Candidates for Arizona attorney general faced off Thursday in a debate hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They covered election systems, border security and abortion rights.
Democrat Kris Mayes said if she takes office, she won’t enforce abortion laws because she believes they violate the right to privacy guaranteed by Arizona’s Constitution.
“I do think that it is important for any attorney general to not enforce blatantly unconstitutional laws,” Mayes said.
Mayes raised concerns about her Republican opponent Abe Hamadeh’s views on elections.
Hamadeh repeated debunked theories that voter fraud played a role in the 2020 election.
"We have lost faith and confidence in our elections," Hamadeh said, adding that he does not support voting by mail. “The entire purpose of mail-in ballots was actually for military members who were serving overseas, and now they’ve shifted the goalposts. So I think in order to secure our elections, we have to have confidence in them.”
Hamadeh also said Arizona needs increased border security. And he said Mayes does not support the police. Mayes called that claim "ridiculous."
The candidates are scheduled to meet again for a televised debate on Arizona PBS on Sept. 28.
