Republican Prosecutor Wins Maricopa County DA Race

An elections worker scans mail in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 7, 2022. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Democrat candidate Julie Gunnigle conceded to Republican Rachel Mitchell in the Maricopa County district attorney’s race on Nov. 14.

Although not all votes have been counted in the race, Mitchell has been ahead of Gunnigle for several days. Gunnigle conceded earlier this week, while Mitchell issued a statement declaring victory.

Gunnigle, a Democrat, claimed that the results prove “a continuation of the legacy of corruption within the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.”

“The change we need won’t happen this year, but we aren’t deterred. We vow to keep our eye on this office and, along with the community, continue to demand better for all people in Maricopa County,” she said in a statement conceding defeat.

“Public safety isn’t partisan,” Mitchell said in a news release. “All Arizonans demand safe communities in which to live, work, and raise their children.”

Mitchell told AZFamily: “I don’t really see the county attorney’s office as partisan. I am here to serve all of the public in Maricopa County. I didn’t see this as a Republican versus a Democrat. This race was really theories of prosecution. This is a prosecutor versus, frankly, a social activist. And people want to live in safe communities.”

Gunnigle took $6,550 from Way to Lead PAC, which itself received funds from left-wing billionaire investor George Soros’s Democracy PAC, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Left-wing criminal justice reform policies have triggered backlash across the United States after violent crime rates have soared in recent years. Some activist groups, including Black Lives Matter, have called for abolishing police departments, ending cash bail, and even releasing some prisoners.

In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are working to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who reportedly took campaign funds from a Soros-linked group, after homicides spiked in the city. Voters in San Francisco also recalled former District Attorney Chesa Boudin after he wouldn’t prosecute some lower-level offenses.

Mitchell’s win in Maricopa County, the most populous in Arizona, comes as Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters lost his bid to incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). The race between GOP candidate Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs for Arizona’s governor’s seat was also called by The Associated Press earlier this week, although Lake hasn’t conceded.

Officials in Maricopa County last week confirmed that vote-tabulation machines experienced issues on Election Day, while Hobbs, the current secretary of state, received criticism for not recusing herself during the election.