A new survey of likely Arizona Republican primary voters shows Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) with a lead over Rodney Glassman in the race for the Republican nomination for attorney general.
According to the poll, conducted by Stealth Analytics, Petersen leads Glassman 35% to 19% while 46% of respondents remain undecided. The poll surveyed 816 likely GOP primary voters from June 2-4 and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
AZGOP Attorney General Primary
Petersen leads Glassman 35 to 19, with just under half of likely primary voters still undecided.
The findings suggest that while Petersen currently holds a significant advantage, a large portion of the Republican electorate has yet to settle on a candidate ahead of the July primary.
The survey also found Petersen with a stronger favorability rating among Republican voters. According to the poll, 46% of respondents viewed Petersen favorably compared to 12% unfavorably, while Glassman recorded a 38% favorable rating and a 22% unfavorable rating.
According to Stealth Analytics, Republican voters ranked illegal immigration (24%), election integrity (23%), water supply concerns (20%), and border security (14%) as the top priorities for Arizona’s next attorney general.
The survey also measured the potential influence of President Donald Trump on the race. According to the results, 67% of likely Republican primary voters said a Trump endorsement would make them more likely to support a candidate, while 20% said it would have no impact and 13% said it would make them less likely to support that candidate.
The poll comes as Republican voters prepare to choose a nominee in one of Arizona’s most closely watched contests.
The two candidates recently participated in a debate sponsored by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. During the debate, Petersen highlighted issues including public safety, election integrity, and enforcement of Arizona law, while Glassman emphasized his legal experience and criticized incumbent Attorney General Kris Mayes’ handling of the office.
The winner of the Republican primary will advance to the November general election, where Democrat incumbent Attorney General Kris Mayes is seeking another term.
The full Stealth Analytics survey can be viewed here.
Arizona Republican House and Senate leaders announced a compromise budget agreement with Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs on Tuesday and introduced a series of budget bills for consideration in both chambers.
According to a press release by the GOP Senate Caucus, the budget, totaling $18.29 billion, is designed to deliver approximately $1.45 billion in tax relief to Arizonans over a four-year period and to limit state spending growth to 3.05%. The agreed-upon budget also “rejects or modifies more than $3 billion in proposed executive tax increases, fees, and spending expansions over the next three years.”
The legislative GOP leadership and Gov. Hobbs have been embroiled in tense on-again-off-again negotiations since January, with Hobbs announcing a full moratorium on signing legislation, vetoing nearly all bills sent to her desk from April 13 until May 14, including a proposed Republican budget containing over $1 billion in tax relief.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arizona Becomes Only State in the Nation to Deliver Historic Trump Tax Cuts As Part of Bipartisan FY 2027 Budget Agreement
“Arizona is leading the nation once again,” Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) said in a statement. “For years, Arizona has built a reputation as one of the best places in America to live, work, raise a family, and start a business. This budget strengthens that foundation. Families are facing higher costs for groceries, childcare, housing, and everyday necessities, and we wanted to provide real relief. By adopting President Trump’s tax cuts at the state level, expanding tax relief for families, and protecting educational freedom, we’re helping Arizonans keep more of their hard-earned money while ensuring our state remains economically competitive.”
Looks like we have a deal on the budget. Arizona will be the first state in the nation to deliver the full Trump tax cuts! Proud of my colleagues in the House and Senate. Expecting to vote it out on Thursday. And this time, it will get signed.
The budget reportedly incorporates full conformity with the tax cuts of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025, which included several of President Trump’s major federal tax provisions, including:
No tax on tips, no tax on overtime,
An increased standard deduction,
A new childcare deduction,
An enhanced child tax credit,
Expanded charitable giving deductions,
Property tax relief for disabled veterans.
In a statement to AZ Free News, Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-LD29) said, “Republicans came into this session focused on affordability, responsible spending, public safety, school choice, and protecting taxpayers from new taxes and fees. This agreement reflects those priorities and shows what can be achieved through serious negotiations in divided government. The process still needs to play out, but this is a responsible budget agreement that moves Arizona in the right direction and puts families and taxpayers first.”
According to the Senate GOP Caucus, the budget agreement will also address the ongoing controversy of data center development in the state through the imposition of “a three-year moratorium on the issuance of new certificates for the data center sales tax exemption while explicitly allowing construction of new data centers to continue.”
In addition to implementing the $1.45 billion in tax relief, the budget will also include:
$112 million for corrections operations,
A 4% correctional officer stipend,
$23 million for victims of crime assistance,
$58 million for child safety operations, including foster care coaching and guardian contract costs,
$25.5 million for county support programs, probation services, coordinated reentry efforts, and sheriff assistance,
$10 million for wildfire suppression efforts,
$4.3 million for rural hospitals.
Reforms packaged with the FY2027 budget also include eligibility verification requirements for Medicaid and SNAP benefits, and protections for the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.
