Attorney General of Arizona

Arizona Attorney General
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$90,000
2025 FY Budget:	$137,052,000
Term limits:	2 consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Arizona Constitution, Article 5, Section 1 (Version 2)
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Attorney General of Arizona Kris Mayes Democratic Party Assumed office: January 2, 2023
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Arizona Executive Offices
Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Superintendent of Public Instruction• Auditor• Agriculture Director • Insurance and Financial Institutions Director• Lands Commissioner• Labor Director• Corporation Commission• State Mine Inspector

The Attorney General of Arizona is an elected state executive officer established by the Arizona Constitution. The attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Arizona and head of the Arizona Department of Law. He or she represents the state in civil suits, provides legal advice to state agencies and officials, enforces consumer protection and civil rights laws and prosecutes cases involving some financial and drug-related crimes.

Arizona has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current Attorney General of Arizona is Kris Mayes (D). Mayes assumed office in 2023.

Authority

The office of attorney general is established by the Arizona Constitution as part of the state's executive department.

Arizona Constitution, Article 5, Section 1 (Version 2)

The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction...

Qualifications

The Arizona Constitution requires all of the officers in the state's executive department, including the attorney general, to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 10 years and an Arizona resident for five years.

Arizona Constitution, Article 5, Section 2

No person shall be eligible to any of the offices mentioned in section 1 of this article except a person of the age of not less than twenty-five years, who shall have been for ten years next preceding his election a citizen of the United States, and for five years next preceding his election a citizen of Arizona.

Arizona law further requires the attorney general to have been a "practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state" for five years.

Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 41, Chapter 1, Article 5, Section 41-191

The attorney general shall have been for not less than five years immediately preceding the date of taking office a practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state.

Elections

Arizona state government organizational chart

Arizonans elect their attorney general in midterm election years (2014, 2018, 2022, etc.) for a term of four years. The winner assumes office on the first Monday of January after his or her election. If no candidates receives a majority (over 50 percent) of the votes, a runoff election is held between the two candidates that received the largest amount. If the two candidates in the runoff receive an equal number of votes, the state legislature chooses a winner.

Arizona Constitution, Article 5, Section 1 (Version 2)

A. The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years beginning on the first Monday of January, 1971 next after the regular general election in 1970. B. B. The person having a majority of the votes cast for the office voted for shall be elected. If no person receives a majority of the votes cast for the office, a second election shall be held as prescribed by law between the persons receiving the highest and second highest number of votes cast for the office. The person receiving the highest number of votes at the second election for the office is elected, but if the two persons have an equal number of votes for the office, the two houses of the legislature at its next regular session shall elect forthwith, by joint ballot, one of such persons for said office.

2022

See also: Arizona Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arizona

Kris Mayes defeated Abraham Hamadeh and Samantha Severson in the general election for Attorney General of Arizona on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kris Mayes (D)	49.9	1,254,809
		Abraham Hamadeh (R)	49.9	1,254,529
	Submit photo	Samantha Severson (L) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	3,052

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,512,390
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Kielsky (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona

Kris Mayes advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kris Mayes	100.0	556,351

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 556,351
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Diego Rodriguez (D)
• Bob McWhirter (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abraham Hamadeh	33.6	265,636
		Rodney Glassman	23.6	186,863
		Andrew W. Gould	16.7	132,253
		Dawn Grove	12.0	94,670
		Lacy Cooper	8.6	67,742
		Tiffany Shedd	5.6	44,453

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 791,617
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Attorney General of Arizona

Michael Kielsky advanced from the Libertarian primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Kielsky (Write-in)	100.0	571

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 571
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Arizona attorney general election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arizona

Incumbent Mark Brnovich defeated January Contreras in the general election for Attorney General of Arizona on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Brnovich (R)	51.7	1,201,398
		January Contreras (D)	48.3	1,120,726

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,322,124
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona

January Contreras advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		January Contreras	100.0	464,510

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 464,510 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona

Incumbent Mark Brnovich advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arizona on August 28, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Brnovich	100.0	561,370

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 561,370 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

No Libertarian candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Kielsky (L)

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2010 for the office of Arizona Attorney General, click [show] to expand the section.

2014 See also: Arizona attorney general election, 2014 Attorney General of Arizona, 2014 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Mark Brnovich 52.9% 782,361      Democratic Felecia Rotellini 47.1% 696,054      Nonpartisan Anthony Camboni (Write-in) 0% 265 Total Votes 1,478,680 Election results via Arizona Secretary of State 2010 See also: Arizona Attorney General election, 2010 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election Party Candidate Vote Percentage      Republican Party a Tom Horne 51.9%      Democratic Party Felecia Rotellini 48.1% Total Votes 1,677,668

Term limits

Term limits for the attorney general are defined by Article 5, Section 1, Version 2 of the Arizona Constitution, which prohibits an attorney general from serving more than two consecutive terms.

Arizona Constitution, Article 5, Section 1A, Version 2:

The executive department shall consist of the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, each of whom shall hold office for a term of four years beginning on the first Monday of January, 1971 next after the regular general election in 1970. No member of the executive department shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms. This limitation on the number of terms of consecutive service shall apply to terms of office beginning on or after January 1, 1993. No member of the executive department after serving the maximum number of terms, which shall include any part of a term served, may serve in the same office until out of office for no less than one full term.

Vacancies

Article 5, Section 8 of the state constitution allows governor to fill vacancies in the office of attorney general by appointment.

Duties

The attorney general is chief legal officer of the state. He or she "represents and provides legal advice to most State agencies; enforces consumer protection and civil rights laws; and prosecutes criminals charged with complex financial crimes and certain conspiracies involving illegal drugs." The attorney general brings and defends lawsuits on behalf of the state and also handles all appeals from felony convictions in the state.

The attorney general also represents some local government agencies, such as school districts or municipalities, in disputes related to conflicts of interest and antitrust/price-fixing activities.

Divisions

The attorney general's office is the largest law office in Arizona, with approximately 400 attorneys and 1,000 employees. As of January 7, 2021, the Arizona Attorney General's Office is divided into the following departments:

• Criminal Division
• State Government Division
• Child and Family Protection Division
• Civil Litigation Division
• Appeals and Constitutional Litigation Division
• Communications Division
• Operations

State budget

See also: Arizona state budget and finances

The budget for the Attorney General's Office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $137,052,000.

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of the attorney general and other elected executives in Arizona is determined by the Arizona Commission on Salaries for Elective State Officers. This five-member committee is sanctioned by Article 5, Section 12 of the Arizona Constitution. Two members are appointed by the governor and one member each is appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Commission members meet prior to June 1 of each even-numbered year to produce salary recommendations for the governor. The governor may accept, reject or modify recommendations prior to delivery to state legislators. The legislature has 90 days following the governor's transmission of the recommendations to reject or modify salary proposals. If no changes are made, the commission's recommendations take effect following the next election for applicable offices.

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the attorney general's salary remained at $90,000, according to the Council of State Governments.

2012

In 2012, the attorney general was paid an estimated $90,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

2010

In 2010, the attorney general received compensation in the amount of $90,000.

Historical officeholders

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of Arizona has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Attorney General of Arizona - Google News

Contact information

Capitol Address:
Office of the Attorney General
2005 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Phone: (602) 542-5025
Fax: (602) 542-4085

External links

• Arizona Legislative Council
• Arizona Attorney General