# Katie Hobbs Democratic Governor of Arizona since January 2023, up for re-election in 2026 against Republican Rep. [[Andy Biggs]]. Before that she was the Arizona Secretary of State who certified the state's 2020 result, which made her a direct target of the [[Donald Trump]]-aligned "[[Stop the Steal]]" campaign. Her governorship is defined by divided government: a Republican legislature passes bills, and she vetoes them in record numbers. ## Secretary of State, 2019–2023 As the state's chief election officer she certified [[Joe Biden]]'s 2020 win in Arizona against intense pressure. In May 2021 she refused to recertify the [[Maricopa County]] voting equipment the state Senate had handed to [[Cyber Ninjas]] for the [[2021 Maricopa County Presidential Ballot Audit]], citing "grave concerns" that it might have been compromised. The county spent $2.8 million replacing it. In 2022 she ran for governor against [[Kari Lake]], an election denier endorsed by Trump, and won narrowly, about 50.3% to 49.6%. Lake's suits to overturn the result failed. ## Governor: the veto record Hobbs has vetoed **541 bills** in four years, more than any governor in Arizona history. She set the single-session record with **143 vetoes** in 2023 and broke it with **174 in 2025**. The previous record holder, Democrat Janet Napolitano, issued 58 in 2005 and 181 across six years. The vetoes cover elections, immigration, school vouchers, transgender policy, groundwater and taxes, and a share of them were bipartisan bills. Some have nicknamed her Arizona's "Veto Queen." That record is the stakes of the 2026 race. Biggs has said he is "inclined to consider and probably sign a whole host of bills by Republicans that were vetoed by her." Her spokesperson answered that he is "promising to give extremists free rein." ## The 2026 race Biggs, a five-term congressman and former state Senate president, won the Republican nomination on **July 21, 2026**, beating Rep. David Schweikert, who had argued that Biggs was too extreme to win. Biggs had Trump's endorsement and the backing of Turning Point USA's political arm. He voted against certifying Arizona's 2020 electoral votes and still says elections are not safe. The Hobbs campaign calls him a "carbon copy" of Lake. Arizona elects its first **lieutenant governor** this year, under Proposition 131. Hobbs chose former Mesa mayor John Giles, a longtime Republican who registered as an independent in May 2026, for a cross-party ticket; Biggs chose Sine Kerr. A Noble Predictive Insights poll taken August 10–13, 2026 had Hobbs ahead **48% to 35%** among likely voters, with 12% undecided. She led on water, education, housing costs, the economy and data centers; Biggs led within the margin on immigration. One poll in August does not settle a race the national handicappers have rated among the most competitive in the country. See [[2026 Governor Races Hub]]. ## Related - [[Andy Biggs]] · [[Kari Lake]] · [[Kris Mayes]] · [[Adrian Fontes]] - [[Maricopa County]] · [[2021 Maricopa County Presidential Ballot Audit]] · [[Karen Fann]] - [[Guaranteed Income Preemption]] · [[2026 Governor Races Hub]]