PHOENIX — Despite the Associated Press calling the race for Arizona State Senator Warren Petersen on Tuesday night, Rodney Glassman has not conceded the Republican primary for Arizona attorney general to his rival as of Wednesday morning, a senior official in the Petersen campaign told the Arizona Globe. Returns showed the Arizona Senate President building a clear lead over Glassman, positioning Petersen to face Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes in November.

The primary was one of the nastiest and hardest-fought contests in recent Arizona Republican politics. It featured relentless negative attacks, character assaults, and heavy spending on opposition research. Glassman, who moved from Tucson to the Phoenix area in recent years, outspent Petersen and came under sustained fire for his Republican credentials, having switched parties and positions while running in consecutive cycles over a decade.

Despite those attacks, Glassman still secured roughly 200,000 votes, meaning his substantive showing and non-concession matters. In a race this divisive and personal, a prompt concession begins party healing and redirects energy toward the general election. Prolonged silence from the runner-up generally keeps the primary’s bitterness alive and distracts from building a unified front, creating disarray in a crucial statewide seat.

This race for attorney general carries outsized importance for Arizona Republicans who have protested a wide range of actions from the AG’s office this year, from inflammatory rhetoric and prosecutions to failure to defend women’s sports and law enforcement. A strong, unified Republican nominee is seen as essential not only to flip the seat in November but also to provide stability in a critical statewide office for years to come.

The “Democrat plant” allegations leveled against Glassman throughout the campaign would gain obvious additional force if he withholds support from Petersen or, even more drastically, backs Mayes over the GOP nominee.

The Arizona Globe reached out to Glassman for comment on his intentions, but he has not responded.

Petersen addressed supporters shortly after the projection of victory and said he will “fight crime, defend the laws and the Constitution and root out fraud, waste and corruption” if elected. He has supported leading a Department of Government Efficiency-style effort in Arizona to achieve his ambitious goals. In order to have a shot, he’ll need to beat Mayes in November, something now Congressman Abe Hamadeh failed to do by less than 300 votes, emphasizing that not only do every vote matter, but so does Glassman’s endorsement.