Copyright Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points: Gov. Katie Hobbs held an “Arizona First” rally in Tucson, the first major event of her reelection campaign Hobbs accused her three Republican opponents of kowtowing to President Donald Trump and being out of touch with Arizona issues The governor acknowledged that her race will be an uphill battle, but said she is prepared to fight Gov. Katie Hobbs kicked off a weekend of campaigning by criticizing her Republican opponents for focusing more on Washington, D.C., than the Grand Canyon state at her “Arizona First” rally in Tucson. The Nov. 1 rally was the first major event of her reelection campaign. Hobbs was joined by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, U.S. Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva and Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose at the El Rio Neighborhood Center. Hobbs acknowledged to the crowd of over 200 attendees that her race would be an uphill battle, partially due to President Donald Trump and his influence over her three Republican opponents. “We know that this race will be one of the toughest in the country,” Hobbs said during the rally. “Right after the 2024 election, Donald Trump came to Arizona, and he made it clear that winning this governor’s race is a top priority for him. He wants someone who will do whatever he says and never push back. And all three of my opponents fit this bill.” Hobbs will face the winner of the three-way Republican primary featuring U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson and U.S. Rep. David Schweikert. Biggs and Robson share an endorsement from the president, while Schweikert has been a Trump supporter but is unlikely to get a nod from him in the race. The governor officially launched her reelection campaign on Oct. 9 with endorsements from Arizona’s top Democratic officials, including U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and U.S. Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton. She will head into 2026 unopposed on the Democratic side and with a warchest of more than $5 million. Hobbs’ campaign is leaning into the governor’s focus on state-level issues, while two of her opponents, Biggs and Schweikert, have spent over a decade serving Arizona at the federal level and the third, Robson, has no experience in elected office. During her remarks Saturday, Hobbs highlighted the difference between her role in the state budget process and the federal budget process as Congress is 31 days into a government shutdown and no closer to a deal to end it. “After negotiations with both parties, I signed a balanced, bipartisan budget that puts families first,” Hobbs said. “At the same time, politicians ran through a reckless, partisan budget and all of my opponents cheered it on.” Hobbs also touted her wins on groundwater legislation, funding for the Division of Developmental Disabilities, border security efforts and job creation in the technology sector. And while Republicans use Hobbs’ penchant for vetoing legislation — she’s broken the state’s veto record twice in just three years in office — as an attack, Grijalva sees it as an asset for Democrats. “The veto, the one that has protected Arizona nearly 400 times,” Grijalva said. “That is courage, and that’s the kind of steady hand Arizona needs, especially now, because let’s be honest, the other side isn’t hiding their agenda.” Grijalva’s delayed swearing in was also a hot topic at the rally, with attendees chanting “swear her in” after the representative-elect spoke. Grijalva is still waiting for House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow her to take the oath of office and recently broke the modern record for longest wait to be sworn in, after being elected to her seat on Sept. 23. U.S. Sen Mark Kelly was also slated to attend the rally, but couldn’t make it because “he’s maybe trying to restart the government,” Hobbs told attendees. Other Southern Arizona elected officials like Reps. Betty Villegas, Chris Mathis, Consuleo Hernandez and Alma Hernandez were also in attendance. The Tucson rally jumpstarted a weekend of campaigning around the state, with Hobbs slated to attend multiple events in Bisbee and Yuma and host another rally in Phoenix on Sunday. Hobbs said she will continue to remind voters that the campaign “will not be easy,” but that she is ready for the challenge. “There will be people who underestimate us, and I know what that feels like because in every campaign I’ve run, I’ve been underestimated,” Hobbs said. “But I’ve also never lost.”
