Katie Hobbs Wins Re-election in Arizona, Beating Andy Biggs in a State Trump Carried
“Whether you’re a Democrat, independent or Republican, if you believe in protecting our freedoms and putting Arizona first, we’re ready to fight for you,” Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a video announcing her running mate.
NBC News projects that Hobbs, a Democrat and former Arizona secretary of state, has won re-election as governor, defeating Republican Rep. Andy Biggs in the key battleground state. As of 1:25 a.m. Wednesday, when the Associated Press called the race, KJZZ reported that Hobbs led Biggs with nearly 57% of the vote to his 41.6%.
The result matters beyond the governor’s mansion. Arizona went for Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, yet voters handed the office back to a Democrat who ran as a moderate. Her victory ensures Democrats maintain veto power over the historically conservative state Legislature, and her supporters are watching down-ballot races closely in hopes Democrats can seize control of the state Senate or House — which would let Hobbs jumpstart an agenda that floundered during her first four years amid friction with the GOP-controlled Legislature.
A Moderate Pitch, a Cross-Party Running Mate
Hobbs campaigned on kitchen-table issues, emphasizing border security and tax cuts rather than national Democratic talking points. Her most striking move was choosing John Giles, a former Republican and former mayor of Mesa, as her running mate for lieutenant governor. This was the first Arizona gubernatorial race featuring candidates for lieutenant governor; Biggs chose former GOP state lawmaker Sine Kerr.
Hobbs also drew sharp contrasts with Trump’s policies, highlighting what she called the unpopular Iran war and his tariffs. During her first term she enacted a three-year pause on tax incentives for data centers, and her campaign touted a record of working across the aisle — she said she signed more than 900 pieces of bipartisan legislation.
Biggs Attacks Hobbs’ Veto Record
Biggs, a former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, made Hobbs’ veto pen the centerpiece of his campaign, arguing she blocked the Legislature’s agenda at every turn.
“She doesn’t give in on anything, pretty much,” Biggs told Fox News in October. “I’d be working with the Legislature, not against them.”
He also criticized Hobbs for refusing to debate him — she called debates “political theater.” Hobbs, meanwhile, hammered Biggs for his support of Trump’s tariffs, his votes against resolutions to end the Iran war, and his refusal to acknowledge Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. She pointed to a pattern she said put election denialism at the center of Arizona politics.
“Andy Biggs won’t admit that I won in ’22 or that Trump lost in 2020, and I think it is dangerous and wrong. Arizonans have paid the cost of this election denial for a long time, and we will continue to if Andy Biggs is in the governor’s chair,” Hobbs said on a local radio program in July.
The 2020 question followed Biggs into this race. In 2022, Hobbs defeated Kari Lake — a Trump ally who did not publicly accept the 2020 results and who later challenged the outcome in court and lost — by about 17,000 votes. Pressed about that result during this campaign, Biggs said “every court has said she’s won” and “she’s the governor.” Asked at the debate Hobbs skipped whether he would accept this year’s results no matter the outcome, he said: “Yeah, I will. I will accept the outcome.” He added that he believes Arizona elections are more secure now than in 2020 and that he would be happy to certify the result.
Trump’s involvement in the primary shaped the field. He initially backed businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson when she declared in early 2025, then threw his support behind Biggs when he entered later in the year. After Robson dropped out, Trump gave Biggs his “complete and total endorsement.” KJZZ also reported that Hobbs’ campaign accused Biggs of taking actions in Congress and as a state lawmaker to protect pedophiles and abusers — a charge that underscored how sharply the two campaigns framed the stakes.
What Comes Next for the Grand Canyon State
Hobbs’ win makes her the first Democrat elected governor of Arizona since Janet Napolitano in 2006. With the governor’s office secured, attention now shifts to the down-ballot contests that will decide whether she finally gets a friendly Legislature. Democrats need control of one or both chambers to advance priorities that stalled during her first term, including fights over spending on the state’s school voucher program.
For now, the governor’s veto stamp remains the only check on a Republican Legislature — and in a state Trump won handily just two years ago, that check just survived one of the nation’s most closely watched midterm battles.
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