January Contreras enters race for Arizona attorney general

Ryan Santistevan | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption No more polling places? See how you'd vote if Maricopa County switches to all-mail elections Maricopa County is considering a switch to all-mail voting. Republic political reporter Rebekah L. Sanders speaks with Elections Director Reynaldo "Rey" Valenzuela about what voters can expect. Rebekah L. Sanders/azcentral.com

A former assistant attorney general and Obama administration official announced her candidacy for Arizona attorney general this week.

January Contreras is so far the only Democrat challenging Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is expected to seek re-election in 2018.

"The Attorney General's office isn't a place for hidden agendas or political motives," Contreras said in video to announce her candidacy. "But for too long, the special interests have treated the office as their personal law firm."

In the video, she promises to fight for safe streets, combat the opioid and heroin epidemics, and protect working families and small businesses from scams and exploitation.

"Every family in every neighborhood across Arizona deserves to be safe and protected," Contreras said.

Contreras in 2013 founded the non-profit legal center Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS), which helps survivors of sex and labor trafficking, vulnerable children and people in abusive relationships.

Prior to that, she worked as an assistant attorney general, the assistant director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ombudsman and as a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, according to a bio on ALWAYS' website.

Miguel Medrano, executive director of the Maricopa County Democratic Party, said he has followed Contreras' career for years and called ALWAYS a noble non-profit doing great work.

"I just can't imagine anybody doing more respectable work in a community and really advocating for people who can't fight for themselves," he said.

Viridiana Hernandez, public policy director at the Center for Neighborhood Leadership, said Contreras has shown a true commitment to Arizona.

Hernandez said many undocumented women were victims of violence and too scared to report the abuse.

"January was one of the few resources out there that was trying to figure out how to support these women," she said.

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