Warren Petersen

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who provided 2020 election records to the FBI, is projected to win the Republican primary for attorney general, facing Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes in November.

Arizona Republican primary winners include election deniers who sought to overturn the 2020 election results. Candidates like Andy Biggs and Alexander Kolodin, involved in efforts to challenge the 2020 election, advanced, with Democrats planning to challenge them in November. Their focus on election integrity may hinder general election prospects.

Warren Petersen leads Rodney Glassman by over 47,000 votes in the Arizona GOP attorney general primary. Petersen secured support from law enforcement associations and Andy Biggs, while the winner will face Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes in November. Mayes previously won a narrow 2022 election against Petersen, who has opposed Trump administration policies through legal challenges.

Republican legislative leaders and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes are defending a 2024 law (Proposition 314) that authorizes state judges to issue deportation orders and local police to arrest migrants. The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project sued the state, arguing the law violates the Supremacy Clause by conflicting with federal immigration authority. The law could take effect by July 14, pending a court hearing on a potential block.

A trailer park management company sued by Attorney General Kris Mayes is the largest donor to a PAC supporting Republican Senate President Warren Petersen in his bid for attorney general. The company donated over $600,000 to the PAC through June, according to campaign finance reports, while facing legal action over dangerous conditions at a Tucson mobile home park.

An independent oversight program, COMIT, created after a 2018 rape at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix, is being defunded despite being made permanent in 2023. The program, operated by Disability Rights Arizona, provides oversight for group homes caring for people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. Arizona lawmakers and officials have agreed to cut its $1.2 million annual budget as part of broader fiscal decisions.

A ballot initiative to increase oversight of Arizona’s school voucher program, the Protect Education Act, submitted over 420,000 signatures, exceeding the required threshold for the November ballot. The initiative proposes restrictions on the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, including income caps and prohibitions on luxury purchases, and faces potential opposition from voucher supporters.

Republican Warren Petersen pledged to assist the Trump administration in deporting Arizona's 18,450 DACA recipients if elected attorney general, arguing DACA is unconstitutional. Current Arizona AG Kris Mayes defended DACA recipients, stating they include essential workers and that Petersen's stance disqualifies him.

The Arizona Legislature ended its 2026 session after a late-night session where Republicans pushed through measures to send conservative policies to voters, bypassing Governor Katie Hobbs' potential veto. The session involved rapid-fire votes on hundreds of bills, with Republicans using resolutions to place legislation directly on the November ballot, leading to tensions between parties.

Arizona Republican lawmakers rushed through a constitutional amendment to block reforms to the state’s school voucher program after a failed compromise with the Arizona Education Association. The proposed amendment, framed as protecting military families, includes language that would broadly prevent reforms to the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts system, according to Democrats.

Arizona Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs reached a $18.3 billion budget deal including $1.45 billion in tax cuts aligned with federal changes via President Trump’s 'One Big Beautiful Bill', avoiding a government shutdown. The bipartisan agreement requires legislative approval and Hobbs' signature, following months of negotiations between the parties.

A political action committee, Restore Order Arizona, supported by private prison company GEO Group and mobile home park operator BoaVida Group, is spending over $500,000 to promote Senate President Warren Petersen’s campaign for Arizona attorney general. The PAC’s funding includes $35,000 from GEO Group and $100,000 from BoaVida, which has legal disputes with current Attorney General Kris Mayes. Other contributors include companies linked to Jack McCain and the nicotine vape industry, areas where Mayes has taken regulatory action.