Governor Hobbs praised the bipartisan agreement, saying, “This bipartisan, balanced budget agreement will put Arizona first and deliver opportunity, security and freedom to communities throughout the state. With this agreement, we are delivering a $1.4 billion tax cut for working-class families, investing in job creation, education and water security while tightening our belts, and securing a moratorium on the data center tax exemption so we can develop a responsible path forward that protects our water future and lowers utility bills for Arizona families.”
She added, “This bipartisan compromise shows what we can do when we put common sense before political games and focus on delivering real results for our communities. It will put money back in the pockets of Arizona families and lower costs, make our communities safer, and protect the vital services that Arizonans rely on. In the coming days, I look forward to working with legislators in both parties to pass this bipartisan budget agreement that will make Arizona stronger, safer, and more prosperous.”
House and Senate versions of the budget bills will be considered during a Joint Senate & House Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday, with final votes set for Thursday.
Attorney General Kris Mayes sustained a fatal blow in her case against the 2020 alternate electors for President Donald Trump.
Mayes doesn’t plan on giving up, though.
The Arizona Supreme Court denied Mayes’ appeal of lower court rulings in State v. Ward this week. This means that Mayes must start over to continue prosecution of the alternate electors.
Mayes’ spokesman Richie Taylor confirmed the attorney general plans to return to the grand jury to seek another indictment; he would not provide further comment.
Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) said Mayes’ persistence to prosecute despite the rejection of multiple courts proved her to be “completely unhinged” and in need of sanctioning.
“She’s wasting Arizona taxpayers’ money on her obsessive, Ahab-like pursuit of patriotic Arizonans who served as alternate electors after the stolen 2020 election,” said Hamadeh. “Her first sham indictment was already laughed out of every court in the state.”
She’s wasting Arizona taxpayers’ money on her obsessive, Ahab-like pursuit of patriotic Arizonans who served as alternate electors after the stolen 2020 election.
Her first sham indictment was already laughed out of every court in…
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) June 4, 2026
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) — who is running to unseat Mayes this November — said Mayes was the poster child of a “rogue” attorney general.
“This is what a rogue AG looks like,” said Petersen. “Loses at every level and still not tired of losing.”
This is what a rogue AG looks like. Loses at every level and still not tired of losing. https://t.co/UKhjcfDPZx
Mayes has sustained a series of losses in her attempt to prosecute the Trump electors, each court ruling increasingly diminishing the life of her case until it reached the point where it lies now — effectively on life support as it awaits another grand jury indictment that may not come.
Last September, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Mayes’ appeal of a ruling issued last May by the Maricopa County Superior Court. The latter court remanded Mayes’ case back to a grand jury, ruling that she violated the due process of the alternate electors by failing to give the grand jury a document critical to the indictment, the Electoral Count Act (ECA) of 1887.
The ECA is a federal law outlining the legal process for casting and counting electoral votes in presidential elections. It was modified recently in 2022 under the Biden administration through the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 (ECRA).
The ERCA, in part, limited the vice president’s involvement in electoral certification to a ministerial role, raised the congressional threshold for elector objections to one-fifth of Congress, and made state governors the authority for submitting the certificate of electors.
Key to the defense of the electors was the argument that they acted in good faith in accordance with the ECA.
Mayes has also been accused of receiving payment to prosecute the alternate electors, according to a whistleblower complaint filed last November.
That complaint alleged that States United Democracy Center (SUDC) paid around $200,000 to have prosecutorial influence over the alternate electors case. It was SUDC who advised Mayes’ office in a summer 2023 letter to prosecute Trump’s top supporters from the contentious 2020 election and its aftermath. Mayes’ office has denied the impact of the SUDC letter on their decision to prosecute the alternate electors.
Hamadeh asked the Department of Justice to investigate this alleged “pay-to-play” scheme.
That DOJ investigation is ongoing.
In April, a court of appeals judge ruled in another case that Mayes illegally withheld communications between her office and SUDC.
Trump has pardoned these alternate electors and supporters of the federal charges against them, but state charges like Mayes’ remain.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The Arizona State Troopers Association, representing more than 1,200 troopers and 750 civilian employees of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, has endorsed Warren Petersen for Attorney General, delivering a significant boost to the challenger in Arizona’s race.
The endorsement marks the latest in a series of high-profile law enforcement backing for Petersen, who has earned support from multiple major police organizations and elected officials across the state and country.
“Throughout his time in the Arizona Legislature, Warren Petersen has always been a friend to the Troopers and to law enforcement around the state,” stated President of the Arizona State Troopers Association, Jeff Hawkins. “Arizonans – and the men and women who serve in law enforcement – deserve an Attorney General who stands with and fights for them against the lawlessness that threatens to overcome our society. I know that Warren will continue to do just that as our next Attorney General, just as he has over his time in public service.”
The Arizona State Troopers Association is the sole organization dedicated to representing the interests of Arizona Department of Public Safety employees. Its endorsement highlights Petersen’s longstanding commitment to supporting those who protect Arizona communities.
