Outgoing Democratic lawmaker endorses Warren Petersen for attorney general
Rep. Lydia Hernandez crossed party lines for Warren Petersen after losing her primary and being censured by legislative district 24 democrats.
Warren Petersen, left, and Democratic state Rep. Lydia Hernandez. Hernandez endorsed Petersen for attorney general after being censured by her own party and losing her 2026 primary. (Campaign photos & KTAR illustration)
(Campaign photos & KTAR illustration)
Outgoing Democratic state Rep. Lydia Hernandez has endorsed Republican Warren Petersen in the race for Arizona attorney general, crossing party lines to back the GOP nominee over incumbent Democrat Kris Mayes.
“The Attorney General must keep our families safe, protect our students and stand up for our schools and Warren Petersen is the only candidate for the job,” Hernandez said in a statement released by the Petersen campaign.
Petersen, the current Arizona Senate president, won the Republican primary in July with about 56% of the vote.
He framed the endorsement as evidence of bipartisan appeal, saying he and Hernandez “know how to work together in the best interest of the people we represent.”
A Democratic endorsement from a lawmaker her own party already left behind
The Legislative District 24 Democratic Party formally censured Hernandez in October 2025, citing a pattern of voting with Republicans on bills related to reproductive rights, tipped worker wages and immigration enforcement.
The censure resolution, which was amended in June 2026, also cited her endorsements of Republican candidates including former Gov. Doug Ducey and former Secretary of State Michele Reagan.
Hernandez lost her Democratic primary in July, finishing third in the four-way race for Arizona House District 24 with 14.3% of the vote.
The Petersen endorsement comes as Hernandez is set to leave office in January with no path back to the Legislature.
— Sen. Analise Ortiz (@senanaliseortiz.bsky.social) (@SenAnaliseOrtiz) September 18, 2026
Mayes leads Petersen 44% to 38% among likely voters, with 16% undecided, according to an August poll by Noble Predictive Insights.
Mayes touts her own cross party endorsements
Earlier this month, more than a dozen former prosecutors from both parties endorsed Mayes’ reelection in an open letter. Among them, former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, a Republican who served four terms leading the state’s largest prosecutor’s office.
“I’m a Republican, and I’m a career prosecutor,” Romley said in a news release from the Mayes campaign. “Warren Petersen doesn’t have that experience, and many of his votes in the Legislature have made the job harder for prosecutors and law enforcement.”
Hernandez did not respond to a request for comment.
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Comments
1 Comments
Not exactly sure how Peterson thinks this will benefit him in the election. Hernandez has been more R than D it seems during her time in the legislature.