AZ Gov Hobbs Touts ‘Historic Bipartisan Ticket’ After Blocking GOP Legislature With Record-Setting Vetoes

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is campaigning for reelection on what her campaign calls a “historic bipartisan ticket” with former Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles, even as her first term has included record-setting use of the veto against legislation passed by Arizona’s Republican-controlled Legislature.

Hobbs and Giles formally kicked off their joint campaign in Mesa over the weekend after Hobbs selected Giles, now an independent, to run as her candidate for Arizona’s newly created lieutenant governor position.

The Hobbs campaign described the pairing as a “historic bipartisan ticket” and said the two candidates intend to campaign on issues including water, education and economic development.

Hobbs said those issues cross party lines. “So many of the issues we’re facing … aren’t Democratic or Republican issues,” Hobbs said during the campaign event.

Giles went further when reporters asked where he and Hobbs disagree politically. “Remarkably little or nothing,” Giles said, according to Capitol Media Services.

The bipartisan branding comes after nearly four years of frequent clashes between Hobbs and the Republican-controlled Legislature, including a veto record unmatched by previous Arizona governors.

Hobbs set a state record during her first legislative session in 2023 when she vetoed 143 bills, surpassing the previous single-session record. She broke her own record in 2025 by vetoing 174 measures, according to Axios.

During the recently completed 2026 legislative session, Hobbs vetoed another 151 bills while signing 264 measures, according to official Arizona Legislature session statistics. Republicans maintained control of both chambers during the session.

Election legislation has been a particularly frequent point of disagreement.

An Arizona Capitol Times analysis published before the 2026 session found that election legislation was the largest category among Hobbs’ first 390 vetoes, accounting for 71 measures during her first three years in office.

The disputes continued in 2026. Hobbs vetoed SB 1037, which would have imposed restrictions on internet connectivity for voting equipment; SB 1040, which would have expanded online public access to voter registration rolls; and SB 1237, which would have expanded the group of officials consulted by the secretary of state when developing Arizona’s Elections Procedures Manual.

Hobbs also vetoed SB 1186, which would have required current or prospective state contractors to disclose certain contributions or transfers of value made to gubernatorial campaigns and related entities during the previous five years, a bill directly related to the ongoing investigation into the governor’s connections with Sunshine Residential Homes, as previously reported by California Globe.

The governor also signed election legislation during the session, including HB 2022, which moved Arizona’s primary election from the first Tuesday in August to the second-to-last Tuesday in July. The measure passed the House 56-0 and the Senate 27-1 before Hobbs signed it in February, demonstrating areas where the Democratic governor and Republican Legislature reached broad agreement.

Hobbs has also negotiated bipartisan state budgets and signed legislation supported by lawmakers in both parties during her first term.

The relationship between the governor and Republican legislative leaders has nevertheless frequently been contentious. Hobbs temporarily froze bill signings amid a budget dispute earlier this year and in May vetoed a Republican budget package that she called “partisan.” The Legislature ultimately adjourned June 13 after transmitting 415 bills to her desk. 

Giles’ political history is central to the governor’s effort to present a broader coalition heading into November.

He served as Mesa mayor from 2014 through 2025 and was registered as a Republican for decades before changing his affiliation to independent on May 17. He subsequently voted in Arizona’s Democratic primary in July, according to county voting records reported by the Associated Press.

Giles’ break with Republican candidates predates his formal departure from the party.

He endorsed Hobbs against Republican Kari Lake in the 2022 gubernatorial race, backed Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris against President Donald Trump in 2024. Giles also spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in support of Harris.

Despite those endorsements, Giles has continued to describe himself as conservative and has cited limited government and free enterprise among the principles that originally attracted him to the Republican Party.

His positions on several major statewide policy debates, however, now place him alongside Hobbs.

During his first extended press availability after joining the ticket, Giles defended his support for Proposition 139, the 2024 constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in Arizona, while continuing to describe himself as personally pro-life. He said Arizona’s school-choice programs are likely to remain in place while arguing that public schools require additional funding, and he dismissed disputes over transgender students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms as a “red herring,” according to Capitol Media Services.

Giles also described his previous effort to change the direction of the Republican Party as a “lost cause.”

Hobbs has made Giles’ former Republican affiliation a central feature of her reelection message.

“I asked John Giles to join this ticket because he shares my commitment to putting Arizona first,” Hobbs said in a campaign statement, arguing that the pair can work across partisan divisions. 

Hobbs and Giles will face Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and his running mate, former state Sen. Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye), in the Nov. 3 general election. The contest will be the first Arizona gubernatorial election conducted under the state’s new system in which candidates for governor run alongside candidates for lieutenant governor. Arizona voters approved creation of the office in 2022.