Arizona has held gubernatorial debates since 1954. Seventy-two years of candidates from both parties standing on a stage, defending their records, and taking questions. Governor Katie Hobbs has decided that tradition doesn't apply to her — for the second consecutive election cycle. Her campaign announced she will skip the Clean Elections Debate scheduled for October 6th against Trump-endorsed challenger Andy Biggs.
Same governor. Same move. Different Republican she won't face.
Hobbs' campaign manager Nicole DeMont offered this explanation: "We respectfully decline debate invitations because face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective." The campaign claims Hobbs has conducted over 100 open-press events as governor. Which sounds impressive until you realize that none of those events featured a political opponent standing three feet away asking why she took $400,000 from a company while in office.
In 2022, Hobbs refused to debate Kari Lake. Her campaign said at the time that "debating a conspiracy theorist like Kari Lake would only lead to constant interruptions and childish name-calling." Now it's Andy Biggs — a former congressman, not a media personality — and the excuse has been quietly rebranded from "she's too crazy to debate" to "town halls are more effective." The reason changes. The result doesn't.
Drew Sexton, Senior Advisor to the Biggs campaign, responded directly. "Independent and persuadable voters deserve to hear candidates in traditional debate setting," Sexton said. He's right. Debates aren't optional enrichment activities for candidates who feel like showing up. They're the mechanism by which voters compare two people running for the same office, side by side, under pressure. That's the whole point.
Hobbs recently released a video touting her record, including a claim that "here in Arizona, we eliminated taxes on tips so service workers can keep every dollar earned through tips." That's the kind of thing a debate opponent could challenge in real time — with follow-up questions about the Republican state legislature that actually passed the bill and whether Hobbs deserves credit for signing what landed on her desk. But that kind of exchange requires showing up.
Hobbs is the only Arizona governor in modern history to refuse debates in back-to-back election cycles. Arizona Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes hasn't pulled the same stunt. Other Democrats in competitive races across the country haven't either. This isn't a party strategy. It's a personal one.
A governor who won't defend her record on stage isn't protecting her time. She's protecting her record from scrutiny — which tells you exactly how well that record holds up under questioning.
