2022 Maricopa County Attorney special election

The2022 Maricopa County Attorney special electiontook place on November 8, 2022, to elect theCounty AttorneyforMaricopa County, Arizona.The election was held concurrently with otherfederal and state elections,as well as a special election for District 2 on theMaricopa County Board of Supervisors.^[1]The special election was called due to the resignation ofAllister Adelin March 2022.

The primary occurred on August 2, 2022. The general election occurred on November 8, 2022. IncumbentRachel Mitchelldefeated 2020 nominee Julie Gunnigle with 52.8% of the vote.

Background

The office of Maricopa County Attorney had undergone leadership turmoil since the election ofAndrew Thomasin 2004.^[2]Thomas resigned in 2010 amidcontroversyeventually leading to his disbarment.^[3]^[4]Bill Montgomerythen defeated former County AttorneyRick Romleyin the 2010 special election.^[5]After Montgomery wascontroversially appointedto theArizona Supreme Court,^[6]^[7]Allister Adelwas appointed County Attorney in 2019. She was elected to a full term in 2020, defeating Democrat Julie Gunnigle with 46.45% of the vote.^[8]^[9]Adel announced her resignation in March 2022 amidnumerous controversies.^[10]

On April 20, 2022, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointedRachel Mitchellas the interim county attorney.^[11]

The timing of Adel's resignation was significant. If she had resigned two weeks later, the appointed interim attorney would have served until the 2024 election. Candidates had just 13 days to meet the qualification deadline by gathering and submitting approximately 4,000 valid signatures by April 4.^[12]

Republican primary

Nominee

Rachel Mitchell,appointed incumbent^[13]

Eliminated in primary

Gina Godbehere,Goodyearcity prosecutor^[14]

Withdrew

Anni Foster, general counsel to GovernorDoug Ducey^[15]
James Austin Woods, attorney and son of formerArizona Attorney General Grant Woods^[16]

Results

Republican primary results^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rachel Mitchell(incumbent)	235,299	57.1
	Republican	Gina Godbehere	175,137	42.5
	Write-in		1,704	0.4
Total votes			412,140	100.0

Democratic primary

Nominee

Julie Gunnigle, legal director forPoor People's CampaignArizona and nominee in 2020^[18]

Results

Democratic primary results^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Julie Gunnigle	312,331	99.5
	Write-in		1,461	0.5
Total votes			313,792	100.0

General election

2022 Maricopa County Attorney special election^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rachel Mitchell(incumbent)	776,615	52.83%
	Democratic	Julie Gunnigle	692,217	47.09%
	Write-in		1,167	0.08%
Total votes			1,469,999	100.0

References

^"Attorney Thomas Galvin picked for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors vacancy".KTAR.December 8, 2021.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Richardson, Bill (July 13, 202)."Electing the Maricopa County attorney is a big deal. Look at the duds we've had in office".AZCentral.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Weiss, Debra (April 2, 2010)."Controversial Maricopa Co. Attorney Resigns to Run for Ariz. AG".ABA Journal.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Ray Stern (April 10, 2012)."Andrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon Disbarred".Valley Fever.Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2014.RetrievedOctober 20,2014.
^"Montgomery, Arpaio beat Romley".Phoenix Business Journal.August 25, 2010.
^Montini, EJ (September 4, 2019)."Gov. Doug Ducey's rigged system gets Bill Montgomery on the Arizona Supreme Court".The Arizona Republic.
^Cooper, Jonathan J. (September 5, 2019)."Ducey appoints Montgomery to Arizona Supreme Court".Arizona Public Media.Associated Press.
^Maricopa County Recorder (November 13, 2020),General Election Final Results,page 21.
^Castle, Laura (November 9, 2020)."Allister Adel elected Maricopa County attorney; voters select woman for first time".Arizona Republic.RetrievedFebruary 19,2022.
^"Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel announces resignation following months of turmoil".ABC15. March 21, 2022.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
^Jenkins, Jimmy (April 20, 2022)."Rachel Mitchell appointed interim Maricopa County attorney".The Arizona Republic.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
^Garcia, Nicole (March 21, 2022)."Allister Adel: Candidates emerge in fight to replace now-resigned Maricopa County Attorney".FOX10.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Tolan, Casey (June 30, 2022)."Some big-city district attorneys vow not to prosecute abortion cases, setting up legal clashes in red states".CNN.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Schwenk, Katya (April 6, 2022)."4 Candidates on Primary Ballot for County Attorney".Phoenix New Times.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^"Republican Anni Foster drops out of Maricopa County Attorney race".KTAR.April 25, 2022.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^Resnik, Brahm (March 23, 2022)."Top prosecutor enters race for county attorney after calling on Allister Adel to step down".12NBC.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.
^^a ^bPrimary election. Final Official Results
^Jenkins, Jimmy (April 12, 2022)."These 4 candidates for Maricopa County attorney will be on the ballot".The Arizona Republic.RetrievedApril 22,2022.
^"2022 General Election Results"(PDF).

