Republicans aim to retake Arizona’s executive branch

(The Center Square) – Senate President Warren Petersen and U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs are vying to give Republicans back control of Arizona’s executive branch.

During the Nov. 3 general election, Petersen, R-Gilbert, will face Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes in the attorney general's race, while Biggs, R-Gilbert, will challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s gubernatorial race. Early voting is already underway.

Between 2011 and 2023, Arizona had a Republican governor and attorney general, but that changed when state residents elected Hobbs and Mayes. That turned Arizona into a state where Democrats, for the most part, control the executive branch. Republicans control both houses of the Legislature, but lack enough seats to override Mayes' vetoes.

Attorney general's race

Petersen, who is term-limited in the Senate, said if elected attorney general, his top priorities would be “fighting crime, defending the laws of the Constitution and rooting out fraud, waste and corruption.”

Petersen told The Center Square that he would “double the number of criminal investigators and criminal prosecutors,” adding that he could do so within the office’s current budget.

According to Mayes, her priorities if reelected to a second term are “keeping Arizonans safe, protecting families from drug smugglers and scams [and] holding powerful corporations accountable.”