By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs is being accused of kicking black and disabled adults and children off an elevator so she didn’t have to wait in line at a football game.
The alleged incident was said to have occurred at the Territorial Cup: the post-Thanksgiving Day football game between Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Arizona (U of A).
A local reverend and former political candidate, Jarrett Barton Maupin, Jr., accused Hobbs of forcing his group, which consisted of several handicap adults and disabled kids, off an elevator to the executive suites for the game. His group had waited in line for the elevator connecting to the suites. Maupin explained he had a delegation with him consisting of folks from the inner city who had never attended an ASU football game.
According to Maupin in a post to X and a subsequent interview on “The Afternoon Addiction with Garrett Lewis,” the displaced group was given the reason of “executive privilege” for their removal.
Others of equal or greater elected importance were present, per Maupin, waiting in line for the elevator connecting the executive suites at the game.
Here’s Maupin’s account of what occurred:
“Everyone was in line to leave. You had a U.S. Senator in there waiting in line behind us, you had the governor of the River Indian community, you had so many people there, congressmen, even people like Karrin Taylor Robson, candidates. Lots of what people might consider special people, but everyone waiting and understanding that there’s one elevator up to the suites and one elevator down. So we get in, it’s our turn to get in, and it’s about 15 people, and we all happen, just happened to be African American, it wasn’t planned, including the elevator operator who was a black woman. And we get in, she’s getting ready to press the button and everything, and suddenly they say, ‘You gotta get off the elevator! Clear the elevator!’ I thought there was a problem, I said, ‘What’s going on?’ And they said, ‘Well, there’s somebody with executive privilege. You gotta get off the elevator.’ So we get off. And, lo and behold, our governor and her security detail, it’s like maybe five or six people, get on this elevator, and so they took this elevator.”
When others countered that Hobbs required that elevator ride for security reasons, Maupin shared that he and almost every other attendee within the suites had a security detail, but he didn’t observe others forcing the evacuation of an elevator as Hobbs was alleged to have done. Maupin also disclosed that Senator Ruben Gallego shared a subsequent elevator ride with them.
“No, it was not [a call made by her security team]. Funny thing is a U.S. Senator and staff/security rode down after us,” said Maupin. “I have a security detail. Almost everyone in the suites did, besides guests. Electeds, candidates, business leaders. What she did was rude and unnecessary. It was a lame move. But only her latest.”
Maupin questioned whether Hobbs had the authority to order people off elevators, and what about the football game triggered an executive privilege.
“What was the emergency?” said Maupin. “We all have pressing business. I’m pretty busy. I know Senator Gallego is pretty busy and [Governor] Stephen Roe Lewis, and everyone that was up there[.]”
Later, Maupin said he was assured by Representative Andy Biggs that the congressman wouldn’t use executive privilege to oust constituents, especially not minorities or disabled individuals. Biggs is vying to unseat Governor Hobbs in 2026.
“I have also been assured that he would have ‘jumped right in [the elevator] with us,’” said Maupin.
Maupin questioned whether this was a consistent pattern of behavior with Hobbs, citing the racial discrimination allegations put forth by Talonya Adams, her former staffer, which were twice affirmed in court.
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