Overview
- The Sept. 23 debate in Scottsdale ran about an hour and was dominated by interruptions, personal attacks and sparse policy detail as moderators struggled to control the candidates.
- Incumbent Kris Mayes defended her aggressive legal strategy, saying she has joined more than four dozen suits against the Trump administration, prevailed about 83% of the time and secured roughly $2.3 billion in benefits she says protected programs and funding.
- Republican Warren Petersen denounced those actions as 'political lawfare,' pledged to drop Mayes’ federal suits on day one if elected and argued the money should fund public safety and other state priorities.
- The candidates traded charges over temperament and experience: Mayes questioned Petersen’s legal qualifications after he gained his law license in December 2023 while Petersen cited an incident where Mayes allegedly cursed and pounded a table that a state senator confirmed.
- Polls cited by coverage show a close race with Mayes holding a mid-single-digit lead and about 20% of voters undecided, leaving the contest likely to determine Arizona’s posture in future state-federal legal fights over voting, immigration and drug enforcement funding.