About
THE MISSION: To get at least 573 Republicans or Independents to write in "Lori Zucco" as their vote for Cochise County Attorney in the July 30, 2024 primary, and the most "write in" votes of any Republican candidate. Independents must pull a Republican primary ballot for their vote to count towards the total votes counted. Currently, there will not be a candidate on the ballot for the July primary, so you must shade in the optical scan circle and then write in "Lori Zucco" on the blank line provided on the ballot. You can request an early ballot by calling the Recorder's Office at 520-432-8358 or emailing Recorder@cochise.az.gov
WHY A WRITE IN: The long time incumbent Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre was disqualified from the race and cannot run as a write in after a citizen challenged his petitions. The morning of April 15 Lori Zucco, the Chief Criminal Deputy of the County Attorney's Office, filed her Write In paperwork to assure the 40+ attorneys and staff members of the County Attorney's Office that there would be continuity of leadership and professionalism in the office. As Chief Criminal Deputy, Lori is the second in command of the Criminal Division of the office, directly reporting to Mr. McIntyre. The Criminal Division comprises 80 percent of the staff and workload of the County Attorney's Office.
BACKGROUND: Lori Zucco began her legal career in Tucson, after graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1996. She first worked in private practice handling a variety of matters including bankruptcies, garnishments, and criminal defense. She then served as a City of Tucson Deputy Public Defender for seven years, from 1997-2004, where she tried dozens of jury trials and numerous bench trials on a weekly basis. In 2004 she answered an ad for a “Prosecutor in Paradise” and moved to the Republic of Palau in Micronesia, where she served as an Assistant Attorney General for four years. Her duties were mostly criminal prosecution but she also handled child support enforcement, reviewed government contracts, and assisted in advising the President and other Ministers on a variety of legal issues.
In 2009 she moved to Cochise County and joined the Cochise County Attorney’s Office as a Deputy County Attorney in the felony General Crimes Unit. As a "line prosecutor" she made a name for herself handling some of the biggest homicide and child sex cases in the County, and earned her reputation as a skilled trial lawyer. In 2018 she was promoted to Chief Criminal Deputy, the role in which she continues to serve. She is the main administrative attorney for the Criminal Division, handling human resource issues, market compensation salary adjustments, annual budget proposals, grant management and reporting, and recruiting and hiring new attorneys and key staff positions. She handles these responsibilities while continuing to have a felony caseload that includes some of the most serious crimes committed in Cochise County. She has been nominated for Felony Prosecutor of the Year - Small Jurisdiction at the annual Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys Advisory Council conference four times, in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2021. She guest lectures at the Southeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy on the topic of Courtroom Demeanor/Testifying in Court. Since December 2023 she has served as the President of the Cochise County Bar Association, recently organizing and presenting at the State Bar CLE in Cochise County on the topic of Voir Dire/Jury Selection with the incoming State Bar President.
