Julie Gunnigle/ Campaign photo
By Stacey Barchenger Arizona Republic
As embattled Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel closes her tenure this week, she steps away from a demoralizedoffice and opens up a coveted political seat — and a fierce battle for her replacement.
Within hours of Adel announcing her resignation Monday — a surprise given her prior insistence she would not step down — political circles began churning with talk of who would enter the race.
Less than two days later, by Wednesday morning, seven attorneys had signaled their interest in leading the nation’s third-largest prosecutor’s office.
Democrat Julie Gunnigle, who previously ran but lost to Adel in the 2020 general election, gathered the 4,289 signatures she needed to get on the ballot in less than a day.
“I remain committed to doing justice for Maricopa County,” she said in an interview. “And for the first time in recent memory, we have an opportunity to put someone in that spot that will actually be able to make the changes that are necessary.”
Gunnigle is the only Democrat so far to put together a campaign to seek the office. On the Republican side, five contenders are poised for a tough primary fight, assuming each can gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot.
