WASHINGTON, DC – New reporting has found that Republican nominee for Arizona Attorney General Warren Petersen’s campaign is bankrolled by the family and friends of indicted county attorney, Michael Whiting, and his wife who have been charged and brought before a grand jury by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. The family has donated over $50,000 to the Petersen campaign.

“Michael Whiting’s mom, dad, brother, sisters, in-laws and friends have all contributed to Petersen’s campaign, with eight giving the individual maximum of $5,500,” AZ Central reported. “Campaign records show they have made scant donations to statewide elections in the past 15 years.”

Petersen has a history of accepting donations from companies who AG Mayes has sued. Arizonans deserve to know the truth behind Pay-to-Play Petersen.

Key highlights: 

• “Former Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting was accused by a grand jury in 2024 of using his office to steal from the state’s poorest county before being forced out.”
• “While the criminal court process continues, the couple’s relatives and associates have raised more than $50,000 for Republican attorney general candidate Warren Petersen.”
• “Whiting’s sister, Emily Pratt of Gilbert, confirmed she helped host a fundraiser for Petersen.”
• “[Whiting’s] parents, Ken and Karma Whiting, septuagenarians living in St. Johns, gave a combined $11,000 to ‘Friends of Warren Petersen,’ records show.”
• “A spokesperson for Mayes’ campaign said Petersen owes Arizonans an explanation about what Whiting’s family was promised and what he intends to do for them if elected.”
• “‘A politician on trial for corruption has friends and family pouring money into Warren Petersen’s campaign,’ campaign manager Delaney Corcoran said in an Oct. 26 statement. ‘They’re shopping for an attorney general who won’t enforce the law or hold them accountable.’”
• “An ad from Mayes labels her opponent ‘pay to play Petersen’ and notes that a Tucson mobile home park owner she took to court is a major funder of a political group that supported Petersen in the primary election.”
• “BoaVida, which operates Redwood Mobile Home Park, gave over $600,000 to the Restore Order political action committee this year, state reports show. Mayes’ office sued BoaVida in August 2025 alleging the company did not inform residents its electrical circuits were overloaded and old, leaving people without air conditioning for hours at a time in the summer.”

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