Arizona Democrat Secretary of State Hobbs to run for governor

Hobbs would not run against GOP Gov. Doug Ducey because he faces term limits next year.
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By Nicholas Sherman

Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs has announced a bid to run for governor of the state.

Hobbs announced her candidacy Tuesday in a YouTube video highlighting her work and criticizing Republicans' efforts to audit 2020 presidential election results in the state's Maricopa County.

"We had a job to do, and that job was simple: Count every vote," Hobbs said in the video. "The other side isn’t offering policies to make our lives better. They’re offering conspiracies that only make our lives worse."

She will not run against Republican Gov. Doug Ducey because he faces term limits next year.

Ducey was first elected in 2014, receiving 53.4%, and was reelected in 2018 with 56.0%.

Arizona has traditionally been a conservative-leaning state but has increasingly voted for Democratic candidates. President Biden last year won the state with 49.4% of the vote, compared to 49.1% for Trump. The last time Arizona had a Democratic governor was with Gov. Janet Napolitano, who left office in 2009.