By Staff Reporter |
Gov. Katie Hobbs confirmed that the rumors of her lieutenant governor pick were true: John Giles is her running mate.
Hobbs went public with her decision the weekend following an initial deadline from the secretary of state’s office, reportedly established to ensure the state had adequate time for ballot printing.
Giles is the former mayor of Mesa and a recently registered independent who voted in the Democratic primary this year. Giles voted for Joe Biden in 2020, endorsed Sen. Mark Kelly in 2022, and Kamala Harris in 2024.
During the 2024 election, Giles led the Arizona Republicans for Harris organization and spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Giles said in Tuesday’s announcement that those with the Republican Party were “extremists” that prevented good governance.
“I was a lifelong Republican before becoming an independent because extremists shouldn’t stand in the way of getting things done,” said Giles.
Not long after going public as Hobbs’ running mate, Giles announced he would fall in line with Hobbs’ preferred non-engagement approach to campaigning and announced he would not be participating in any public debates.
Sine Kerr, Republican nominee Andy Biggs’ running mate, had stated shortly after Hobbs’ reveal that she was eager to debate Giles.
“We should discuss my Arizona Women’s Bill of Rights legislation and SB1583, which protected children from predators,” said Kerr. “Katie Hobbs vetoed both. Maybe John Giles can explain why.”
Kerr said Hobbs and Giles avoiding debates was unfair to voters.
“It’s really unfortunate that they don’t want to stand for a debate. They don’t want to answer tough questions,” Kerr said. “I think it’s very disrespectful to the people, to the voters of Arizona.”
The Arizona Clean Election Commission scheduled a debate between the lieutenant governor picks to occur on October 5.
Hobbs told Arizona’s Family that she selected Giles because he, too, has a history of governing beyond political party.
“I believe Arizonans deserve leadership that puts them ahead of the partisan politics. That’s how I’ve governed,” said Hobbs.
Hobbs dismissed the notion that issues facing Arizonans, including traditionally partisan ones like abortion, were not actually partisan.
“[P]rotecting reproductive freedom, which is not a partisan issue. It’s something that a vast majority of Arizonans support. We’re on the same page,” said Hobbs.
Giles said that the topic of abortion should be left to the voters, which is why he supported Proposition 139.
“I’m a Republican with standards,” said Giles. “In recent years, I felt like some of the folks at the top of the ticket and the Republican Party were just below the bar with regard to character and commitment to the Constitution and rule of law.”
Many of Giles’ most significant policies and initiatives as mayor of Mesa aligned with Democratic Party priorities. In some cases, Giles preempted Hobbs on progressive policy.
In 2021, Giles led the passage of an ordinance to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the protected classes in the city’s nondiscrimination laws. The ordinance was similar to those adopted by the cities of Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tempe, and, later, Chandler.
Residents opposed to the ordinance cited concerns of males entering spaces historically reserved for females, such as restrooms and locker rooms, and that businesses would face religious persecution. Giles dismissed those concerns as not based in reality and told those opponents that the city had considered the ordinance since he joined as a city council member in 2014. About two years later, Hobbs’ first executive order prohibited gender identity discrimination.
“We’re not breaking any ground here,” said Giles. “This ordinance is moderate and reflects the input from the community. This is a mainstream ordinance that hasn’t been dictated to us from any outside groups.”
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