2022 Elections: Arizona Attorney General candidates Hamadeh, Mayes face off in televised debate

On Sept. 28, the two major candidates vying to be Arizona's next attorney general took the stage for a televised debate.

During the debate, Democrat Kris Mayes and Republican Abe Hamadeh sparred over the issues they believe challenge Arizona, and the mood definitely intensified as the debate went on.

Mayes, a former Republican and Arizona Corporation Commissioner, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Hamadeh is a former Maricopa County prosecutor with the backing of former President Donald Trump.

Both candidates have polar opposite views on some major issues, but one issue - abortion - stood out, with Hamadeh saying that as Attorney General, it’s his job to enforce the law, and that Mayes ‘picks and chooses’ based on her personal beliefs.

Mayes, meanwhile, said Arizona's current abortion laws violate the Arizona constitution, and that she would not prosecute any doctor, nurse or pharmacist helping a woman with an abortion.

"For you to sit there and say that I'm picking laws is ridiculous," said Mayes. "The women of this state do not deserve to have the Attorney General, the current one or the one who is sitting across me who wants to be the Attorney General who will force them, who think they have the right to tell a woman what to do with their bodies."

"Reasonable people can disagree with abortion," said Hamadeh. "There's an argument to be made on both sides, but I'm tasked to uphold the law, which is what I'll do."

Mayes and Hamadeh also spoke about the 2020 Election, with Hamadeh bringing up unproven election fraud claims.

Continuing 2022 Elections Coverage

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