Senate President Warren Peterson released a statement condemning Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (AG) over a $250,000 taxpayer-funded contract awarded to her friend and consultant, Stacy Champion, in a no-bid contract.
Originally set to make $10,000 per month, contract extensions increased Champion’s compensation to $15,000 a month, requiring a minimum of 120 hours of work as opposed to the original 80 hours. According to Peterson, Champion received $247,750 under the contract. It was additionally noted that Champion received an $18,000 payment one month after the termination of her contract.
The controversy comes amidst criticism from Republicans, including her opponent in her race for reelection, Peterson. In the press release, Peterson condemned her actions, accusing Mayes of allowing political considerations to influence operations in the office.
"Kris Mayes has built an unmistakable culture of politicization and corruption at the Attorney General's Office," he said.
In a post on X, Congressman Abe Hamadeh expressed his frustration with Mayes, referring to her as an "illegitimate Attorney General.”
Peterson connected his criticism of Mayes' actions as a way to “advance her costly energy agenda.” Mayes placed a statewide pause on any new artificial intelligence data centers. According to Mayes, the expansion of data centers is proving to present significant challenges for Arizona due to the amount of electricity and water needed to keep them in operation.
“Data centers are power- and water-intensive, and Arizona is challenged on both fronts right now,” she said in a statement.
The debate over Champion’s contract as well as policies on data centers comes at a crucial time in Mayes’ career, as she is up for reelection this coming November.
