Arizona Attorney General election, 2018

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


2022
2014
Arizona Attorney General
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 30, 2018
Primary: August 28, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Mark Brnovich (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Arizona
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Arizona
executive elections
Governor

Attorney general
Secretary of state
Treasurer
Superintendent of public instruction
Mine inspector
Corporation commission

Incumbent Mark Brnovich (R) defeated January Contreras (D) in the 2018 general election for Arizona Attorney General.

Brnovich was first elected in 2014 by a margin of 6 percentage points after unseating incumbent Tom Horne (R) in the Republican primary. Of the ten preceding attorney general elections, a Republican candidate won seven—including Brnovich's victory in 2014—and a Democratic candidate won three. At the time of the 2018 election, the most recent Democratic candidate to win an attorney general election in Arizona was Terry Goddard in 2006.[1] In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) carried Arizona by a margin of 4 percentage points.

Despite Brnovich's victory in the attorney general election and Doug Ducey's (R) victory in the gubernatorial election, the Republican triplex in Arizona was broken as a result of Katie Hobbs' (D) victory in the secretary of state election.



Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arizona

Incumbent Mark Brnovich defeated January Contreras in the general election for Attorney General of Arizona on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Brnovich
Mark Brnovich (R)
 
51.7
 
1,201,398
Image of January Contreras
January Contreras (D) Candidate Connection
 
48.3
 
1,120,726

Total votes: 2,322,124
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona

January Contreras advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of January Contreras
January Contreras Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
464,510

Total votes: 464,510
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona

Incumbent Mark Brnovich advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Brnovich
Mark Brnovich
 
100.0
 
561,370

Total votes: 561,370
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

No Libertarian candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Mark Brnovich, state attorney general
MarkBrnovich2015.png

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: Arizona Attorney General (Assumed office: 2015)

Biography: Brnovich graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in political science and obtained his law degree from the University of San Diego. After working as a prosecutor with the Maricopa County Attorney's office for six years, Brnovich joined the state attorney general's office, where he represented the state Department of Gaming for five years. After serving for a time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Brnovich returned to state government to head the state Department of Gaming.

Key messages
  • Brnovich said that he would act as a nonpartisan arbiter of justice and would enforce the law regardless of partisan affiliation.[2]
  • Brnovich said that he had been effective during his first term in office, pointing voters to press releases announcing multimillion-dollar settlements with companies including Uber and Theranos and to criminal convictions including that of an individual accused of conspiracy to commit terrorism.[2][3][4][5]
  • Brnovich stated that he had extensive legal experience, saying that he was the only candidate to have prosecuted criminal and civil cases at the local, state, and federal levels.[2]


January Contreras, attorney
January Contreras.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Contreras received her bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Arizona. She worked as a deputy Maricopa County attorney for three years before being named assistant state attorney general in 2000. Contreras spent nine years in state government, much of that time in offices related to healthcare. Contreras served for three years as an ombudsman and director with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before returning to Arizona in 2013 to serve as chief executive officer and managing attorney for the nonprofit legal aid foundation Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services. She left the organization in 2017 to launch her campaign for attorney general.

Key messages
  • Contreras said that she had fought for Arizonans many times in the past as a prosecutor and in legal aid.[6]
  • Contreras said that Brnovich has used the attorney general's office to pursue political interests, citing lawsuits filed by Brnovich relating to healthcare, mining rights, campaign finance, and sexual assault investigation procedures on universities.[7]



Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Arizona Attorney General election, 2018
Poll Poll sponsor January Contreras (D) Mark Brnovich (R)Undecided/OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
OH Predictive Insights
(October 22-23, 2018)
ABC 15 Arizona 39%53%8%+/-4.0600
OH Predictive Insights
(October 1-2, 2018)
ABC 15 Arizona 32%54%14%+/-4.0600
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Arizona Secretary of State.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[8][9][10]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • The Republican Attorneys General Association reported spending $1.5 million opposing Contreras and supporting Brnovich as of October 17, 2018, with an additional $1 million in spending planned in the lead-up to the election.[12]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites:

Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement Contreras (D) Brnovich (R)
Newspapers and editorials
Arizona Republic[13]
Elected officials
Former President Barack Obama (D)[14]
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)[15]

Timeline

  • November 1, 2018: An OH Predictive Insights poll sponsored by ABC 15 Arizona found Brnovich leading Contreras 53-39. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.0 percentage points.
  • October 17, 2018: The Arizona Republic endorsed Brnovich.
  • October 8, 2018: An OH Predictive Insights poll sponsored by ABC 15 Arizona found Brnovich leading Contreras 54-32. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.0 percentage points.

Campaign advertisements

Republican Party Mark Brnovich

Support

"Justice for All" - Brnovich campaign ad, released September 10, 2018


Debates and forums

  • Brnovich and Contreras met for a debate hosted by PBS on October 10, 2018.[16] Click here for footage of the debate.

