Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country, announced a former Republican as her running mate for reelection Tuesday, assembling a politically rare ticket in an era when partisanship reigns supreme.
Hobbs chose John Giles, the former mayor of Mesa who was a lifelong Republican until he switched to be an independent this year. Giles cut his GOP tie recently, but he had crossed party lines even before disavowing the affiliation, most notably in 2024 when he endorsed Kamala Harris.
Choosing an independent running mate is a gambit Hobbs hopes will lift her to a second gubernatorial term in a purple state with a Republican-controlled legislature. Hobbs is widely seen as the Democratic state executive most in jeopardy because nearly all the other competitive governor’s races are open seats.
Her ticket is rare, as politicians in a country increasingly divided by ideological preference have been pulled toward their base. But even as voters have moved toward the extreme, others have rebelled against political parties, with growing numbers calling themselves independent.
Hobbs is casting herself as a “champion for every Arizonan.” In selecting her running mate, Hobbs sought out someone who “shared that value of putting Arizonans ahead of partisan politics,” she said in a joint announcement video.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Giles said he became an independent because “extremists shouldn’t stand in the way of getting things done.”
The pair will face Rep. Andy Biggs, a five-term congressman who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Biggs’s running mate is former Arizona state senator Sine Kerr.
Biggs’s campaign called Giles an “aspiring Democrat,” noting his support for Harris, his 2024 Democratic convention speech backing her and his voting in Democratic primaries.
“Arizonans will see this botched, half-baked announcement as just another example of Katie Hobbs’ chaos and incompetence and another reason to vote for Andy Biggs and Sine Kerr in November,” Biggs campaign adviser Drew Sexton said in a statement.
Their November matchup will mark the first time Arizonans elect both a governor and a lieutenant governor. The state did not have the lieutenant governor post until voters approved creating the office by ballot measure in 2022.
Hobbs and Giles have been in each other’s orbit for years. During Hobbs’s first gubernatorial run in 2022, Giles endorsed her over his party’s candidate, Trump loyalist Kari Lake. Hobbs narrowly defeated Lake. This year, Giles was also named a member of Hobbs’s “Arizona Over Party” coalition, a group of Republican and independent politicians and other leaders supporting her reelection bid as she faces a challenge from another fierce Trump ally.
Biggs chaired the conservative House Freedom Caucus for three years and was a key part of the Republican push to undermine the 2020 election results. Hobbs has acknowledged publicly that the race will be tough.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analysis site, has rated the Arizona governor’s race as “Lean Democratic.” Of the seven other races that are toss-ups or that slightly favor a party, all but one are open seats. The other incumbent in a competitive race is Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), who will try to fend off a challenge from Democrat Aaron Ford in November.