Republican candidate Anni Foster out of Maricopa County attorney’s race

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- The field of candidates hoping to be Maricopa County’s next top prosecutor is narrowing after Republican candidate Anni Foster announced her withdrawal from the county attorney’s race on Monday evening. Foster says she is now rallying around fellow Republican Rachel Mitchell, who was announced as the interim county attorney Wednesday.

Foster had collected over 11,000 signatures and raised over $170,000 during her campaign. Foster jumped in the race following Allister Adel’s resignation last month, alongside fellow GOP candidates Mitchell and Gina Godbehere. In a statement, Foster says after the board chose to appoint Mitchell, she had to reevaluate her campaign’s standing and see if going forward was the right choice.

“Running against an incumbent is always hard, but doing so in such a short race is an uphill battle. So, keeping true to my principles and values, I have decided to withdraw from the race. It is time that we as Republicans pull together to ensure that Maricopa County does not become Portland, San Francisco or Seattle. To that end, it is essential that we circle the wagons and ensure that Julie Gunnigle does not win in November. Given the challenges facing the office, I have personally reached out to Rachel and offered my support in ensuring she is successful in her official capacity as County Attorney.”

The board considered the three Republicans running for office because state law required the appointment must come from the same party as the previous office holder. The board interviewed all three GOP candidates and had them answer three questions in writing about how they would do the job, including whether they believe the Republican-dominated board made a mistake when the board certified the 2020 election results.

The winner of the GOP primary will move on to likely face Julie Gunnigle, the only Democratic candidate on the ballot in the August primary election.

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