't believe that attack ad and here we are. i'm just happy that it didn't work. >> reporter: leslie from me,

paul penzone talked about the rucki reference and you said the good guy won the second time. what was that about? >> rocky and apollo our friends after that so i don't know but i just said in rocky two, he wins. in one, which i consider four years ago, he went the distance but now, when we did it again, i said you went the distance the first time, the second time you're going to win.>> reporter: a bright spot for the democrats in arizona. thank you so much, veronica. congratuti she says she was nervous until the end but her husband has ousted sheriff joe arpaio. we will send it back to you in the studio. >> veronica penzone sounding excited with good reason. let's show you what is happening right now because we're getting word that we have 200 student protesters, there you see it, live images happening right now. we are told that they are marching toward mcso.

afternoon. again, a lot of younger students, not necessarily able to vote. however, they said we still want our voices to be heard and it is time for sheriff joe to go. there you see it at this hour, almost 10:15 pm at night even though the race has already been called in favor of paul penzone. they are out there letting their voices be heard and celebrating. >> this is something that the latino community, and maricopa county, not everyone necessarily, but a of the latino community has been waiting for this, for the sheriff to be ousted. that's not an indictment against arpaio on our part but it's something we know has been the sentiment in the latino community. they have arrived at mcso headquarters and they are celebrating. they walked out of class earlier today. they assembled at grant park when they heard that paul

made their way to mcso headquarters where we see them live now in the is live at 12news pictures. this is the combination for them of what has been a long battle and is what they see as unjust treatment against the latino county in maricopa county. >> it has been a long road. it started off with student protesters earlier today but it's now a mixed group. young and old coming together right now at mcso headquarters. we talked a little bit about the impact of the latino vote and the fact that we had historic numbers of latinos registering to vote during these elections and i think it's safe to say when it comes to the race for maricopa county sheriff, that road, i'm going to go ahead and say it, i think was decisive. it made a huge impact. they said after more than 20

you see it. it has been officially called. paul penzone is now the new sheriff elect. interestingly, no word yet from sheriff joe arpaio. we haven't heard from him. which is unusual. >> while he has never lost a race for maricopa county sheriff so he is in uncharted territory and i'm sure just being devil's advocate, this is a devastating night for him because despite polling numbers that showed paul penzone wildest imagination, that he ever thought when push came to shove that he would lose. >> and when we asked paul penzone if he had heard from arpaio yet and he said now, just like you said, he is used to giving acceptance speeches for the last couple of decades. it looks like a pretty significant crowd. a mixture of people out there celebrating.

impressive for far too long. >> six years ago, then four years ago, thus for two 2016. it looks like in the presidential say -- presidential race, donald trump's leading but a clear shift in maricopa county. >> i think you are right. i think what we're seeing here is a microcosm of what we see playing ac and that is whether it's latino issues or just a dissatisfaction with the political status quo, which perhaps hillary clinton represented, people want to change. the latinos wanted changes in their sheriff. nationally, people wanted different politics. they want a fresh voice. whether or not you agree with donald trump and the way he conducts himself and his brusque, aggressive, sometimes

>> and we are looking at what i would call a mixture of protest/rallies,/celebrations happening at mcso headquarters. again, much has been said about the latino vote and its impact on many of the races, especially on the presidential race this year. today, i had the chance to speak with josi diaz, the main anchor for telemundo and nbc nightly news sa also msnbc anchor. a very busy man. we broke down by the numbers and facts starting with the key state that is so far, a lot of people were keeping a close eye on it, and i'm talking about the key state of florida. >> ? >> folks, we are winning. we are winning. >> [ cheering and applause ] >> we are going to keep our

simple. >> let me give you an example of something that is quite extraordinary. not only has there been a record number of voters that have turned out in early voting that out of the latinos that floated before 8 november, 38% had never voted before.>> think about those numbers. that is going to be reflected throughout the country vanessa. >> as you said, florida one of the key states to watch but it's not just florida. we are also talki here in arizona, we have thin making history as far as the number of newly registered hispanic voters. what does this mean and what is this talk about the changing demographics we are seeing in the united states? certainly again, a historic election no matter which way you look at it from the historic hispanic perspective. >> you know this better than anyone else, the fact is that for many years people have been talking about the possibility of the strength of the

first of all, they have been closely watching what has been going on and for over a year, they have been seeing and hearing this election and today i think they are going to come forward and say we're not going to stand by and let others decide for us. >> it was a really interesting conversation, not enough time. perhaps some of the lt that latino vote. >> they feel vindication tonight and their voices have been heard when it comes to maricopa county sheriff. this large group started earlier today. they walked out of their classes at a couple of high schools, marched to grant park in phoenix where they had a rally and then went home and dispersed wednesday found that paul penzone had won the race.

