Kris Mayes would like to be the People of Arizona’s Lawyer as the Grand Canyon State’s next Attorney General.
A former political journalist with the Phoenix Gazette and the Arizona Republic and a Magna Cum Laude Graduate from the Arizona State University College of Law, Ms. Mayes served on the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2003 to 2010.
During that time in the Commission, Commissioner Mayes specialized in environmental safety and clean energy initiatives.
Once a Republican, Ms. Mayes explained her switch to the Democratic Party by relaying:
“When I worked to elect Governor Napolitano, and when I led the Corporation Commission to crack down on monopolies overcharging consumers, I worked across the aisle to accomplish big things for the people of Arizona. For instance, though I was a Republican at that time, I worked with Democrats Sandra Kennedy and Paul Newman on the ACC to enact the most sweeping energy efficiency standard in America, which has saved Arizonans more than $1 billion in the form of lower utility bills. So I have always tried to work closely with people of all parties. Over the last ten or fifteen years, I’ve watched the Republican party walk away from reproductive freedom, attack the right to vote, and stick its head in the sand about climate change. My values fit the Democratic party.”
If elected to become Arizona’s next Attorney General, she would focus on:
- Bringing more diversity to the Attorney General office staff.
- Protecting voting rights.
- Combatting consumer fraud and abuse toward the elderly.
- Protecting Arizona’s natural resources and combatting climate change.
- Fighting threats against cybersecurity.
Ms. Mayes graciously took the time to discuss her candidacy for Attorney General.
The questions and her responses are below.
1) What are two to three reasons you are running for Attorney General?
- “I am running because I want to be the lawyer of the people for Arizona. The current Attorney General and Republicans running this year are acting like they want to be Donald Trump’s lawyer. I want to serve the people of Arizona and they want to work for the person who lives in Mar-a-Largo.”
- “I also will be an Attorney General that will stand up for Arizona Families by fighting consumer fraud and elder abuse. I will fight to preserve Democracy in our state and protect our state’s natural resources.”
2) If elected, what would be your top three priorities as Attorney General?
- “Protecting voting rights and the will of the Voter. Republicans in the legislature and Governor Ducey have passed a series of measures designed to make it tougher for Arizonans to vote and have engaged in an assault on the 2020 election via the so-called audit being conducted at the Coliseum. The current Attorney General has done nothing to stop these efforts and has even supported them. As Attorney General, I would legally intervene on these attacks on our voters, including investigating what appears to be an effort by National Republicans like Rudy Giuliani to interfere in our election. I would testify against them at the legislature and wherever possible, I will oppose these attacks on voting rights in state and federal courts.”
- “To combat consumer fraud and elder abuse. Arizona has strong consumer protection laws, and a sizable portion of the AG’s duties is to protect those consumers. I think the current Republican AG has not adequately implemented his investigative powers to protect Arizonans against scam artists (including predatory lending,) particularly digital and phone scams and I would work vigorously to protect them. I think there is an epidemic in Arizona and elder abuse and this Attorney General has done an awful job in protecting them. There have been very few prosecutions of elderly abuse and that will change when I am Attorney General.”
- “Protecting Arizona’s natural resources and combatting climate change. We are at a precarious point in Arizona where our population is booming, and our economy is doing well but we are not growing sustainably. We need an Attorney General that will focus on air quality, clean energy, and water conservation as our state faces an epic and ongoing drought. I will be the first Attorney General to treat climate change as a priority.”
- “I will focus on fighting for cybersecurity. We are facing an enormous growth by cybercriminals on our religious organizations, businesses, and individuals. This attorney general has done virtually nothing about it. I will launch investigations against cybercriminals and will work with our federal partners to protect Arizonans from these crimes.”
3) What are at least two reasons voters should pick you over the other candidates running for Attorney General?
- “I have spent my entire career standing up to powerful interests on behalf of Arizonans and winning. When I was a Corporation Commissioner, I took on monopoly utilities when they wanted to improperly raise utility bills and stopped them. When the utilities refused to produce reliable energy and do energy efficiency, I passed rules that required them to do it. When Kinder Morgan allowed its major gasoline pipeline outside of Tucson to burst, I got them to replace and repair all 617 miles of pipe.”
- “I have a record of fighting for the things that Arizonans care about and I will do that as Attorney General. I co-authored Arizona’s renewable energy standard and our nation-leading energy efficient standard and oversaw the largest expansion of water conservation programs in Arizona History.”
- “I also prosecuted Civil Securities fraud as a Corporation Commissioner and I know how to protect senior citizens from fraudsters.”
- “I am a native Arizonan from Prescott. I am committed to the beauty of the state. I love Arizona and I want to make sure we can raise our kids in great schools in great communities and still enjoy our natural resources.”
4) Based on the Republican enabling of the BIg 2020 Election Lie through members of the legislature and what is going on in Veterans Memorial Colosseum, to what extent do you think it will be difficult to restore voter trust across the political spectrum?
“The Republicans in the Legislature and Governor’s office have engaged in an assault in our Democracy. One of the first steps is to elect an Attorney General that will fight back. The current Republican AG has done nothing but sits back while this so-called audit has moved forward. The Republicans at the Legislature have allowed ballots and voting machines to be violated and that is unacceptable. At the end of the day, most Arizonans know that we have fair elections in our state. We had our highest election turnout in history during a pandemic. Our election officials ran a nearly flawless election and Democracy triumphed. It is clear we need to be vigilant that we need to elect an Attorney General, Governor, and Secretary of State that will protect Democracy and the will of the voter.”
5) Is there anything not covered in the first four questions that you would like the voters to know about you and your candidacy for Attorney General? Please explain.
“I bring a diverse perspective and lens to this race. I would be Arizona’s second female Attorney General (former Governor Janet Napolitano was the first one) and I would be Arizona’s first openly gay Attorney General. I would bring the perspective of knowing that we need diversity in the Attorney General’s office, and we must fight for equality in the state of Arizona and beyond.”
“I would like to reinvigorate the Civil Rights Division at the Attorney General’s office and make that division a priority.”
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