PHOENIX — With Election Day just days away, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is facing renewed scrutiny over a series of videos showing her avoiding reporters’ questions about utility rates, renewable-energy mandates, and her refusal to defend Arizona’s law protecting girls’ sports.
The videos, posted to X by Brian Anderson, owner of FOIArizona, document several encounters in which Mayes walks away from questions while individuals accompanying her appear to intervene, block cameras, or otherwise interfere with attempts to question the attorney general.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2114462718308888858
In one of the more unusual encounters, Anderson posted footage showing someone accompanying Mayes repeatedly sounding a vehicle’s horn while a journalist attempted to question her outside a fundraiser.
The incident was hardly an isolated occurrence.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2116984004998213701
In another video, Anderson documented additional efforts to question Mayes about her record on utility costs and her refusal to defend Arizona’s Save Women’s Sports Act.
On October 25, Anderson posted footage showing Mayes entering a vehicle while a cameraman questioned her about the enforcement of Arizona’s girls’ sports law and the potential risk of injuries to female athletes competing against biological males.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2113687169252647193
Two days earlier, on October 23, Anderson shared another encounter in which Mayes entered a building while a vehicle appeared to reverse toward the cameraman as he questioned her about votes involving water rates.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2112233299984720133
An October 19 video captured another unanswered question about water-utility increases as Mayes entered a waiting vehicle.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2111543664795324546
On October 17, Anderson reported that Mayes exited through a back entrance rather than face questions about utility bills and her opposition to the Arizona Corporation Commission’s attempt to repeal renewable-energy mandates.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2109015609354731907
Earlier encounters followed a similar pattern. Anderson’s October 10 and October 7 posts focused on renewable-energy requirements, utility tariffs, and the costs passed along to Arizona ratepayers. Anderson described individuals accompanying Mayes as obstructing the cameraman while the attorney general avoided responding.
https://x.com/AZBrianAnderson/status/2107953716925960210
The videos raise questions about Mayes’ willingness to address controversial decisions from her record, particularly as she asks Arizona voters to give her another four years in office.
Mayes Refused to Defend Arizona’s Girls’ Sports Law
One of the most contentious issues involves Mayes’ decision not to defend Arizona’s Save Women’s Sports Act, which restricts participation on girls’ and women’s school athletic teams based on biological sex.
As the Arizona Daily Independent previously reported, Republican legislative leaders stepped in to defend the law after Mayes declined to do so.
In September 2025, House Speaker Steve Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen announced supporting briefs in separate U.S. Supreme Court cases involving similar laws in Idaho and West Virginia.
Arizona’s Save Women’s Sports Act requires school athletic teams to be designated according to biological sex and prohibits students of the male sex from participating on teams designated for girls or women. The statute also provides legal remedies for students harmed by violations.
The law has been the subject of extensive federal litigation. On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit’s judgment in Petersen v. Doe, returning the case for further consideration in light of its ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J.
Arizona voters will also weigh in on the issue November 3 through Proposition 318.
The ballot measure would expand requirements governing athletic participation based on biological sex recorded on original birth certificates and establish restrictions involving restrooms, locker rooms, and showers associated with school athletics.
Mayes’ refusal to defend the existing statute has become a central point of disagreement between the attorney general and Republican legislative leaders.
Utility Rates and Renewable-Energy Mandates Draw Scrutiny
Mayes has also faced criticism over her opposition to the Arizona Corporation Commission’s effort to repeal the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST) rules.
The requirements were adopted in 2006, when Mayes served on the commission, and have since become a point of contention over their financial impact on utility customers.
In March 2026, the Corporation Commission voted unanimously to repeal the mandates.
Commission Chairman Nick Myers argued that the requirements had unnecessarily increased costs for Arizona electricity customers.
However, the repeal encountered opposition from Mayes’ office.
In June, the commission announced that Mayes’ office had disapproved the repeal, citing alleged procedural deficiencies in the rulemaking process.
Commissioner Kevin Thompson criticized Mayes for standing in the way of repealing subsidies and mandates she had supported during her own tenure on the commission.
Mayes’ office defended its position, arguing that the commission failed to complete a required economic analysis before voting, depriving the public of an opportunity to review and comment on the findings.
The dispute has placed Mayes at odds with commissioners who contend that eliminating the mandates would help reduce costs for consumers.
Questions Remain as Voters Prepare to Cast Ballots
The recurring encounters have drawn attention to the attorney general’s accessibility and willingness to answer questions about decisions affecting Arizona families.
While the videos do not establish that Mayes personally directed anyone to interfere with reporters, she is facing criticism for not demanding more professional behavior from her staff.
The videos, say critics, show repeated attempts to question her about controversial policies without obtaining answers.
Mayes, a Democrat who won the 2022 attorney general’s race by just 280 votes, is seeking a second term against Republican Senate President Warren Petersen in the November 3 general election.
With voters preparing to make their decision, questions about rising utility costs, renewable-energy mandates, and the protection of girls’ sports remain politically consequential.
Whether Mayes will directly address the questions raised in Anderson’s videos before Election Day remains to be seen.
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