Petersen expressed gratitude for the backing and highlighted his record of partnership with law enforcement:
“I’m honored to earn support from the Arizona State Troopers Association,” said Petersen. “It has been an honor to work with the association to advance the interests of the men and women who serve our state in the Department of Public Safety. Our State Troopers sacrifice their lives and time with their family to keep Arizona safe. As Attorney General, I look forward to continued partnership with our men and women in uniform. I will always fight for law enforcement and our Arizona State Troopers.”
Petersen’s support for law enforcement includes consistent advocacy for securing funding for specialized task forces, strengthening officer recruitment and retention efforts, and ensuring the aggressive prosecution of violent offenders.
With this latest endorsement, Petersen now holds the backing of Arizona’s largest police organizations — including the Arizona Police Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association, and now the Arizona State Troopers Association — a level of unified support for a challenger to the incumbent Attorney General that is unprecedented in state history.
The growing coalition of law enforcement leaders supporting Warren Petersen for Arizona Attorney General also includes:
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita
Yavapai County Sheriff Ross Teeple
Gila County Attorney Brad Beauchamp
Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller
Mohave County Attorney Matt Smith
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Border Patrol Veteran Art Del Cueto
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The two candidates for the Republican primary in the attorney general’s race took to the debate stage on Thursday.
Rodney Glassman and Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) exchanged jabs about the legitimacy of the other’s status as an attorney.
Glassman first ran for public office as a Democrat in the 2010 U.S. Senate race, where his campaign video “Sweet Home Arizona” went viral. Glassman lost to the incumbent, the late Sen. John McCain. Since then, Glassman has made unsuccessful runs in other races as a Republican candidate: Arizona Corporation Commission in 2018, Maricopa County assessor in 2020, and attorney general in 2022.
Petersen has been a Republican since he first ran for public office in 2012, where he won in the Arizona House of Representatives race for the 12th district. He has served in the Arizona legislature since then.
During Thursday night’s debate, Glassman said Petersen was problematic for engaging in bipartisanship to secure a state budget every year under the Democratic leadership of Gov. Katie Hobbs and incumbent Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Glassman argued that Petersen allowing the passage of several state budgets with a Democrat attorney general in power, Kris Mayes, was improper for a Republican to have done. Glassman blamed Petersen for Mayes filing 42 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Petersen said Glassman was “not a serious candidate,” in part for making that argument. Petersen said the implications of refusing to fund the attorney general’s office in the state budget would effectively defund law enforcement, which he called “reckless” on Glassman’s part. Petersen did clarify that the Republican-led legislature had cut Mayes’ budgeting.
“We have cut [Mayes’] funding, to hold her accountable, and she sued us [the legislature],” said Petersen.
Petersen claimed Glassman lacked any noteworthy professional experience, save for a status as a perennial candidate — first as a Democrat, then a Republican.
ICYMI: Rodney Glassman let the mask slip. He admitted he supports defunding law enforcement and opposes Republican budgets that fund public safety. Watch Warren Petersen completely dismantle him. Rodney spoke like a radical lefty. When someone tells you who they are, believe them pic.twitter.com/vcWocWKapB
— AZ Politics War Room (@AZPolWarRoom) May 29, 2026
Glassman said he supports President Donald Trump and his agenda. This represents a flip from the years leading up to this race in which Glassman aligned with mainstream Democrat policies on major issues like abortion, border security, campaign finance, public education, energy, healthcare, and taxation.
Glassman also stressed his experience as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force JAG Corps Reserve at Luke Air Force Base.
ICYMI👇
Last night, I went head-to-head with my Republican primary opponent. While he resorted to false, unproven attacks, I focused on what actually matters: experience.
Arizona Republicans want to fire Kris Mayes this November. I’m the only candidate with the background to… pic.twitter.com/gZKyJgwn8T
Petersen responded with a claim that personnel within the Luke Air Force Base legal department have denied knowing Glassman.
Petersen said under his administration, the state would enter into a 287(g) agreement to assist immigration enforcement with deportations. Petersen also promised to prioritize election integrity regardless of the party in power. Glassman vowed a loyalty to Trump on the matters of election integrity, alluding to some doubts about the validity of the 2020 election.
Petersen also said he would approach the state’s water crisis through a focus on water augmentation, specifically by 2.5 million-acre feet. Glassman didn’t offer a solution that could be heard (that portion of the debate faced technical difficulties), but instead cited his doctorate in arid-land sciences and environmental law degree from the University of Arizona.
Petersen called Glassman “a trust-fund baby” whose entire occupation is running for office, and that Glassman was a candidate “who lies about everything” and belongs in prison.
Recent polling shows Petersen as favored to win the Republican primary for attorney general.
Glassman has raised over $3 million for his campaign, $1 million of which came from his own pocket (33%). $77,500 came from interest or dividends received from banks.
Petersen has raised over $1.4 million for his campaign, $123,000 of which came from his own pocket (8%).
The Arizona Clean Elections Commission hosted the hourlong debate:
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
