Kris Mayes, the 27th Attorney General of Arizona, has one of the more unusual career paths to a state AG’s office. Before she was sworn in in January 2023 — by 280 votes after a mandatory recount in one of the closest statewide elections in Arizona history — Mayes had been a Pulitzer-shortlisted political reporter, press secretary to Governor Janet Napolitano, an appointed and then elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission for seven years, and a professor of practice at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. She is also one of the only state AGs in the country to have switched political parties — registered Republican when she served on the Corporation Commission, she switched to the Democratic Party in 2019 citing the rise of Trumpism — and she is the third openly lesbian woman ever elected state attorney general in the United States.
Early life and education
Kristin Kay Mayes was born September 6, 1970, in Prescott, Arizona, and graduated from Prescott High School. She attended Arizona State University on a Flinn Foundation scholarship, the state’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarship, and graduated as valedictorian with a B.A. in political science. While at ASU she was editor-in-chief of the State Press, the student newspaper, and won the Harry S. Truman Scholarship — a national award for students committed to careers in public service.
She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University as a Truman Scholar and later returned to Arizona to attend the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, graduating magna cum laude.
Journalism career
Before law school Mayes worked as a political reporter for the Phoenix Gazette and The Arizona Republic, covering the Arizona Legislature and statewide political campaigns. She covered the 2000 presidential primary in Arizona, which featured Senator John McCain, Vice President Dan Quayle, Steve Forbes, and Governor George W. Bush, and co-authored Spin Priests: Campaign Advisors and the 2000 Race for the White House, a book on political consultants in the 2000 cycle.
Working for Governor Napolitano and the Arizona Corporation Commission
Mayes served as press secretary for Janet Napolitano during the 2002 Arizona gubernatorial campaign and her early administration. In October 2003 Napolitano appointed Mayes to fill a vacancy on the Arizona Corporation Commission, the elected five-member body that regulates Arizona’s investor-owned utilities, telecommunications, and securities offerings. Mayes won election to a full term in 2004, defeating Libertarian candidate Rick Fowlkes, and served on the Commission until December 31, 2010.
Her Commission portfolio focused on pipeline safety, renewable-energy procurement, and natural-gas regulation. From January 2009 through December 2010 Mayes served as the Commission’s chair, where she presided over rate cases for Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power and led the development of the renewable-energy standards that shaped Arizona utility planning through the 2010s. Her tenure ended at term limits.
The 2019 party switch
In 2019 Mayes left the Republican Party for the Democratic Party, telling reporters at the time she was leaving over what she called “the expansion of Trumpism within the Republican Party.” The party-switch was unusual for a former statewide-elected Republican and reshaped the political math for her eventual 2022 AG run.
Academic position at ASU Law
Between her departure from the Corporation Commission and her run for AG, Mayes served as a professor of practice at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, teaching utility-regulation, energy-law, and administrative-law courses. She also directed the law school’s energy-policy programming.
The 2022 Arizona Attorney General election
Mayes ran for Arizona Attorney General in 2022 as the Democratic nominee, facing Republican Abraham Hamadeh in one of the closest statewide elections in Arizona history. The margin of victory was less than 0.5%, triggering a mandatory recount. The final recount confirmed her win on December 29, 2022, by just 280 votes — the smallest margin of any 2022 statewide AG election in the country. She was sworn in on January 2, 2023, becoming Arizona’s 27th Attorney General and the second woman to hold the office, after Janet Napolitano.
Notable cases and AG portfolio
The 1864 abortion-ban litigation
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Arizona courts considered whether an 1864 territorial abortion ban — predating Arizona statehood — had been revived. Mayes took the position that the 1864 statute should not be enforced and supported litigation to prevent its enforcement. The legal status of the 1864 ban remained contested through 2023 and 2024 until the November 2024 passage of Proposition 139, which amended the Arizona Constitution to codify a right to abortion.
The Kroger-Albertsons antitrust action
In January 2024 Mayes filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger, joining parallel actions by the Federal Trade Commission, the Washington State Attorney General, and the Colorado Attorney General. The merger was ultimately blocked by federal district courts in December 2024.
The Arizona alternative-electors investigation
Mayes’ office announced an investigation in July 2023 into the alternative-electors scheme that arose during the 2020 presidential election. In April 2024 the office filed an indictment against 18 individuals — including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Trump campaign attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Jenna Ellis — on charges including conspiracy, fraud, and forgery related to a slate of Arizona electors who claimed to cast votes for Donald Trump despite Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Arizona.
Apache County Attorney’s Office investigation
In June 2024 Mayes’ office executed a search warrant at the Apache County Attorney’s Office as part of an investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds. The action marked one of the more unusual interventions by a state AG into county-level prosecutorial-office finances in recent Arizona history.
Federal-policy litigation since January 2025
As of October 2025, Mayes’ office had filed 39 lawsuits challenging various federal executive actions arising from the second Trump administration, with the office reporting that those suits had protected approximately $1.5 billion in federal funds for Arizona programs.
Personal life
Mayes is openly lesbian and lives with her daughter Hattie. She is the third openly lesbian woman to be elected state attorney general in the United States — after Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Dana Nessel of Michigan — and the second openly LGBTQ person to be elected to statewide office in Arizona, after U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Frequently asked questions
What was Kris Mayes’ career before becoming Arizona AG?
Mayes was a political reporter for the Phoenix Gazette and Arizona Republic, press secretary to Governor Janet Napolitano, an appointed and then elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission from 2003 to 2010 (chair from 2009 to 2010), and a professor of practice at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. She switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in 2019.
What was the closest AG election in Arizona history?
The 2022 election in which Mayes defeated Abraham Hamadeh by 280 votes was the closest in modern Arizona AG history. The margin triggered a mandatory recount, which confirmed Mayes’ win on December 29, 2022.
What is Mayes’ role in the Arizona alternative-electors case?
Mayes’ office investigated the alternative-electors scheme that arose during the 2020 presidential election and filed an indictment in April 2024 against 18 individuals — including Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Jenna Ellis — on charges including conspiracy, fraud, and forgery related to the alternate slate of Arizona electors.
Did Kris Mayes switch political parties?
Yes. Mayes was a registered Republican when she served on the Arizona Corporation Commission. She switched to the Democratic Party in 2019, citing concerns about what she described as the expansion of Trumpism within the Republican Party.
What is the Arizona Corporation Commission?
The Arizona Corporation Commission is the elected five-member state body that regulates investor-owned utilities, telecommunications carriers, and securities offerings in Arizona. Mayes served on the Commission from October 2003 through December 2010, including as chair from January 2009 through December 2010.
Sources
- Kris Mayes — Wikipedia — biographical overview, education, career timeline.
- Arizona Attorney General’s Office — official biography, press releases on alternative-electors indictments, antitrust actions, and federal-policy litigation.
- Kris Mayes — Ballotpedia — election history, including the 2022 recount.
- Arizona Corporation Commission — Commission records of Mayes’ 2003–2010 tenure.
- Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law — faculty records of Mayes’ professorship.
This profile is part of TheCompleteLawyer.com’s series on the U.S. state attorneys general. Profiles are intended as a neutral biographical resource focused on professional and legal career; they are not endorsements and do not represent the views of TheCompleteLawyer.com.