External links

Official campaign websites

[1] "Attorney Thomas Galvin picked for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors vacancy".KTAR.December 8, 2021.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[2] Richardson, Bill (July 13, 202)."Electing the Maricopa County attorney is a big deal. Look at the duds we've had in office".AZCentral.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[3] Weiss, Debra (April 2, 2010)."Controversial Maricopa Co. Attorney Resigns to Run for Ariz. AG".ABA Journal.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[4] Ray Stern (April 10, 2012)."Andrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon Disbarred".Valley Fever.Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2014.RetrievedOctober 20,2014.

[5] "Montgomery, Arpaio beat Romley".Phoenix Business Journal.August 25, 2010.

[6] Montini, EJ (September 4, 2019)."Gov. Doug Ducey's rigged system gets Bill Montgomery on the Arizona Supreme Court".The Arizona Republic.

[7] Cooper, Jonathan J. (September 5, 2019)."Ducey appoints Montgomery to Arizona Supreme Court".Arizona Public Media.Associated Press.

[8] Maricopa County Recorder (November 13, 2020),General Election Final Results,page 21.

[2020election-9] Castle, Laura (November 9, 2020)."Allister Adel elected Maricopa County attorney; voters select woman for first time".Arizona Republic.RetrievedFebruary 19,2022.

[10] "Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel announces resignation following months of turmoil".ABC15. March 21, 2022.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.

[11] Jenkins, Jimmy (April 20, 2022)."Rachel Mitchell appointed interim Maricopa County attorney".The Arizona Republic.RetrievedApril 22,2022.

[12] Garcia, Nicole (March 21, 2022)."Allister Adel: Candidates emerge in fight to replace now-resigned Maricopa County Attorney".FOX10.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[13] Tolan, Casey (June 30, 2022)."Some big-city district attorneys vow not to prosecute abortion cases, setting up legal clashes in red states".CNN.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[14] Schwenk, Katya (April 6, 2022)."4 Candidates on Primary Ballot for County Attorney".Phoenix New Times.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[15] "Republican Anni Foster drops out of Maricopa County Attorney race".KTAR.April 25, 2022.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[16] Resnik, Brahm (March 23, 2022)."Top prosecutor enters race for county attorney after calling on Allister Adel to step down".12NBC.RetrievedJuly 21,2022.

[primary-17] Primary election. Final Official Results

[18] Jenkins, Jimmy (April 12, 2022)."These 4 candidates for Maricopa County attorney will be on the ballot".The Arizona Republic.RetrievedApril 22,2022.

