Highlights
- Attorney General Kris Mayes and Senate President Warren Petersen debated Wednesday at Sneaky Big Studios in Scottsdale, hosted by the Arizona Media Association and Citizens Clean Elections Commission.
- Mayes said her lawsuits against the Trump administration have saved Arizona $2.3 billion; Petersen called her review of Gov. Katie Hobbs a 'sham investigation.'
- The candidates split on data centers, with Mayes backing a temporary moratorium and Petersen opposing any blanket shutdown of new projects.
- Both candidates claimed they would litigate unconstitutional actions regardless of party, but differed sharply on ICE enforcement priorities and election integrity.
A $2.3 billion figure anchored the sharpest exchange of Wednesday night's Arizona attorney general debate, held at Sneaky Big Studios in Scottsdale and co-hosted by the Arizona Media Association and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat first elected in 2022, and Republican challenger Warren Petersen, the current Arizona Senate president, spent much of the hour-long session interrupting each other and trading personal accusations.
Mayes defended her record of filing dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing the litigation has saved $2.3 billion in state funding. She said her standard for bringing a suit is consistent regardless of which party holds the White House: "Whether it's a Republican president or a Democratic president, our criteria is the same. Has the Constitution been violated? Has the state been harmed? And that has happened all too often over the last two years."
Petersen said he has a working relationship with the Trump administration but would also challenge unconstitutional executive action from either party. He accused Mayes of conducting a sham review of Gov. Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat, after Mayes declined last month to bring criminal charges against Hobbs in connection with an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a state contractor. Mayes countered that she has no hesitation prosecuting members of her own party and called for state legislation to bar contractors from making campaign contributions.
On immigration, Petersen said law enforcement can count on him to help secure the southern border and that he supports legal immigration. Mayes argued that ICE should concentrate on stopping drug trafficking across the border rather than deploying agents into the interior to pursue workers.
The candidates also split on data centers. Mayes has called for a temporary moratorium on new facilities, arguing they are driving up utility costs for residents. Petersen said location, electricity, and water use all warrant scrutiny but that he opposes simply shutting down new projects.
Personal attacks ran throughout the debate. Petersen accused Mayes of using profanity and pounding her fists on the table in meetings. Mayes called the characterization an outright lie. On election integrity, Petersen said Mayes has frustrated voters with a dismissive attitude toward their concerns and called for faster delivery of election results. Mayes said she is proud of her office's resistance to federal efforts to access Arizona voter data and to undermine mail-in voting.
The Arizona Mirror and ABC15 also covered the debate. The general election is scheduled for November.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- azcapitoltimes.com retrieved 24/09/2026 04:34
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 24/09/2026 04:34. Every claim traces to a source.
