Arizona Rep. Diego Rodriguez announces run for attorney general

PHOENIX — Another Democrat has joined the race to be Arizona’s next attorney general.

State Rep. Diego Rodriguez of Laveen made the announcement Thursday, promising to rely on his extensive experience in Arizona’s criminal justice system to “bring transparency, integrity and accountability back to the attorney general’s office.”

“For years, the attorney general’s office has been run by special interests groups who sought to line their own pockets rather than protect the people of Arizona,” Rodriguez said in the announcement. “As corporations raked in profits and power, working class Arizonans struggled to get by.

“As your next attorney general, I will use my experience in both the State House and the courtroom to stand up to corporate interests, help Arizona’s hardworking families get back on their feet, protect our most vulnerable citizens, and bring real change to our criminal justice system.”

Rodriguez has been in office since 2009.

Prior to his time in the Legislature, Rodriguez spent four years as a prosecutor for the Pima County Attorney’s misdemeanor unit before starting his own law firm in 2008 that specializes in criminal defense and personal injury cases.

His announcement comes one day after fellow Democrat Kris Mayes tossed her name into the ring for the office.

Former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, onetime 1st Congressional District candidate Tiffany Shedd and former Border Patrol section chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Lacy Cooper are vying for the position on the Republican side.

Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich is term-limited and running for U.S. Senate in 2022.

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