[19] "2022 General Election Results"(PDF).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

v t e (2021 ←)2022 United States elections(→ 2023)
U.S. Senate	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oklahoma (special) Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Utah Vermont Washington Wisconsin
U.S. House (election ratings)	Alabama Alaska at-large sp American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California 22nd sp Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida 20th sp Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois 1st Indiana 2nd sp Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota 1st sp Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska 1st sp Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York 19th sp 23rd sp North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas 34th sp U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	Alabama Lt. Gov Alaska Arizona Arkansas Lt. Gov California Lt. Gov Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Lt. Gov Guam Hawaii Idaho Lt. Gov Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada Lt. Gov New Hampshire New Mexico New York Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Lt. Gov Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Lt. Gov South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Lt. Gov U.S. Virgin Islands Vermont Lt. Gov Wisconsin Wyoming
Attorneys general	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Mexico New York North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Texas Vermont Wisconsin
Secretaries of state	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Ohio Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Vermont Washington (special) Wisconsin Wyoming
State treasurers	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Maryland Massachusetts Nebraska Nevada New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Utah (special) Texas Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
Other statewide elections	Arizona Corporation Commission State Superintendent Arkansas Land Commissioner Auditor California Board of Equalization Controller Insurance Commissioner State Superintendent Colorado Board of Education University Regents Connecticut Comptroller Florida Agriculture Commissioner Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Insurance Commissioner Labor Commissioner State Superintendent Illinois Comptroller Indiana Auditor Minnesota Auditor Missouri Auditor Nevada Controller New Hampshire Executive Council New Mexico Auditor Land Commissioner North Carolina Judicial Ohio Auditor Supreme Court Oklahoma Auditor Corporation Commissioner Labor Commissioner State Superintendent Oregon Labor Commissioner Texas Agriculture Commissioner Appeals Court Board of Education Land Commissioner Railroad Commissioner Supreme Court Vermont Auditor
State legislatures	Alabama House Senate Alaska House Senate Arizona House Senate Arkansas House Senate California Assembly Senate Colorado House Senate Connecticut House Senate Delaware House Senate Florida House Senate Georgia House Senate Hawaii House Senate Idaho House Senate Illinois House Senate Indiana House Senate Iowa House Senate Kansas House Kentucky House Senate Maine House Senate Maryland House Senate Massachusetts House Senate Michigan House Senate Minnesota House Senate Missouri House Senate Montana House Senate Nebraska Nevada Assembly Senate New Hampshire House Senate New Mexico House New York Assembly Senate North Carolina House Senate North Dakota House Senate Ohio House Senate Oklahoma House Senate Oregon House Senate Pennsylvania House Senate Rhode Island House Senate South Carolina House South Dakota House Senate Tennessee House Senate Texas House Senate Utah House Senate Vermont House Senate Washington House Senate West Virginia House Senate Wisconsin Assembly Senate Wyoming House Senate
Mayors	Anaheim, CA Auburn, AL Austin, TX Charlotte, NC Columbia, MO Denton, TX Gainesville, FL Greensboro, NC Henderson, NV Irvine, CA Laredo, TX Lexington, KY Little Rock, AR Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA Louisville, KY Lubbock, TX Milwaukee, WI (special) Newark, NJ Newport News, VA Norman, OK North Las Vegas, NV Oakland, CA Oklahoma City, OK Pensacola, FL Providence, RI Raleigh, NC Reno, NV San Bernardino, CA San Jose, CA Santa Ana, CA Shreveport, LA Tallahassee, FL Washington, DC
Local	Anne Arundel County, MD Baltimore County, MD Cook County, IL Cuyahoga County, OH Frederick County, MD Harford County, MD Hennepin County, MN Howard County, MD Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles County, CA Maricopa County, AZ Montgomery County, MD Navajo Nation Orange County, CA Board of Supervisors District Attorney Philadelphia, PA Portland, OR Prince George's County, MD San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Board of Education (recall) District Attorney recall special Shelby County, TN Tulsa, OK Washington, DC Wicomico County, MD
Statewide	Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas U.S. Virgin Islands Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Other	ballot measures