Mayes: Child care is a permissible political campaign expense in Arizona

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued an opinion this week that says child care is a permissible campaign expense.

The opinion was requested by four Democratic lawmakers who are also mothers: Reps. Stacey Travers, D-Tempe; Sarah Liguori, D-Phoenix; Quantá Crews, D-Phoenix; and Sen. Eva Diaz, D-Tolleson.

In the opinion, Mayes states Arizona’s campaign finance law allows the use of privately raised campaign funds for dependent care if, and only if, it enables a candidate to perform campaign activities.

With this decision, Arizona joins 34 other states and Washington, D.C., that have approved campaign funds for child care.

But the law does not allow officeholders to use public funds for it.

The background given in Mayes’ opinion points to the fact that women remain underrepresented in public office and that, while they win at the same rate as men, they don’t run at the same rate, possibly because of a “care gap.”

According to 2022 data from Vote Mama Foundation, less than 7% of Arizona state legislators are mothers with minor children.