Arizona AG Kris Mayes Outlines Second-Term Priorities

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes won reelection by nearly 300,000 votes, a dramatic margin change from her victory by fewer than 300 votes four years prior.

The statewide sweep by Democrats in the election also flipped two congressional districts and handed the party control of the state Legislature for the first time since the mid-1960s. Mayes outlined her priorities for her second term during an interview on KJZZ’s The Show, pointing to consumer protection, water security, and crackdowns on drug cartels as her primary focuses.

“Well, I think voters basically sent a message that they like the job that we’re doing,” Mayes told KJZZ. “They want us to continue to protect consumers, to continue to fight the drug cartels, and to continue to fight for our water supplies in Arizona.”

Mayes said that her office intends to ramp up antitrust cases and target corporate entities harming residents, pointing to prior actions like the RealPage case. She also plans to continue intervening before the Corporation Commission regarding utility rate hikes.

The office is examining a proposed SpaceX data center project in Cochise County. Mayes expressed concerns regarding its potential impact on ratepayers, regional water supplies, and the power grid across the West.

Mayes said she hopes the Democratic takeover of the Legislature in January will make securing resources for law enforcement easier. The previous Republican-controlled Legislature slashed the attorney general’s budget for four consecutive years.

“As you know, the previous Legislature slashed our budget for the last four years running, which kind of doesn’t make sense since we’re the top law enforcement office in the state,” Mayes told KJZZ.

Attorney General Kris Mayes says Arizona has made their choice loud and clear — 12 News

She also intends to push for reforms to the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program and increased funding for public schools. Mayes said that her office has dedicated resources to prosecuting fraud within the voucher program, including cases involving fabricated student enrollment and an ongoing investigation into the Department of Education’s front-end auditing practices.

Mayes said, “And there are a number of things that the Legislature can and should do immediately to rein in the fraud in the voucher program and to put more resources toward public schools, where 90% of our kids go.”

Mayes also highlighted state efforts against Medicaid fraud, noting a 92% reduction in sober living home fraud while calling for additional funding for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.

Mayes said, “We have obviously brought the sober living home fraud down by 92%, but there’s more that needs to be done inside AHCCCS and more funding that needs to go to AHCCCS to help us combat all kinds of Medicaid fraud, which is a big part of my responsibilities as attorney general.”

Budgets reflect state values, according to Mayes, who expressed optimism regarding future legislative debates.

“This is going to be a Legislature that will not, I believe, squelch debates, that will say, ‘Hey, Republicans, if you have a good idea, then we’ll hear that bill,'” Mayes told KJZZ.

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