In some cases, it pays a quarter of a million dollars to be friends with those in power.
Records reveal that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes awarded a no-bid government contract for public relations consulting to a close friend and campaign consultant about a month after taking office in 2023, and also continued paying that friend through her campaign.
That friend and consultant, Stacey Champion, earned nearly $248,000 under the two-year contract.
The initial contract required Champion to work a minimum of 80 hours per month, or four hours per work day, for independent consulting services that included public relations, research, consulting, and report writing. Compensation was initially set at $10,000 per month.
Subsequent contract extensions bumped up Champion’s compensation to $15,000 per month and required a minimum of 120 hours of work per month, or six hours per work day.
At the same time as working at the attorney general’s office, Champion received payments from Mayes’ political campaign while working on politically sensitive issues targeting Republicans.
Champion received about $67,800 from Mayes’ campaign for consulting in 2023 and 2025 according to secretary of state campaign finance records. The payments were made in January and March of 2023 for about $25,000 and $18,000 respectively, and April and July of 2025 for about $18,000 and $5,000 respectively.
Champion also participated in issues targeting Republicans, such as the 2020 Trump “fake electors” case.
Mayes’ opponent, Senate President and Republican nominee Warren Petersen, said the contract was indicative of Mayes allegedly wielding a “culture of politicization and corruption” within the office.
“After taking office, Mayes gave her close friend a sweetheart deal at taxpayers’ expense to help advance the same costly energy agenda she pursued on the Corporation Commission: higher rates and expensive mandates for Arizona families,” said Petersen.
Press release: Kris Mayes gave close friend and political consultant Stacey Champion nearly $250,000 of taxpayer money in no-bid contract. Taxpayers deserve to know why. pic.twitter.com/7RH6MEkKlu
— Warren Petersen (@votewarren) September 1, 2026
Champion ended her years-long contract with Mayes in January 2025. A month later, Mayes received a new consulting contract for public relations-related work with an agreement to be paid on a project-by-project basis.
The most recent purchase order record pertaining to that new contract reflected consulting/event planning that took place from February through early March of 2025. The attorney general’s office paid $5,000 for those services.
Since that time, Champion has taken up advocacy to address heat-related illnesses and deaths — with Mayes following closely behind.
In April 2025, Champion alerted the media to the 2024 death of Katherine “Kate” Korman, an Arizona Public Services customer whose electric service had been disconnected due to nonpayment. Mayes filed a complaint in response to Champion’s coordination. In April, Mayes secured a $7 million settlement over Korman’s death.
Prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Champion had served on the boards or committees for the Indoor Air Quality Association, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters, Livable Communities Coalition, Sustainable Arizona, ProgressNow Arizona, and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.
Champion formerly co-chaired former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
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