Campaign themes

Republican Party Mark Brnovich

Brnovich's campaign website stated the following:

My name is Mark Brnovich, and I am Arizona’s current Attorney General. I was elected in 2014 after defeating the incumbent in the Republican primary and later going on to defeat my Democratic opponent in the general election.

My job is to represent all Arizonans in a non-partisan manner that upholds the rule of law. The chief law enforcement officer must not be concerned with matters of right and left, but instead with matters of right and wrong, justice. Since becoming AG in 2015, I’ve been loyal to these principles.

I’ve taken on tough fights and done what’s best for Arizona regardless of the politics. My job is to uphold the law as it is, not as I think it should be.

Our criminal division prosecuted the first ever ISIS-inspired would be terrorists in state court. We worked with the legislature to give law enforcement the tools to keep Arizonans safe.

Whether it’s going after corrupt politicians or prosecuting criminals who have harmed our citizens, I have been willing to take on the tough cases, even against large corporations like Theranos, VW, Uber, and GM. When corporations commit fraud, we’ve stood up and won, returning more than $40 million dollars to Arizona consumers.

I’m the only candidate in this race to prosecute both civil and criminal cases at the local, state and federal level.

When I was with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, I was part of a team of prosecutors who took down gang members and repeat offenders. The very worst of the worst. I’ve also worked at the Attorney General’s Office, and I was Assistant U.S. Attorney tasked with prosecuting public officials who cheated the public.

Most Arizonans play by the rules and deserve justice when they’ve been harmed by crooks. I want nothing more than to continue to seek justice for the people, and humbly ask the voters to give me that chance.[17]

Mark for AZ[18]


Democratic Party January Contreras

Contreras' campaign website stated the following:

January Conteras has a long history of fighting for Arizonans
January was a county and state prosecutor before founding a legal aid organization to protect Arizona's women, children, and families. She envisions an Arizona where every one of us feels safe, where our constitutional and civil rights are protected without fail, and where the powerful no longer get away with playing by their own set of rules.

January has worked to keep our streets safe
January put public safety first when she was a Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and an Assistant Attorney General. As a criminal prosecutor, she made sure victims were heard, and earned a reputation for being tough and fair.

January has battled against cuts to health care for Arizona's working families
January fought against special interests to fend off cuts to health care insurance when she worked as a policy advisor to Governor Napolitano, and an Assistant Director at the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).

January has protected seniors from abuse and exploitation
January prosecuted crimes as an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Attorney General, the department which she is now running to lead. She brought justice to victims and their families in elder abuse and exploitation crimes across the State.

January has stopped fraud against small businesses and the government
January was an Assistant Attorney General in the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the Office of the Attorney General, where she prosecuted fraud, waste, and abuse in our health care system to protect small businesses and taxpayer money.

January protected children who were abused and neglected
January founded a not-for-profit, Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS), so kids and young adults who have survived trauma, homelessness, and the foster care system have access to lawyers who will fight for them. In this work, January has seen first-hand the consequences of our state's opioid and heroin epidemic, and she's committed to fighting for prevention and accountability to end it.

January has taken on human traffickers
At ALWAYS, January has served Arizonans, including survivors of human trafficking. She has a passion for fighting for trafficking victims, and she will work to put a stop to these horrible crimes of greed and abuse from ever happening in Arizona again.

January combatted violence against women
At the Department of Homeland Security, January led the charge to establish the Council on Combating Violence Against Women. She has served on the White House Council on Women and Girls, contributed to the development of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, and volunteered on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. At ALWAYS, she regularly represented victims of domestic violence who would otherwise have no lawyer.

January is a proud Arizonan who cares about family - hers and yours
January is a proud Arizonan. She is a fourth-generation Arizonan and the daughter of postal workers. She attended the same school as her mother, Ann Ott Elementary School in Phoenix, before moving to Mesa and graduating from Westwood High School. She went on to earn her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

January recently celebrated her 23rd wedding anniversary, and is the proud mother of two teenage sons. As a parent, there is nothing more important to her than ensuring the safety and well-being of her children. She will work with all families and communities in Arizona to ensure the same for our kids, parents, and grandparents every day.[17]

January for Attorney General[19]


Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Republican Party Mark Brnovich Facebook

Democratic Party January Contreras Facebook


State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Arizona heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Arizona State Legislature. They had a 35-25 majority in the state House and a 17-13 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Arizona was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.

