Hobbs Wins Second Term as Arizona Governor

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs won re-election, defeating Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs in a closely watched contest. Election projections called the race on November 3, with Hobbs receiving about 58% to 59% of the vote in early late-night figures, compared with roughly 40% to 41% for Biggs. The returns were still being updated that night.

Hobbs campaigned on her record and on working with Republicans, saying she had signed more than 900 bipartisan measures. She also emphasized issues including border security and tax cuts. Biggs criticized her for vetoing a record number of Republican-backed bills; during her first year, she issued more than 100 vetoes.

The candidates clashed over the 2020 election. Biggs had challenged its results in Congress and did not say during the campaign whether Hobbs had won the 2022 governor’s race. Hobbs argued that his election denial was dangerous. At an October event she did not attend, Biggs said he would accept the outcome of the 2026 election.

Biggs had President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Trump won Arizona in 2024 and campaigned for him, while Hobbs presented herself as a moderate in the battleground state. She also criticized Biggs’ positions on Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war.

The race featured Arizona’s first lieutenant governor candidates. Giles, Hobbs’ pick for lieutenant governor and a former Mesa mayor, will take the new role. The final legislative results could determine whether Hobbs works with a Republican or Democratic majority in the statehouse.

Arizona Voters Reject Biggs’ Election Denial and Keep Hobbs

Arizona voters kept Katie Hobbs in the governor’s office, rejecting Andy Biggs, a Trump ally whose challenge to the 2020 election became a central issue in the campaign. Projections called the race for Hobbs on November 3, with early late-night figures putting her near 59% and Biggs around 40%.

Hobbs warned that Arizona would pay a price if Biggs became governor while refusing to acknowledge the 2020 result. Biggs had challenged that election in Congress and would not say during the campaign whether Hobbs won in 2022. At an October event he skipped, he said he would accept the result of this election.

The governor also made the case for her record of working across party lines, saying she had signed more than 900 bipartisan measures. Her campaign stressed border security and tax cuts, while she criticized Biggs’ support for Trump’s tariffs and his opposition to calls for ending the Iran war.

The result keeps a Democrat in Arizona’s governorship despite Trump carrying the state in 2024. Biggs had the president’s endorsement, but his campaign also faced questions over his election record. Giles, Hobbs’ lieutenant-governor choice and a former Mesa mayor, will become the state’s first lieutenant governor. The balance of power in the Legislature remained consequential for her next term.

Hobbs Holds Arizona Governorship Despite Record of Vetoes

Katie Hobbs secured another term as Arizona governor, turning aside Republican Andy Biggs and his promise to work with the Legislature rather than against it. Projections called the race on November 3; early late-night returns put Hobbs near 59% and Biggs around 40%.

The result leaves Democrats in an office where Hobbs has repeatedly clashed with the GOP-controlled Legislature. Republicans called her the “veto queen” after she issued more than 100 vetoes in her first year, and Biggs made those vetoes a focus of his campaign. He argued that Hobbs had blocked Republican-backed bills rather than cooperating with lawmakers.

Hobbs promoted her bipartisan record and cited more than 900 measures she had signed. She also campaigned on border security and tax cuts, while attacking Biggs over his support for Trump’s tariffs and his record on the 2020 election. Biggs had challenged the election results in Congress, though he said at an October event that he would accept the 2026 outcome.

President Donald Trump endorsed Biggs and campaigned in Arizona, a state he won in 2024. Hobbs’ victory means she will continue to face a Legislature that could remain under Republican control; final legislative results will shape the negotiations ahead. Giles, Hobbs’ choice for lieutenant governor and a former Mesa mayor, will become Arizona’s first lieutenant governor.