Scores of ardent Democrats filled every open space at the new Tucson location for the Copper State Victory office near Wilmot and Speedway.
Candidates included:
- Governor Katie Hobbs, running for a second term.
- Jo Mendoza, candidate for Congress in CD6.
- Priya Sundareshan, running for reelection tothe (LD18) is the Senate Minority Leader and the Board Co-Chair of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC).
- Kevin Volk, running for reelection in LD17 House.
Hobbs Understands the Lack of Affordability
Gov. Hobbs said, “I grew up in Tempe, and there were times when we struggled. My family relied on programs like food stamps. We lost a home to foreclosure. There were times I worked two or three jobs to make sure we had what we needed. When I talk about affordability, it is not just a talking point for me. When I talk to Arizonans about the struggles they’re facing, I understand because I’ve lived many of them myself.”
“And I’m also the first social worker ever elected governor in the country.”
“I worked with homeless youth in Phoenix, and I also helped run one of the largest domestic violence shelters in the country. As a social worker, I am fighting just as hard for Arizona’s families in the governor’s office as I fought for my own. And I will keep fighting for the next four years, but it’s going to take all of us to do that because this is going to be a very tough race.”
“Look, I’m one of just two Democratic governors up for re-election in states that Trump won in 2024. He won Arizona with the largest margin of any swing state, 5.5%, and I’m the only Democratic governor in a toss-up race. In 2022, I won by 0.7%, which was about 17,000 votes. We know it’s going to be just as close this time around, so we have to work really hard.”
Dire warning about opponent Andy Biggs
“You already know a little bit about Andy Biggs. And he’s not great for Arizona. He has not been putting Arizona first, not his 10 years in Congress and not before that when he was a legislator.”
“We served together in the state senate. He worked against us when we tried to pass Medicaid expansion to expand healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Arizonans. And now in Congress, he’s continued time and again to take healthcare away from Arizonans by supporting Washington’s terrible partisan budget that cut Medicaid, continuing to advocate for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and voting against the tax credits that many Arizonans relied on to get health insurance on the marketplace.”
He’s also someone who supports a nationwide ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest, so we absolutely cannot trust him to protect the reproductive freedoms that we have sought and fought so hard to secure here in Arizona. Andy Biggs is an election denier who still denies the outcome of the 2020 election and helped plan the January 6th insurrection.
“We cannot have him in office. You’ve heard about my vetoes, but I’m also really proud of the progress that we’ve made over the last three-plus years. But all of that is at risk if Andy Biggs brings his Washington-style politics to Arizona. And this race is a priority for Donald Trump.”
He wants Biggs in office to advance his MAGA agenda here in Arizona and to oversee the 2028 presidential election. And that means that this race is critical not just for Arizona, but for the entire country. And here’s why. Arizona is one of seven swing states that will decide the next presidential election.”
“Andy Biggs has already said he will overhaul our elections if he’s elected governor. And, if he is governor, Arizona will be the first swing state with an election denier in charge, and we are not going to let that happen.”
We all can’t win alone, but we can all win together. It is up to all of us to make sure we reach every single voter in every corner of this state, because every Arizonan will matter in this election. And the good news about all of this is that I’ve never lost,” Hobbs said.
Republicans are scared
Candidate Jo Mendoza said, “We know this election cycle that the Republicans are scared more than ever because the policies that they’re passing are hurting all of us.”
“Republicans have been sending artillery attack ads towards us. They’re doing everything they can to try to discredit me as a candidate, and I have a message for you, Juan Ciscomani: No matter what you do or what you say, the people of this district want true representation. And what you do with your attacks and trying to scare me, I’ve been through hell and back, and I’ll do it again for this community.”
AZ Sen. Priya Sundareshan said, “Now is the time, and I’m so glad that we’re all gathered here, because the broader Tucson region is important. This is my fourth session in the Arizona Senate, and I’m going for two more. So turn in those ballots too for me.”
Rep. Volk said, “We need more people in the state legislature who are going to focus on the true needs of Arizonans, who care about them and who understand them. Not ones that are pursuing the most political partisan agenda we’ve seen. It is so bad. I just got back from another conference with other Western state legislatures, and nowhere else in the West is it as bad as it is here in Arizona with this crop of Republicans.”
He added, “We need to be primed to seize on this momentum and deliver a state legislature that can actually get things done, and re-elect our governor.”
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