Incumbent Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell declared victory Monday morning over challenger Julie Gannigle in the midterm elections.
Her lead was up to 83,000 after the last big vote was tallied on Monday night. About 14,500 votes remain.
Mitchell murmured He thanked his supporters and community and said he was “extremely honored” for their support and trust in her leadership.
Gunigl conceded shortly after Mitchell tweeted the win. The race “is not the result we wanted,” she said in her statement.
Ganigur, a reform-minded Democrat, said the Republican opposition’s victory “means the continuation of a legacy of corruption within the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Maricopa County residents deserve better.”
Voters in the Maricopa County Attorney race faced a clear choice between two different approaches to criminal justice.
It bothered Republican Mitchell, the current county attorney. Appointed after Alistair Adele’s resignationagainst Ganigur, an outsider and critic of the institution.
Adele’s resignation has resulted in a special election to select who will serve the remainder of her term ending on January 1, 2025.
Full election results may not be available for several days. Early results can be reversed when later votes are counted. Early voters, those who vote in person on Election Day, and those who drop off their ballots at the polling place may all have different preferences.
Earlier on Election Day, a spokesperson for Gannigle said her team was spread out across the valley to talk to voters.
“We knocked on thousands of doors and Julie met and spoke to tens of thousands of voters across the county in person. We consistently found what people knew about MCAO’s patterns of corruption and collusion. ‘ said Dawn, a spokesperson for Ganigle. Penich. “Julie has stayed true to her values, stayed grounded in her community, elevated other candidates with her negative votes, and demonstrated what her Gunnigur-led MCAO looks like. , being transparent and responsive to the community.”
Election coverage: Arizona Election Results
Penich said he expected Ganniglu’s team to be a close match and didn’t expect Tuesday night’s final result.
Mitchell’s campaign spokesman, Bobby Charrett, said before the poll closed that the Mitchell campaign had confidence in the campaign they had been doing.
“Rachel has spent the last seven months traveling back and forth in Maricopa County, cleaning up backlog cases and bringing confidence to the office,” Charrett said. “Voters across the county agree that safe neighborhoods are a top priority, and support Rachel because she’s the only candidate with the experience and results of keeping communities safe.”
Mitchell has served as Director of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and has overseen the prosecution team, particularly the Sex Crimes Division. Because of her experience, she was directed by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to question witnesses at hearings. 2018 Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Gunnigle is private lawyer In the areas of civil and appellate litigation, administrative law and professional licensing. She served as a prosecutor in Indiana from 2006 until she was in 2007 and in Illinois from 2009 until she was in 2011. Ganigur previously ran for county attorney, but she lost to Adele in the 2020 general election.
Mitchell flaunts more than 30 years of experience in the agency she hopes to lead, while Ganigur has more limited prosecution experience and leans into the role of an outsider, She promises to reform what she calls a corrupt institution.
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Ganigur outlined criminal justice reform priorities that were heavily reflected in her 2020 campaign. Ganigur said she wanted to end excessive incarceration and promised to make expungement of marijuana convictions universal and automatic. He is the only candidate who has said he will not prosecute related cases.
‘This race is important’ Mitchell told the Arizona Republic in July“Gun crime, murder, organized retail theft, and drug trafficking affect communities across the country. The safety of our communities rests on county attorneys prosecuting dangerous criminals.” Services are available to those struggling with mental illness and substance abuse as needed so that they can become contributing members of society.”
Mitchell has established himself as a “police-backed” candidate with endorsements from the Arizona Police Fraternity. Gannigle is endorsed by NORML, the National Organization for Marijuana Law Reform. She said it was the first time she was an elected candidate for a public prosecutor’s office and reflected her support for universal and automatic expungement of marijuana convictions.
Got news tips for the County Attorney’s Office? Contact reporters at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or 812-243-5582. follow him on twitter @Jimmy Jenkins.
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This article originally appeared in the Republic of Arizona. Mitchell beats Gannigle in Maricopa County attorney fight
