Arizona attorney general battle going down to wire as count winds down
Nov 18, 2022, 1:26 PM | Updated: Nov 19, 2022, 6:58 pm
From left, Republican Arizona attorney general candidate Abraham Hamadeh and Democratic opponent Kris Mayes. (AP Photos)
(AP Photos)
PHOENIX – The race for Arizona attorney general was nearly a dead heat Friday with more than 99% of the state’s ballots counted.
Democrat Kris Mayes’ lead over Republican Abe Hamadeh ticked up to 850 votes after Maricopa Country dropped 1,843 ballots Saturday night, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office website.
Mayes headed into the day with a 570-vote advantage.
Regardless of who comes out on top, the final margin will be close enough to trigger an automatic full recount under Arizona election law.
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Of the over 2.5 million ballots cast, no more than about 10,000 remained uncounted statewide, according to the Secretary of State’s Office estimates. Some of the outstanding ballots are provisionals, which have to be verified or they won’t count.
Maricopa, Pima and Apache were the only counties who hadn’t completed their tallies.
With incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman conceding to Republican challenger Tom Horne on Thursday morning, attorney general is the final undecided major race in the state.
Mayes, an attorney and former Republican who served on the Arizona Corporation Commission, pledged during her campaign to tackle issues such as consumer fraud, elder abuse and fentanyl abuse.
Hamadeh, a former prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, quickly became a front-runner in GOP primary polling after former President Donald Trump endorsed him in June.
