Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s Democratic Secretary Of State, Announces Bid For Governor

Arizona’s Secretary of Sate Katie Hobbs (D) has announced her candidacy for governor of the state. Hobbs rose to fame during the aftermath of the 2020 election, and then again during the Republican-sponsored audit of ballots cast in Maricopa County in the spring. Hobbs has been a regular on cable news programs on MSNBC and CNN and reiterated her position during the period following the 2020 elections, stating “we did our job.” She has positioned herself as a strong leader in the face relentless GOP opposition.

Hobbs took to Twitter to announce the news, and share her launch video.

https://twitter.com/katiehobbs/status/1400093545260752904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1400093545260752904%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F06%2F02%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fkatie-hobbs-arizona-governor.html

In her home state of Arizona, electoral votes were counted throughout the week following Election Day in November. As seen in her campaign video, armed protesters took to the street outside her home to protest the vote count. Despite this, Hobbs defended her states’ electoral system and repeated the slogan “count every vote.” She defended President Biden’s win of the state, and harshly condemned partisan efforts to audit hand-counted votes of Maricopa County. Hobbs sent a team of observers to take notes during the audit and published her  observations.

The GOP has gone on to attempt to pass legislation which would give the Attorney General, currently a Republican, the power over election lawsuits, specifically targeting Hobbs.

Hobbs responded to the bill proposal on Twitter.

This isn’t just an attack on me, it’s an attack on Arizona voters. My statement on the legislature’s budget proposal: https://t.co/THkPj07VTZ pic.twitter.com/t4SMq3YIHc

— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) May 25, 2021

Other candidates running for governor include Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R), former Fox 10 news anchor Kari Lake (R), and former Nogales Mayor Marco López Jr (D).