In Maricopa County, national politics oozes out of the battle for attorney general.

Republicans fear her challenger will turn Metro Phoenix into a sanctuary for illegal border crossers. It mercilessly unites dissenters.

Immigration and the end of Roe v. Wade are important issues. But who will be the next Maricopa County attorney is not the focus of this story.

Longtime district attorney Rachel Mitchell is the Republican nominee.

“This race, unlike many others, will have an immediate and severe impact on people’s quality of life if certain policies are not followed and police are not supported.

Democratic challengers have promised to hold police accountable. Julie Gannigle is calling on voters to deport Mitchell.

“Where we differ dramatically is the vision of what that job needs to look like and what justice looks like in our county,” Ganigur said.

At the heart of the myriad of disagreements is the situation of the gigantic prosecutor’s office that both sides want to control. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is often crooked.

“We are not talking about lawyers on your side. This is corruption of leadership issues,” said Gannigur.

Mitchell says not now. The office needed an experienced prosecutor and a strong leader. she says it’s her.

Yes, Mitchell admits bad decisions were made, like bogus gang accusations against protesters, before being appointed at the end of April.

No, she doesn’t believe the federal civil rights investigation into the Phoenix Police Department should be extended to the county attorney’s office.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate in this situation. This situation has been cleaned up,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell anchors her platform in restoring trust with victims, communities and law enforcement. She also presents herself to voters as the only option to stop the hordes of violent criminals who abuse the bleeding heart policies found in cities like San Francisco and Chicago.

“I’m not here to crush people who can raise their hands and return to their communities, but I’m here to keep them safe from those who want to harm them,” Mitchell said. said.

Transforming offices to suit Arizona’s high incarceration rate is central to Gunigl’s campaign. Her website has plans to advocate reform, confront systemic racism, and prosecute crimes against the most vulnerable.

Gunigl 2022

Julie Gannigle

But Gunnigle disputes being called a progressive. That’s because, she says, her platform is an effort to cut spending to keep people in jail.

“As you know, what we face in Arizona is very different from the rest of the country because we are aligned,” Ganigur said.

Missing from the Gunnigle issue page is the word gun violence. She treats it as a public health crisis to identify why people commit crimes.

“And when you look at the root causes of gun violence, it repeats again and again lack of economic opportunity, lack of treatment for mental health problems, lack of treatment for addiction,” Ganigur said. I got

Mitchell has focused on gun crime. Her prosecutors have joined the ongoing crackdown with federal authorities and the Phoenix Police Department. She also changed her policy to require prison terms for plea bargains for certain crimes involving firearms.

“It concerns, for example, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and felons with firearms,” ​​Mitchell said.

That means it doesn’t apply to the case of a former state prison warden accused of gun disorder and illegal shooting. Charles Ryan was arrested in January following a standoff with Tempe police at his home.

“But technically, those charges are not included in this. As far as any kind of plea bargain, we can’t really talk about it because it’s still an ongoing lawsuit,” Mitchell said. Told.

For Gannigle, this is proof of the double standard.

“Our county absolutely has a two-tiered justice system, the rich, the powerful, the well-connected, which holds the police to a different standard than anyone else,” Ganigur said.

Ryan could go to jail if found guilty at trial, and the trial will most likely not start until voters choose who will be Maricopa County’s attorney by 2024.

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