Katie Hobbs Announces Bid For Arizona Governor

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said on Wednesday that she will seek the Democratic Party nomination for governor in the election next year, Axios reported.

Hobbs made the announcement in a campaign ad that stressed the fallacy of the Republican-led audit of the state’s 2020 presidential election results.

In the ad, she stated that “the other side isn’t offering policies to make our lives better. They’re offering conspiracy theories that only make our lives worse. We did our jobs. They refuse to do theirs. And there is a lot more work to be done. That is why I am running for governor.”

Hobbs also touted her ability to push for legislation that can help the public. She citied the Opioid Epidemic Act of 2018 she cosponsored, which sought to  stop drug abuse, and which became law in the Republican-dominated Capitol, according to Azcentral.

Hobbs gained a national profile following last year’s election by voicing her opposition to  claims by supporters of then President Donald Trump that the Arizona election results were fraudulent.

Her job as secretary of state has also recently put her at the center of Republican efforts to audit the ballot count in Maricopa County, which she has also harshly criticized, CNN reported.

Last week, the Arizona House Appropriations Committee voted to take away from Hobbs the ability to defend election lawsuits and instead granted that responsibility to the state’s Republican attorney general, Axios reported.

The bill has is pending before  the full legislature.

The election for governor next year will not include current Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, who is ineligible to run, as he is term-limited.

Former Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez has already announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination, Azcentral reported.

On the Republican side, state treasurer Kimberly Yee and Karrin Taylor Robson, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, have announced their candidacies.

The battle for governor will be one test of Arizona’s recent political transformation, according to CNN.

The last presidential election marked only the second time a Democratic nominee has won the state in more than seven decades.

Arizona was once a solid Republican state, but a growing Latino population, a large increase in new voters from Democratic states like California and Illinois and the revolt of suburban voters against a Trump-dominated Republican Party has helped generate a change.

It remains to be seen if Democrats can continue this trend to win more victories in the state.

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