In her first 100 days in office, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has had two roles as the Grand Canyon State’s New Chief Executive.

First, she is charting a new center-left people-first course for the state away from the right-wing plutocratic and narrow cultural conservative priorities of the Ducey tenure.

Arizonans can see that in her budget proposals which pave a road forward for the state and lifts people up with greater investments in public education, KidsCare, affordable housing, expanded rural broadband, and transportation grants, and funding for green sustainability programs and drought resilience.

From the Katie Hobbs Gubernatorial Campaign.

They can also see that in her travels across the state and gubernatorial functions where she continually champions causes that favor children, the middle class, and the disadvantaged and initiatives to expand social justice, an economy that works for everyone, clean up Arizona, and make it greener, and protect the water supply.

Grand Canyon state residents can also see the Governor exercise a second role as Arizona’s new Chief Executive: the protector of human rights with her record number of vetos to stop Extreme Republican measures that would compromise reproductive freedom, access to the ballot box, gun safety at schools, and LGBTQ rights, especially those for children.

With the legislature still in session and budget negotiations occurring between the Governor’s office and Republican leadership, more major announcements are sure to occur between now and July.

Governor Hobbs graciously took time to respond to questions about her first 100 days in office.

The questions and her responses are below.

From the office of Governor Katie Hobbs.

1) Madam Governor, please tell us about your overall feelings about being Governor after almost 100 days in the position.

 My team hit the ground running taking critical action right away on issues that I talked about on the campaign trail, issues that they wanted our government to tackle. We’ve done a lot in just a few months. The launch of the Education Retention Task Force is a huge accomplishment, we’re set to announce the members of our water policy task force which will address our antiquated groundwater management laws and we’re working on the prison oversight committee. We’ve re-established the interagency council on housing and homelessness, and my executive budget made historic investments in the housing trust fund, which is something that everyone agrees is necessary. We’ve also seen historic agreements that make an impact on the water at Lake Mead and the  Colorado River and brought California to the table to discuss our water future. Being in a position to take action on these items is something I will never take for granted.

From the office of Governor Katie Hobbs.

2) To what extent have you been able to start fulfilling the campaign promises you made last year over these first three months?

This election was about sanity versus chaos, and I’ve certainly held up my promise to stop the bad bills that come out of the legislature. Not only that, we have made real progress on the issues that matter to Arizonans like affordable housing, education, infrastructure, and solving our water crisis. I’m really proud of the groundwork we’ve laid out and I’m excited to continue building on everything we’ve accomplished.

From the office of Governor Katie Hobbs.

 3) What have been at least the two most pleasant surprises of being Governor?

Well, I don’t have to go through TSA anymore when I fly! To be honest, I’ve been in this work long enough that not much is surprising to me. I am grateful every day to step into my office and do this work of helping Arizonans, and I certainly have moments where it really dawns on me the opportunity we have in front of us. That will never get old.

4) What have been at least the two most challenging parts of being the Governor?

We knew coming into this that working with the Republican legislature wasn’t going to be easy, so that’s certainly one of them. But I think we’ve made great strides in terms of bipartisanship. We’re really close to agreeing on a budget and I don’t think anyone would have thought we’d be in the position we’re in now. There’s a lot that goes into running a government, and we’re continuing to work towards ensuring our team is in the best possible position to do what’s best for Arizona.

From the office of Governor Katie Hobbs.

 5) What is your reaction to the slim Republican majority at the State Legislature still persisting in passing bills that still cater to the theme of the 2020 Big Lie, restricting reproductive freedom,  educational opportunities for the plutocracy, and other measures designed to pull the state backward with regard to legal protections and personal freedom/safety? Please explain. 

” I talked to people across Arizona on the campaign trail – Republicans, Democrats, Independents – and they all shared the same concerns. They want us to increase access to affordable housing, they want us to protect our water future, they want us to fully fund public education; these are the issues they care about. I know that the Republicans in the State Legislature heard the same things from the folks they talked to. As Governor, their constituents are my constituents and we have a mandate from the people of Arizona to put partisan politics aside and deliver real solutions on the issues that affect their everyday lives.”

From the Office of Governor Katie Hobbs.

 6) Is there anything not covered in the first five questions you would like the readers to know about your first 100 days in office? Please explain. 

“I made a promise to be a Governor for all Arizonans, and I intend to deliver on that promise. As a social worker, I strongly believe the government can and should be used to help people attain a better life. I’m not going to stop working until we have an Arizona that truly works for everyone.”