PHOENIX — The campaign trail is a relatively new spot for Abraham “Abe” Hamadeh. At a candidate forum in September, he told the small group in attendance why he believes he’s the best option to become Arizona’s next attorney general, pointing to his time in the military as an intelligence officer.
“The attorney general's office is a leader,” Hamadeh said at the September forum. “I think leadership skills being in the military proves that and what I was doing in Saudi Arabia - you know - punching way above my weight, negotiating with foreign governments - with the State Department's Department of Defense.”
Hamadeh also referred to his time at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office where he prosecuted criminals and said he defended victims' rights, noting his experience in the courtroom will help him if elected into office.
One of the main talking points throughout Hamadeh’s campaign has been election integrity. He's been referred to as an "election denier,” which he said is not a fair statement.
“So, I do think it's important that we regain the confidence of our elections,” Hamadeh said. “And what you saw down in Pinal County is unacceptable. When they run out of ballots for Republican voters, that's a civil rights violation in my opinion. So of course, we should have free and fair and honest elections and that's exactly what I've been calling for.”
Hamadeh said he decided to run for the attorney general’s office after a 14-month deployment to Saudi Arabia. When he got back to the United States, he said the state of the country had changed.
“But in many ways, I no longer recognized our country. If you see what’s going down at the border where 240,000 people are crossing illegally, now this is unacceptable. You’re seeing the fentanyl crisis that’s plaguing our communities and suburbs and inner cities, it’s unacceptable.”
Hamadeh, a Trump-endorsed Republican, is pro-life and said he will protect the rights of children at all stages, beginning at conception, if he is elected into the Attorney General’s Office.
The latest poll from OH Predictive Insights shows Hamadeh polling at 42%, with Democratic candidate Kris Mayes close behind at 39%. Given the +/-3.77% margin of error, the race to become Arizona’s next attorney general is in a dead heat.
Hamadeh said the attorney general’s office is critical and shouldn’t be overlooked by voters.
“Too often we focus on the governor. The governor has the ability to create the correct and right business environment, but the wrong attorney general has the ability to bankrupt businesses and that's exactly why I'm running - because I want to be the steward of the legal system,” he said.
ABC15 has been bringing you interviews with political candidates on both sides of the aisle running for office in the upcoming election. Despite repeated requests for an on-camera one-on-one interview with Republican candidate for Attorney General, Abe Hamadeh, ABC15 did not hear back from his campaign for an on-camera interview before our deadline.