Katie Hobbs

Kathleen Marie Hobbs (born December 28, 1969) is an American politician and social worker who is the governor-elect of Arizona and the current secretary of State of Arizona. A member of the Democratic Party, she was astate senator representing Arizona's 24th legislative district from 2013 to 2019 and a state representative representing Arizona's 15th legislative district from 2011 to 2013.

Hobbs won the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Kari Lake. The Associated Press projected her as the winner on November 14, 2022. Hobbs is set to become Arizona's fifth female governor, a record for U.S. states.

Hobbs graduated from Seton Catholic High School in Chandler, Arizona in 1988. She earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Northern Arizona University in 1992 and a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University in 1995.

Hobbs was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 and credited her interest in politics to Emerge Arizona. She was inspired to run for office by the people she assisted as a social worker, believing they were not being heard by the government. She advocates ending domestic violence.

In 2012, Hobbs was elected to the Arizona Senate, where she served two terms as minority leader. In 2015, during her first term as minority leader, Senate Staffer Talonya Adams, a black woman, complained to Hobbs about her concerns about racial discrimination and was later fired, in part, by Hobbs. In November 2021, Adams won a discrimination lawsuit related to her firing and was awarded a judgment of $2.75 million.

On March 8, 2017, Hobbs announced her candidacy for Arizona Secretary of State. In the 2018 election, she faced Republican nominee Steve Gaynor. On November 6, 2018, the Associated Press prematurely called the race for Gaynor. With the race as close as it was, neither Hobbs nor Gaynor initially claimed victory. In the days to come, Gaynor's lead narrowed as more and more ballots were counted. On November 16, Hobbs was officially declared the winner by a margin of 20,000 votes. She was the first Democrat to hold the post since 1995.

As Secretary of State, Hobbs stood first in the line of succession to Governor Doug Ducey. Arizona has no lieutenant governor.

2020 Arizona election audit

In 2021, the Arizona Senate Republican majority provided $150,000 to fund an audit aimed at contesting the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. In a six-page letter, Hobbs wrote that the audit's chain of custody was lacking, calling it "a significant departure from standard best practices." She added that the audit procedures appeared "better suited for chasing conspiracy theories than as a part of a professional audit". In response, Hobbs received death threats, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety assigned personnel to guard her and her staff.

Hobbs's complaints were echoed in a letter to the State Senate President Karen Fann from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which has a Republican majority of 4–1. Fann, referring to one of Donald Trump's claims of election fraud, contended that the county had deleted an entire database. The Board responded in a letter calling the accusations "false, defamatory, and beneath the dignity of the Senate." It accused the Arizona Senate of "conspiracy theories that fuel the fundraising schemes of those pulling your strings." Fann responded that the audit would continue when the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum site was next available.

After consulting with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), Hobbs said she was told that it was impossible to know whether the voting machines the county turned over in response to the Senate subpoena had been compromised, and Dominion Voting Systems should re-certify them for future use. While the Arizona Senate's contractor was in possession of the machines that had been subpoenaed, the county spent over $20,000 to lease other machines in order to conduct two local elections, and the costs of re-certifying the surrendered machines after their return would be in the six-figure range; however, the Senate signed an agreement with the county that said the county is not liable for any damages to the equipment while in the Senate's custody, so it is unclear whether the county would be liable for the costs.

In October 2020, Hobbs announced her candidacy for governor in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election. Incumbent Governor Doug Ducey is term-limited. She defeated Marco A. Lopez Jr. in the Democratic primary election to become the nominee, and skipped the primary debate with him. Hobbs decided not to debate the Republican nominee, Kari Lake, to deny Lake a platform to spread election denialism. Hobbs defeated Lake.

Hobbs is affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers and is an adjunct faculty member at Paradise Valley Community College. She is married to Patrick Goodman and has two children. She is Catholic.