Arizona’s Attorney General was in Yuma last week for a town hall. Mayes spoke with voters about the multiple lawsuits she has filed against the Trump administration.
Attorney General Mayes said her Yuma visit was the 11th town hall she’s held throughout Arizona. including events in Flagstaff, Douglas and Scottsdale.
Mayes shared details on 18 lawsuits against Trump that she has joined as part of a coalition of Democratic attorneys general. They includes lawsuits against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, an agency that has instituted federal firings and funding cuts.
Most of those in attendance said they support Mayes' lawsuits but there was some opposition. One speaker, Mitchell Eckard, said he was a Yuma small business owner and veteran. Eckard said Mayes was "among a minority of Democrats using their power to go after Trump."
"The state of Arizona did elect Donald Trump," he told Mayes. "Donald Trump has done everything he promised to do... Your closed view of what you believe that we want as a state does not align with how we voted. So I don't believe that you're up here doing our work for us."
Mayes responded by saying she is also an elected official and has a duty to uphold the law. Members of the public said they wanted to hear directly from Attorney General Mayes. This included Teri Koenig, who lives in the Yuma Foothills. She told KAWC why she attended the town hall.
"Just concern about DOGE and all the illegal things Trump is doing." Koenig said. "I wanted to see what our attorney general is doing and I'm very pleased that she's busy. I hear some in the newspaper and on (KAWC) but it's different to hear directly from her."
Mayes said that at her town hall, she welcomes all residents, whether they voted for her or not.
"I love that I was challenged by a couple of folks who don't share my views," she said. "It's everyone's right to speak to their elected officials... When we do these, we gather evidence that can potentially be used in lawsuits..."
Attorney General Mayes said she will stop suing Trump and Musk "when they stop violating the U.S. Constitution."
