By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes and Republican challenger Warren Petersen faced off in their first televised debate, clashing over a number of issues including police support, immigration enforcement and data centers.
Read more Is Kyrsten Sinema’s livelihood, reputation at risk after ex-lover’s arrest?
Law enforcement record
In his opening statement, Petersen targeted Mayes’ record on law enforcement. He brought up remarks she made earlier this year warning that masked immigration agents could cause lethal confrontations.
Republicans claimed those comments endangered federal agents, and Gov. Katie Hobbs called on Mayes to walk them back. Petersen used that controversy to go on the offensive.
“Her comments put law enforcement in danger and she was condemned by the Arizona Police Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Sheriff’s Association. Kris is too liberal for Katie Hobbs. Even Katie Hobbs rebuked her,” Petersen said.
Mayes responded to Petersen’s remarks.
“Well, yeah, it’s too bad that, Warren, you can’t do anything but read off of your sheet there. But, you know, we’ll go ahead and respond. First of all, it’s you that should be answering for your anti-law enforcement record. You voted 100 times to oppose pro-law enforcement measures and bills at the Legislature,” Mayes said.
The race for attorney general gives voters a choice between two candidates with different visions for border security and immigration.
Over the past two years, the federal government has tightened border controls, but how aggressively immigration laws should be enforced in Arizona remained a point of disagreement between Mayes and Petersen during the debate.
Immigration detention facilities
Among the sharpest disagreements was the issue of immigration detention facilities. The federal government recently awarded a $1.2 billion contract to a private company to expand an existing facility in Florence.
“What I believe is that the community should have had a say in where the center went. So I think that’s a local decision, it should have been decided by the community. I have a good relationship with the Trump administration. I would have worked with them to try and have the facility relocated,” Petersen said.
Mayes said she has already taken the federal government to court over similar sites in other Arizona communities.
“As you know, I sued the federal government. I sued to stop the ICE warehouse in Surprise because the federal government had not done a NEPA analysis on that facility. And as you know, it’s also located right next to a chemical facility—a very unsafe situation,” Mayes said.
Role of ICE in Arizona
The debate also addressed what role Arizona’s attorney general should play alongside federal immigration authorities. Mayes criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing the agency is pulling agents away from combating cartels along the Arizona border.
“I think we need ICE to go back to what it normally does, which is help state AGs go after the Mexican drug cartels. That’s not what they are doing,” Mayes said.
Petersen did not criticize ICE, arguing tough border enforcement is necessary to stop human smugglers.
Read more Why Arizona’s falling drug seizures are sparking a fentanyl debate
“When someone enters the country illegally, they become vulnerable to human traffickers and criminal organizations. They can be extorted, abused, or kidnapped. The illegal crossing puts their lives at risk,” Petersen said.
Young migrants brought to the U.S. as children
The candidates also clashed over young migrants brought to the country as children.
Mayes cited a quote in which Petersen said they should be prepared for deportation. Petersen said he meant that anyone living in the country illegally should face the possibility of deportation.
Data centers also a flashpoint
The candidates also sparred over data centers, which have emerged as a major political issue this year.
Petersen supports more data centers with local control. Mayes wants to pump the brakes.
Candidates’ background
Mayes is a native Arizonan who grew up in Prescott and beat Republican Abe Hamadeh by just 280 votes in 2022 to become Arizona’s attorney general. The winning margin triggered a recount.
Petersen is a third-generation Gilbert resident who went to ASU and won the GOP nomination in the July primary by beating Rodney Glassman.
Another major split is how they handle Washington and the Trump administration.
Over the past two years, Mayes has filed more than 50 lawsuits against the White House, including those over Trump’s mail-in ballot restrictions, his global tariffs and vaccine rules.
Petersen has been an avid Trump supporter and said the 2020 election results were certified “prematurely.” Petersen said if elected, he’ll drop those legal challenges on day one.
Undecided race
The race is likely to be close on Election Day, and August polls reflect that. A poll from AARP showed Mayes up by roughly five points over Petersen.
A survey from Noble Predictive Insights showed Mayes had a six-point lead over Petersen, with her getting 17% of Republican support. However, approximately 20% of voters remain undecided.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.