2018 elections

See also: Arizona elections, 2018

Arizona held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Arizona
 ArizonaU.S.
Total population:6,817,565316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):113,5943,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:78.4%73.6%
Black/African American:4.2%12.6%
Asian:3%5.1%
Native American:4.4%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.2%0.2%
Two or more:3.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:30.3%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:86%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.5%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$50,255$53,889
Persons below poverty level:21.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Arizona's three largest cities were Phoenix (pop. est. 1,626,078), Tucson (pop. est. 535,677), and Mesa (pop. est. 496,401).[20][21]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Arizona from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Arizona Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Arizona every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Arizona 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 48.7% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 45.1% 3.6%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 53.7% Democratic Party Barack Obama 44.6% 9.1%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 53.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 45.1% 7.5%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 54.9% Democratic Party John Kerry 44.4% 10.5%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 51.0% Democratic Party Al Gore 44.5% 5.5%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Arizona from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Arizona 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party John McCain 53.7% Democratic Party Ann Kirkpatrick 40.7% 13.0%
2012 Republican Party Jeff Flake 49.2% Democratic Party Richard Carmona 46.2% 3.0%
2010 Republican Party John McCain 58.9% Democratic Party Rodney Glassman 34.7% 24.2%
2006 Republican Party Jon Kyl 53.3% Democratic Party Jim Pederson 43.5% 9.8%
2004 Republican Party John McCain 76.7% Democratic Party Stuart Starky 20.6% 56.1%
2002 Republican Party Jon Kyl 79.3% Grey.png William Toel (I) 7.8% 7.8%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Arizona.

Election results (Governor), Arizona 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Doug Ducey 53.4% Democratic Party Fred DuVal 41.6% 11.8%
2010 Republican Party Jan Brewer 54.3% Democratic Party Terry Goddard 42.4% 12.1%
2006 Democratic Party Janet Napolitano 62.6% Republican Party Len Munsil 35.4% 27.2%
2002 Democratic Party Janet Napolitano 46.2% Republican Party Matt Salmon 45.2% 1.0%'

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Arizona in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Arizona 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 5 55.5% Democratic Party 4 44.4% R+1
2014 Republican Party 5 55.5% Democratic Party 4 44.4% R+1
2012 Republican Party 4 44.4% Democratic Party 5 55.5% D+1
2010 Republican Party 5 62.5% Democratic Party 3 37.5% R+2
2008 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
2006 Republican Party 4 50% Democratic Party 4 50% Even
2004 Republican Party 6 75% Democratic Party 2 25% R+4
2002 Republican Party 6 75% Democratic Party 2 25% R+4
2000 Republican Party 5 83.3% Democratic Party 1 16.6% R+4

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Arizona Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D
Senate D R R R R R R R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R



Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states. No counties in Arizona are Pivot Counties.

Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election. Trump won 48.7 percent of the vote, while Clinton won 45.1 percent. Arizona was one of 12 key battleground states in 2016. Of the 30 states won by Trump in 2016, Arizona had the fifth closest margin. From when it became a state in 1912 to 2016, Arizona voted Republican in 66.7 percent of presidential elections. It voted Republican in all presidential elections from 2000 to 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Arizona. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[22][23]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 12 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 25 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 14 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 27.5 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 18 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 22.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 16 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points.


Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona attorney general election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

Arizona government:

Elections:

Ballotpedia exclusives:

External links

Footnotes

  1. Smart Politics, "The Longest Partisan State Attorney General Streaks in the Nation," October 25, 2018
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mark Brnovich for Attorney General, "Priorities," accessed October 23, 2018
  3. Mark Brnovich for Arizona Attorney General, "AZ Man Sentenced on Terrorism Charges," November 4, 2016
  4. Mark Brnovich for Arizona Attorney General, "AZAG Obtains $4.65M for Consumers in Theranos Settlement," April 18, 2017
  5. Mark Brnovich for Arizona Attorney General, "Arizona to get $2.7M under settlement with Uber," September 26, 2018
  6. January for Arizona, "Get to Know January," accessed October 23, 2018
  7. January Contreras for Attorney General, "The Brnovich Briefs," accessed October 23, 2018
  8. OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  10. National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  11. Arizona Republic, "Tom Steyer's clean-energy group targets Brnovich, vulnerable Republican lawmakers," October 13, 2018
  12. 12.0 12.1 Arizona Republic, "'Ground zero for Democrats': Most spending on Arizona AG race coming from out of state," October 17, 2018
  13. Arizona Republic, "Have politics ruined the Arizona Attorney General's Office? Not exactly," October 17, 2018
  14. Arizona Republic, "Obama endorses Kyrsten Sinema and Democrats in Arizona governor, AG races," October 1, 2018
  15. The Hill, "Biden endorses first Latina attorney general candidate in Arizona," August 20, 2018
  16. Arizona Republic, "Attorney General Mark Brnovich, challenger January Contreras meet in first debate," October 10, 2018
  17. 17.0 17.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  18. Mark for Arizona, "Issues," accessed October 23, 2018
  19. January for Attorney General, "Get to Know January," accessed October 23, 2018
  20. Arizona Demographics, "Arizona Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
  21. U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Arizona," accessed August 30, 2018
  22. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  23. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017