2026 Election: Arizona Republican Attorney General candidates debate

PHOENIX - The two candidates in the Republican Party primary for Arizona Attorney General are set to take part in a debate on May 28.

Here's what to know.

Who's organizing the debate?

Per their website, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission is the official debate sponsor.

Who will take part in this debate?

The two candidates who will take part in this debate are Rodney Glassman and Warren Petersen.

Dig deeper:

Both candidates have prior experience in government offices. On his campaign website, Glassman said he once served as a member of the Tucson City Council, and worked as the acting town manager of Cave Creek after he moved to the Phoenix area.

As for Peterson, he is the current president of the Arizona State Senate. His campaign website states that he has served in the Arizona State Legislature since 2012, when he was first elected to the State House.

What are the two candidates running on?

Rodney Glassman (left) and Warren Petersen (right)

Both Glassman and Petersen have listed their political positions on their respective campaign website.

Glassman

On his issues page, Glassman advocates for an immediate increase of National Guard presence at the U.S. - Mexico border in Arizona, expand the Arizona Rangers, and "establish a new legal mechanism to expeditiously adjudicate" massive immigration caseloads, which Glassman blames on Former President Joe Biden.

Glassman also advocates for prosecuting cartel members to the fullest extent of the law, advocating for law enforcement across the state, and creating a hotline for voters to directly report acts of fraud.

It should be noted that according to a June 2021 report by the Associated Press, acts of voter fraud in Arizona election are rare. The article states that county election officials in the state identified less than 200 cases of potential voter fraud, out of the more than three million ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election.

Petersen

Some of the political positions listed on Petersen's campaign site include "protecting opportunities for female athletes," protecting 2nd Amendment rights, enforcing Arizona laws as they were written, and hold criminals accountable.

What about the Democratic Party debate?

According to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, there is only one candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Attorney General: incumbent Kris Mayes.

Big picture view:

On the Citizens Clean Elections Commission's website, it is stated that only contested races will have a debate. Therefore, a Democratic Party debate for the Attorney General primary was not organized.

When are the primaries?

Primary elections will happen statewide on July 21, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.