Hamadeh campaign: Newest GOP AG candidate raises $100K in first week

Abraham “Abe” Hamadeh, the newest Republican candidate for attorney general, has raised more than $100,000 in his first week, according to his campaign.

Hamadeh served as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for four years until he resigned Oct. 1. He announced his campaign a month later.

Hamadeh, a U.S. Army reserves intelligence officer who recently completed a tour in Saudi Arabia, is now the sixth Republican candidate for attorney general.

Hamadeh touts his experience in the armed forces in his introductory video with a ‘”combat” motif, where jurisprudence is his new armament to defend Arizonans against government overreach, unsecured borders, and the “radical” Left.

“I understand that the Constitution is our greatest protector and the law can be our greatest weapon to preserve the American ideals that make this country great,” he says.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Hamadeh said:

“The campaign video that we came out with was pretty aggressive in the sense that I just got back from a deployment and I’m ready to fight for this country. I came back to a place I no longer recognize and decided to throw my name into the ring.”

Hamadeh joins the crowded Republican field for attorney general, which includes:

● Lacy Cooper, a former prosecutor and Border Patrol Section Chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

● Rodney Glassman, an attorney and member of the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps.

● Andrew Gould, a former state Supreme Court justice.

● Dawn Grove, a manufacturing executive and lawyer for her family’s Arizona-based golf company.

● Tiffany Shedd, a lawyer and cotton farmer.

A self-described “political outsider,” Hamadeh says his military service, prosecutorial experience, and background as the son of Syrian immigrants distinguishes him from the rest of the candidates.

“So far we raised $100,000 in one week, which probably scared some of the establishment,” he told The Republic. I don’t think they thought we could do that but I think we are going to surprise people in this race.”

Unless voluntarily made public, there is no way to know how much statewide or legislative candidates in Arizona have raised during 2021 until early next year.

While these contenders do not report their fundraising total in “odd” years, they must disclose how much money they have been given on a quarterly basis in “even” years.

The last day to report this past year’s earnings to the secretary of state is Jan. 17. The original Jan. 15 deadline falls on a weekend and is thus automatically extended until the next work day.

Current Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is in his second term and cannot run again due to term limits, hopes to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate against current Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.

On the Democratic side, the attorney general candidates include:

1 Robert McWhirter, a defense attorney.

2 Kris Mayes, a law professor and attorney who served on the Arizona Corporation

Commission.

3 Diego Rodriguez, an attorney and former prosecutor who recently resigned from the Arizona House of Representatives to run.

There is still time for the number of contenders in the attorney general’s race to increase as the candidate filing deadline is in early April.

The primaries will be held Aug. 2. The Republican and Democratic winners of those contests will face off in the general election Nov. 8.