Candidate Contreras shares her vision for attorney general role
Attorney general candidate January Contreras on Wednesday sat down with
to detail her record as a prosecutor and policy adviser and outline her vision for the state’s top legal office.
The Democratic candidate, who is challenging incumbent Attorney General Mark Brnovich, said she was motivated to run after “seeing some of the most consequential decisions” in public life being made in courtrooms locally and nationally.
She pointed to attorneys general throughout the country who have challenged the legality of Trump administration decisions, from travel restrictions for Muslim-majority countries to the “zero tolerance” immigration protocol that separated migrant families at the border.
At the state level, she discussed the attorney general’s opposition to allowing driver’s licenses for dreamers — migrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children — and lawsuits related to access for people with disabilities.
“When your courts and your lawyers matter more than ever, then so, too, does who sits in the attorney general’s office,” Contreras said, adding that protecting consumers and defending Arizonans’ constitutional rights would be her priorities.
“I wanted to make sure that the people of Arizona ... have someone there who’s fighting for the people of Arizona,” she said. “That should be a given.”
Contreras served in the AG’s Office before, focusing on elder abuse and health-care fraud during her 20002003 tenure as assistant attorney general.
If elected, she would continue to monitor those areas closely, she said.
About the state’s opioid epidemic, she said the AG’s Office has the responsibility “to go after these drug companies, the drug distributors, the drug manufacturers who are making a lot of profit off the pain of people here” and “bring some of that money back home so that we can fund treatment.”
She also highlighted the 20-state effort Brnovich has joined to repeal part of the Affordable Care Act, saying his involvement “means he’s suing to eliminate guarantees for people with pre-existing health conditions.” “On Day 1, I would get us out of that lawsuit and join…another lawsuit going on to keep those protections for people with pre-existing health conditions in place,” she said.
In 2012, Contreras founded Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services. The non-profit provides lawyers to children and young adults who have experienced homelessness, problems in the fostercare system and other trauma.
If elected, Contreras said she would work to create an environment where vulnerable Arizonans feel comfortable contacting her office to report abuse.
“The more that people come to know the attorney general as their champion, the more cases we get,” she said. “There are other states where (people) know what their attorney general does. They know that if they’ve been had, so to speak, they call their attorney general. That’s the kind of culture we need to build.”
Brnovich, a Republican, has a clear advantage in conservative Arizona. But national political analysts consider the state one of seven where Republicans shouldn’t consider attorney-general wins guaranteed this year.
“I’ve met a lot of Republicans and a lot of independents along with many Democrats in the campaign, and what I see is that, more or less, people want the same thing,” Contreras said. “They want honest brokers in government again. They don’t want hidden agendas . ... For people who are looking for that, I think there is only one candidate.”
Contreras’ live interview replaced an hourlong debate had intended to air.
Republican incumbent Brnovich declined the debate invitation, later accepting an offer for a comparable 30minute interview at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.