Who is Katie Hobbs?
KATIE Hobbs served as the 21st Arizona Secretary of State for nearly four years, since being sworn in back in 2019.
In January 2023, she wasted no time and was elected the 24th governor of Arizona.
Who is Katie Hobbs?
Katie Hobbs was born in Tempe, Arizona, on December 28, 1969.
The 53-year-old was the Democratic Secretary of State for Arizona since elected back in 2019 - becoming the first Democrat to hold the position since 1995.
In June 2021, she announced her bid to run for governor in the 2022 election.
In a tweet announcing her bid, Hobbs wrote: "I’m running for Governor to deliver transparency, accountability, and results for Arizonans -- just like I’ve done my whole career."
On January 2, 2023, she was officially sworn in as the 24th governor of Arizona.
Her inauguration marks the fifth female governor in Arizona's history.
What are some of Hobbs' political views?
Hobbs is known for her resiliency as she defended the electoral system in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.
She detailed the problems with a ballot recount in a to Ken Bennett, the US Senate's audit liaison, detailing the problems with the existing audit.
Hobbs suggested replacing the voting machines and vote tabulators and wrote: “We cannot be certain who accessed the voting equipment and what might have been done to them."
Since her outspoken defense of the voting system, Hobbs has received death threats, and in one instance, two armed protestors showed up at her door.
“When you’re under attack, some would have you believe you have two choices: fight or give in. But there is a third option: get the job done,” Hobbs said in her video announcement. “I’m here to solve problems.”
Republicans passed a bill to strip Hobbs of her ability to move forward in defense of election lawsuits and reallocated that power to the Republican attorney general.
The bill expired when Hobbs' term ended in January 2023, and Hobbs called it "an attack on voters."
“The other side isn’t offering policies to make our lives better, they’re offering conspiracy theories that only make our lives worse,” she said in her video.
Hobbs has a track record of working with Republican governors to effectively expand healthcare, combat the opioid epidemic, and clear Arizona's rape kit backlog while putting sexual assault offenders in jail.
"This election isn’t a choice between Democrats and Republicans – it’s a choice between sanity and chaos," Hobbs told .
"I’m focused on bringing people together to tackle our state’s toughest challenges, and I’ve offered comprehensive plans to lower costs, address our water crisis, improve education, and restore access to reproductive health care.
"These aren’t Democrat or Republican issues – they’re Arizona issues and they need Arizona solutions," she said.
Who did she run against for governor?
Hobbs ran against Republican candidate Kari Lake who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Lake is a former Fox10 News anchor and resigned from her position in March 2021 to run for governor. She received Trump's support six months later.
The race was expected to be a toss-up according to several reports.
Lake vowed to create "election integrity bills"; to "shore up our election laws that remove loopholes from cheating."
Speaking to , Lake said: "By the 2024 election, we’re going to have honest elections in Arizona, full stop.”
However, the outlet said voters fear that Lake's proclamation of "honest elections" will be one that only Republicans win.
She also said she wanted more controlled abortion rights, eliminate "woke teaching" in schools, block all vaccine mandates, and bring forward legal fights to the Biden administration.
Lake's political stance is what prompted Hobbs to work harder toward a favorable election - which ultimately won her the position of Arizona governor.
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"With extremists like my opponent trying to divide us, it’s more important than ever that we find ways to come together and create common-sense solutions to the issues facing us all," Hobbs told AZ Central.
"This race is not about Democrats versus Republicans — and our government shouldn’t be, either."