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Democratic Arizona Gov. Hobbs picks ex-GOP Mayor Giles as running mate
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has selected John Giles, a former Republican mayor of Mesa who recently became an independent, as her running mate for the state's first lieutenant governor election, aiming to appeal to Republicans and conservative independents.
- Giles, who served as Mesa's mayor from 2014 to 2025, has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump and has endorsed Democrats, including Kamala Harris, signaling a bipartisan approach in Hobbs' reelection campaign.
- The Republican gubernatorial nominee, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, chose former state lawmaker Sine Kerr as his running mate, emphasizing rural roots to balance his metro Phoenix base.
- Arizona will elect its first lieutenant governor in January, a new position created to clarify gubernatorial succession, as the state has historically had multiple governors assume office through succession rather than election.
- Hobbs' bipartisan ticket contrasts with Biggs' far-right background, but it risks alienating some on the left; both Hobbs and Giles portray Biggs as an extreme partisan.
