Kris Mayes

Kristin Kay Mayes, born on September 6, 1970, is an American lawyer, politician, and journalist. She became the 27th Arizona attorney general in 2023. Mayes belongs to the Democratic Party and won her election in 2022, narrowly defeating Republican Abraham Hamadeh by just 280 votes, marking one of the closest elections in Arizona’s history.

Before becoming attorney general, Mayes worked as a professor of practice at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and served as chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Mayes made history as the second woman to hold the position of Arizona attorney general, following Janet Napolitano. She is also recognized as the third openly lesbian woman elected attorney general of a state in the United States, after Maura Healey and Dana Nessel. Additionally, she is the second openly LGBT person elected to statewide office in Arizona, after Kyrsten Sinema.

Early life and education

Kris Mayes grew up in Prescott, Arizona. She finished high school at Prescott High School and then went to Arizona State University with help from a special award called a scholarship from the Flinn Foundation. While she was a student, she worked as the top editor of the school's newspaper, called the State Press. She did very well and graduated as valedictorian with a degree in political science.

Journalism career

Kris Mayes worked as a reporter for the Phoenix Gazette and later for The Arizona Republic](/w/1), where she covered the Arizona State Legislature. She won the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and studied at Columbia University in New York, earning a Master of Public Administration.

After finishing school, she returned to The Arizona Republic to report on the 2000 presidential campaigns of Senator John McCain, former Vice President Dan Quayle, publisher Steve Forbes, and Governor George W. Bush. She then wrote a book about these campaigns and later went to ASU College of Law, graduating with high honors magna cum laude.

Early political career

Kris Mayes worked as a press secretary for Janet Napolitano during the 2002 Arizona gubernatorial election.

Governor Napolitano chose Mayes, who was a Republican at the time, to join the Arizona Corporation Commission in October 2003. She focused on important issues like pipeline safety, renewable energy, and natural gas.

Mayes was later elected to a full term, winning a special election against a Libertarian candidate named Rick Fowlkes. She thought about running for Arizona's 1st congressional district in 2008 but decided not to. She could not run again in 2010 because of term limits, and Brenda Burns, also a Republican, took her place.

In 2019, Mayes left the Republican Party and became a member of the Democratic Party, saying that changes within the Republican Party, known as the expansion of Trumpism, influenced her decision.

Arizona Attorney General

2022 election

Mayes was the Democratic nominee in the 2022 Arizona Attorney General election, running against Republican Abraham Hamadeh. The race was one of the closest in Arizona history and needed a recount because the vote difference was very small. After the recount, Mayes won by just 280 votes.

Tenure

Mayes became Attorney General on January 2, 2023.

In January 2024, Mayes announced that her office would challenge Kroger's proposed acquisition of Albertsons under antitrust laws. In June 2024, investigators from her office searched the Apache County Attorney's Office regarding claims about County Attorney Michael Whiting's actions.

In November 2024, after Donald Trump made a concerning statement about former congresswoman Liz Cheney at a rally in Arizona, Mayes began looking into whether this statement broke Arizona law.

Mayes supported Arizona's constitutional amendment to protect rights related to healthcare decisions.

Prosecution of 2020 fake electors

Main article: Arizona prosecution of fake electors

In July 2023, Mayes' office began investigating the transmission of an alternative slate of electors by allies of former President Donald Trump for the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. In April 2024, her office charged 18 individuals related to this matter.

Lawsuits against the Trump administration

As of October 2025, Mayes' office had filed 39 lawsuits against the Trump administration. These lawsuits helped protect $1.5 billion in federal funds for Arizona.

Personal life

Kris Mayes is openly lesbian and has a daughter named Hattie. She is the second woman to be elected Arizona Attorney General, after Janet Napolitano. She is also the third openly lesbian woman to be elected attorney general in the United States, following Maura Healey and Dana Nessel. Additionally, she is the second openly LGBT person elected to a statewide office in Arizona, after Kyrsten Sinema.

Electoral history

Kristin Kay Mayes became the 27th attorney general of Arizona in 2023. She won the election in 2022 as a member of the Democratic Party, beating her opponent by only 280 votes—one of the closest races in the state's history. Before this role, she worked as a professor and led the Arizona Corporation Commission.