important race in our state tonight. that race for maricopa county sheriff between joe arpaio and paul penzone. again, arpaio has lost tonight. we have some of that. are you hearing anything about a possible joe arpaio appearance? >> nothing yet, nothing yet. [ indiscernible -- low volume ] >> we are having some problems with joe's microphone. we will get back to him as soon as possible. >> it's been a long night for everyone. again, those voters, the protesters assembling down at mcso headquarters celebrating

a new sheriff of maricopa county. these are live pictures at mcso headquarters. i haven't heard good numbers but it looks like a couple of hundred protesters are down there but i don't know if they are celebrating. >> i have to wonder for the employees of mcso, for those deputies who have been part of that department for so many years, under sheriff joe arpaio, what is going through their minds right now? certainly again, this is a shift in what is going to be happening inside of that department and as brahm resnik said, what paul penzone is inheriting is not an easy task. he is going to have to do major restructuring and who knows what else when he goes into mcso. as we all know, pretty much ruled by an iron fist on behalf

>> and one of the things he has to repair, something police all over the country are doing is restoring trust within the community whether it's the african-american community, the latino community, there is a mistrust of law enforcement across the country and that is something that mcso has not dealt with in a proper way. that's one of the things that i think paul penzone will be dealing with is restoring the trust of the latino community when it comes to the mcso sheriff's department. >> andre arpaio campaign on these results. i am going to go ahead and read it to our viewers. it says "it has been an honor and privilege to serve the people as it sheriff of maricopa county for the last 24 years. tonight, the people have spoken and while ava and i are disappointed in the votes, we respect their decision. we want to congratulate paul penzone on his victory and look forward to working with him on a seamless transition.

the people of maricopa county for the faith and trust they put into me. i am also grateful for the tremendous work and dedication of every employee in my office, their selfless dedication in protecting and serving the people is to be greatly admired." i can, that is a statement just put out on behalf of the arpaio campaign accepting these results that give paul penzone the win for maricopa county sheriff. >> so he didn't, and camera but he did offer what appears to be a very classy, gracious confessing statement who after so many years of ruling mcso as sheriff has lost his race tonight to paul penzone. let's go now to the races for congress between republican sheriff paul w and tom o >> that's another sheriff that

is losing 53 to 43 to tom o that's the largest district in the state and one of the largest in the country. he may not be here. from his campaign spokesperson, he tells me he is traveling back from northeast arizona. they plan on watching the results come in. he says historically, republicans lose coconino county, by a 2-1 margin and it will be a long night, he -- and many districts are left to report. we have a lot of mail-in ballots left to report. he is hoping to make up that deficit by the end of the election. >> thanks, well. we have pictures coming in from sky 12. it looks like the crowd is

a lot of these people, many young latinos, made their way to mcso headquarters once it was announced that paul penzone had defeated sheriff arpaio for sheriff of maricopa county. >> we saw the arpaio campaign releasing a short statement on behalf of his team and basically saying it has been an honor and privilege to serve for the last 24 years and they congratulated paul penzone on his victory. >> so far it looks like everything is peaceful down there. the crowd doesn't look too big. we haven't seen or heard any violence. i know krystle henderson has made it there. she was at grant park and made her way quickly down to mcso headquarters. she is kind of surveying the scene and getting ready to get going for us here soon to tell us what they are talking about. we don't know exactly what they are saying but we can only imagine they are definitely happy with the results tonight

household name, probably the most famous law enforcement in the united states, joe arpaio has been defeated tonight. >> the self-proclaimed toughest sheriff in america. the sheriff has his reporters and has had them for a long time so tonight they are sitting at home may be watching this happening and saying it's time to basically say there will be time for a change, time to move on. happy but -- >> he has had a tremendous following. >> crystal is down there. i think she is ready. what is it like down there? >> reporter: just caught up with holes -- where the whole group went. the energy has gone to another level. you can see everybody now

and also sharing in their victory of all their hard work. they have been going door-to- door. they've been protesting. of course, many students also walking out. and now, they are coming together, knowing that paul penzone is going to be the new sheriff, definitely sharing and a lot of celebration, a lot of applause. you are actually seeing them speak now. this group called puente. >> our work is not over. we are here to make sure that arpaio knows we took him out. we worked really hard. the same people he went after came and voted him out. and also a message to sheriff penzone. we will be here to make sure he does things right. >> reporter: we're going to send it back to you in the studio. >> crystal is why that mcso

have gathered. they walked out of class this morning and marched to grant park. they made their way once they heard paul penzone had won down to mcso headquarters and you just heard they have issued a challenge to sheriff elect paul penzone that they will be watching. >> again, that race in maricopa county made official but there is still that presidential election that we are keeping a close eye on ec still very tight. it does not seem like it will be coming to an end anytime soon. we will continue to have the very best coverage right here on 12news. decision night in america. i guarantee you, lots of people right now, on the edge of their seats.>> that includes us. we will be here for quite some time. make sure you stay with 12news online tonight.

page has been putting out updates, our 12news apt, and our live streams that are going on right now as well. >> whether you like the results were not, this is what makes america great. people getting out, their voices heard and we're seeing that all over the country. we are back in a few minutes. welcome back. democracy plaza at rockefeller center. there is the national vote as we have it based on the projections right now. trump leading 48% to 47%. that's the popular vote. let's look at the electoral vote. the race to 270. trump right now at 244 and clinton at 209. a number of states here are too close to call. among the many things we're watching, things seem to be tilting toward donald trump.