This may not come as a surprise, but the smartest politician in the state right now is certainly not Kali Lake, who is digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole with the McCain faction of the party.
It's not Gov. Katie Hobbs, but she has learned from a difficult first year, as evidenced by her recent preference for home-cooked tamales.
And it's certainly not Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who mistakenly assumed Arizona voters wanted a centrist representative who could get things done.
No, the politician making money in this election is Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
Rachel Mitchell clashes with MAGA
Mitchell is a law-and-order prosecutor who has spent decades arresting sex offenders.
She was appointed county attorney in 2022 following the ouster of Alistair Adel and easily won election later that year, but Lake and the rest of Trump's America First party were defeated. .
She is a traditional conservative Republican, an increasingly rare type of Republican who values facts over conspiracy theories.
That led her to ask a judge to not only defend Maricopa County against Mr. Lake's election challenges, but also to order Team Lake, which lost not once but twice in court, to pay the county's legal costs. Ta.
For daring to hold Lake accountable, she Condemned by the far-right Maricopa County Republican CommitteeIn June, she called on “motivated and qualified Republicans” to challenge her.
Mitchell refused to extradite the criminal.
Enter Gina Godbee here.
The longtime prosecutor, who lost to Mr. Mitchell in 2022, is seeking re-election, saying the county is a “brave nation that will confront rising crime, restore trust in our cherished institutions, and ensure justice and accountability for all.” We deserve a leader who is a leader.”
MAGA queen Lake herself supports Godbehere, urging people to sign her nomination petition “if we want to root out corruption and prosecute real criminals.”
Mr. Mitchell broke with Mr. Lake and the party's far-right brain trust this week, announcing that he would not extradite Raad al-Mansouri, wanted for the bludgeoning of a woman to death earlier this month, to New York.
Al Mansoori is surprising arrest weekend after the non-fatal stabbings of two women.
“Having watched Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg treat violent criminals in the New York area, I believe it is safer to keep him here and in custody,” Mitchell announced.
She got a huge prop from 'Fox and Friends'
It was a great political move — never mind that she just followed suit. State Law.
Mitchell was sharply critical of liberal prosecutors, who have faced backlash from conservatives for refusing to release suspects on bail or charge them with certain minor crimes.
And for good measure, he's the prosecutor who will try Trump next month on charges of falsifying records to hide hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Democrats would prefer:This Rachel Mitchell matchup
Mr. Bragg effectively amplified Mr. Mitchell's message, and his office said in a statement that it was “deeply disturbing that Prosecutor Mitchell is playing political games in this murder investigation.” .
The story exploded, with national newspapers covering her and a very important date on Thursday.fox and friends”, host Ainsley Earhart flattered her quite a bit.
“On behalf of women across the country, thank you so much for being so strong,” Earhart exclaimed.
Mitchell's opponents are outraged
Mitchell's response to Bragg's appeal must have sounded like a symphony to Republican voters' ears.
“I'm putting the victim first and trying to make sure he (Almansoori) remains in custody…” Mitchell told FOX's Aisen Lee Earhart. “It was just a few weeks ago that some illegal immigrants who assaulted police officers in New York City were released.
“They had their cameras turned off when they left the jail, but where did they end up? Four of them ended up in Maricopa County and had to be detained here. I don't want that to happen. I don't want this person to come out and victimize more people.”
It was a decisive score for a candidate facing a difficult challenge in a far-right-dominated primary.
Do not you think so? Consider Godbehere's reaction when this story exploded on Wednesday.
“No excuses!” She rage on social media. “We deserve better than Maricopa County Attorney @rachel1mitchell, who finally showed up during the campaign, just by following standard procedures that allow us to prosecute violent criminals here in the first place.” Masu.
“Does she just want PROPS to do her job?
“MCAO has always tried violent felons here first before allowing extradition outside the jurisdiction to give the victim their day in court. I do not support this attempt to recover from a disastrous week…”
The irony, of course, is that it was actually a great week for Mitchell, and that's exactly what she did.
her job.
To contact Roberts, laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter). @Laurie Roberts or in the next thread @laurierobertsaz.
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