A no-bid contract Attorney General Kris Mayes gave to her political consultant has become a line of attack coming from her GOP opponent as both seek the Attorney General's Office in November.
Republican Warren Petersen raised the issue in an hourlong debate on Sept. 23, though he also talked about it after a primary election debate and his campaign has amplified it previously as evidence of Mayes' "corruption."
"We need to get rid of government corruption, and we need to start by getting rid of Kris Mayes," Petersen said on the debate stage. "She gave a $250,000 no-bid contract to her close friend, Stacey Champion. She's wasting taxpayer dollars. She's now spent millions suing her political opponents. That is precious taxpayer money that can be
used to keep Arizona safe."
Petersen's claims check out. State contracts show Champion's public relations firm was hired by Mayes in February 2023, a month after Mayes was sworn in. The contract was not opened for competitive bids, as is typically required by state law. The determination that a competitive bid was not needed, which is dated Jan. 3, 2023, cites state law and says "time constraints do not allow for further competition for this procurement."
The contract, which was reviewed by The Arizona Republic, said Champion would conduct a "review of AGO policies and practices" for the incoming administration in the Attorney General's Office. Champion had worked on Mayes' campaign and received a final $18,000 payment from the campaign after she started on contract for Mayes' office, campaign finance reports and the contract show.
The contract says Champion was to be paid $10,000 a month for working at least 80 hours. The contract was extended through February 2025, by which time Champion was being paid $15,000 a month for at least 120 hours of work.
Another contract, signed in December 2025, authorized a payment of $15,000 for "research and advisory services" on an environmental project. The contract term was October 2025 to January 2026. The second contract was for an amount smaller than requires it be competitively bid, according to Mayes’ office.
Payment records on Arizona's financial transparency portal show Champion was paid $297,000 for her work from 2023 through February of this year.
"Ms. Champion is a widely recognized consumer advocate on issues related to affordable utility rates and extreme-heat safety," Mayes' spokesperson Richie Taylor said. "Her work supported the Mayes administration's efforts to protect Arizonans, especially on tenants' rights and on challenging massive rate hikes by monopoly utilities. Her contracts with the office complied with all applicable state procurement rules and regulations."
Champion helped on projects like those that led to a $7 million settlement with Arizona Public Service Co. in April, a 2024 public service campaign about housing discrimination and tenants' legal rights, and the office's major $11 million settlement in January with Riverview Dairy in southeastern Arizona.
Taylor said Champion helped with issue and policy research, communications and staff recruitment. Champion, who was contacted via phone and text, responded by providing only a link to her LinkedIn page.
Petersen's campaign has criticized Champion for past comments critical of law enforcement. The campaign pointed to a 2021 social media post from Champion.
"Perhaps because the FBI wants to protect racist cops?" Champion wrote, sharing a story from ABC15 that revealed an informant had been helping area police agencies and the FBI gather intelligence on Black Lives Matter protesters.
Petersen, who has been endorsed by major police groups including the Arizona Police Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, has been trying to chip away at Mayes' claims she is pro-law enforcement. He said in the debate Mayes was "hostile" to law enforcement leaders gathered for a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program meeting.
Mayes' campaign has been endorsed by Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, Apache County Sheriff Joseph Dedman, and at least a dozen former prosecutors.
Champion's criticism of police also surfaced as an issue in the 2022 campaign, when Mayes went on to defeat GOP nominee Abe Hamadeh by 280 votes. Hamadeh was elected to Congress two years later.
Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Attorney General Kris Mayes gave political aide no-bid government contract
