As the Grand Canyon State’s Next Governor, Katie Hobbs would Strive to be a Champion for Every Arizonan

As Arizona’s Next Governor, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs “wants to be a champion for every Arizonan by working to make Grand Canyon State the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.”

Before  Arizona’s Secretary of State, Ms. Hobbs once held the position of Senate Democratic Leader in the Arizona State Legislature. In that capacity, the native Arizonan helped secure passage of Medicaid expansion by working with Governor Jan Brewer and other legislators. She also fought to provide and preserve rights for victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

As the first Democratically elected Secretary of State in 24 years, Ms. Hobbs has worked to modernize the office and fought, despite threats to her life during the Sham Audit, to ensure voter’s rights including access to the ballot.

A former social worker who helped victims of domestic violence, Secretary Hobbs is running for Governor because:

“I’ve never seen our nation so divided, and I’ve seen it up close here in Arizona. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and start healing – physically healing from the COVID crisis, healing our economy from a year of shutdown, and bringing our state back together after the incendiary and divisive politics of the last few years. I’m ready. I hope you’ll join me.”

If elected, Ms. Hobbs would focus on being the champion of all Arizonans by working to:

• “Rebuild our economy after COVID by getting Arizonans back to work in good jobs with good wages.
• Fully fund public education and work to recruit and retain teachers.
• Make life-saving investments in health care, particularly in rural Arizona.
• Ensure that every community in Arizona has access to reliable broadband.
• Address environmental challenges including our dwindling water supply, increasing forest fires, and the effects of climate change.”

Secretary Hobbs graciously took the time to respond to a series of questions about her candidacy and the vital issues facing Arizonans.

The questions and her responses are below.

1) Compared to the other already declared Gubernatorial Candidates, what are two qualifications for Governor that sets you apart from them?

“I am running for Governor because our government is being run by a group of conspiracy theorists that is out of touch with everyday Arizonans. Our state deserves real leadership that works to solve the big problems facing our state. I am a battle-tested statewide leader who led Arizona through a very challenging election in the face of a global pandemic, widespread misinformation, and threats to my life. In the legislature, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to end the backlog of untested rape kits, expand Medicaid, and pass legislation to combat the opioid epidemic. I’ve shown that I can get things done, deliver results, and work to bridge the divisions that prevent us from making progress.”

2) What are at least three major goals you would pursue if elected Governor?

“As Governor, I want to make Arizona the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family. We need to break through partisanship to get big things done. That’s why we need leaders who have experience breaking through gridlock.”

• “We must rebuild our economy after COVID by getting Arizonans back to work in good jobs with good wages.

• We have to fully fund public education and work to recruit and retain teachers.

• We must make life-saving investments in health care, particularly in rural Arizona.”

3) If elected, please describe at least three ways your administration would be different from the last two Republican (Brewer and Ducey) ones.

• “I will be a Governor who will work with Democrats and Republicans to make our state better. I won’t be guided by politics, and I won’t put partisan posturing ahead of my obligation to the people of Arizona. 

• I will always prioritize doing the hard things that are right for the state, rather than the easy things that score political points.

• I will stop under-funding public education and I will stop using public education funding as a piggy bank to pay for other projects. Our children deserve better, and we cannot afford to be lagging in education if we want to keep attracting high-quality jobs to Arizona.”

4) With regards to children, what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “I would make sure that every child has access to a quality education by fully funding our education system and working hard to attract and retain qualified teachers.

• I will work to make pre-Kindergarten available to all Arizona families so that students start their education on the right foot.”

5) With regards to Arizona’s most vulnerable populations (homelessness, the hungry, orphans for example) what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “The Housing Trust Fund was created so that all Arizonans are able to have a roof over their head. I would work with the legislature to make sure that we are providing funding for Arizona’s most vulnerable so that they’re taken care of. 

• As a former social worker, I would prioritize working with our community organizations and social service programs, to make sure that all Arizonans are able to live in a safe community.” 

6) With regards to maintaining Arizona’s safe and accessible water supply, what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “We will need to pursue conservation strategies that will sustain water flow from the Colorado River to Arizona.

• We also must create sustainable groundwater levels to prevent long-term declines in groundwater quality and the attendant consequences (including land subsidence, water quality degradation and aquifer compaction.”

7) With regards to sustainability and developing clean energy resources, what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “Arizona is in a position to be a leader in green energy production and jobs. As governor, I would take steps to incentivize solar power in homes and businesses. New energy technology can be an economic driver that sustains a new generation of businesses and jobs.

• With a looming water shortage in our state, we need to invest in water programs that help us use our natural resources in a smart and sustainable way.”

8) With regards to relations with Mexico, what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “Continuing our relationship with Mexico is essential to Arizona’s economy. As Governor I will prioritize free and fair trade with Mexico.

• We must secure our Southern border, but we must be careful to balance that imperative with the need for Mexican trade that sustains many businesses, particularly in Southern Arizona.”

9) With regards to law enforcement, what are at least two policies you would pursue?

• “We must take rising crime seriously and ensure our police departments have the resources they need to combat violent crime and keep all of our neighborhoods safe.

• I also believe in policing reform and the need to address systemic racism and will look to balance accountability with what police departments need to do their jobs.”

Please click on the below social media sites to find out more about Secretary Hobbs and her candidacy.

https://www.katiehobbs.org/