Incumbent Republican Rachel Mitchell says she’s beaten progressive Democrat Julie Gunnigle to serve out the rest of her term as Maricopa County’s lead legal counsel.
Mitchell thanked her staff at the attorney’s office Monday morning.
“As a lifelong Arizonan who has dedicated my career to the safety of our neighborhoods and families, I am deeply honored this community has overwhelmingly shown its support and trust in my leadership of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office,” Mitchell said.
As of Sunday evening, 728,219 voters chose Mitchell over the 660,227 that chose Gunnigle to lead the office.
Mitchell ran a campaign centered around law and order, saying Gunnigle’s progressive policies are what resulted in upticks in crime in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Gunnigle centered her campaign around reproductive rights, saying she wouldn’t prosecute women who get an abortion or the doctors who performed the procedures.
As this was a special election to finish former County Attorney Allister Adel’s term, Mitchell will face a reelection campaign in 2024.
Mitchell’s office is the third-largest public prosecutorial agency in America, serving nearly four million residents. She took over for Adel, who resigned in March due to addiction and mental health issues before dying a month later. Adel beat Gunnigle in 2020 to complete former County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s term after he was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2019.
Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
