Story perspectives

Arizona Gov. Hobbs Picks Independent John Giles as Running Mate

8/12/2026

Center

Hobbs Picks Giles

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced former Mesa mayor John Giles as her lieutenant-governor running mate on Tuesday, August 10, 2026.
The ticket is presented as a bipartisan effort to attract Republican and independent voters in Arizona’s first joint governor-lieutenant governor election.
John Giles became an independent on May 17, 2026 and voted in that month’s Democratic primary.
Rep. Andy Biggs chose Sen. Sine Kerr as his running mate while Cook rates race Democratic-leaning.

Right

Hobbs Names Giles

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced Mesa mayor John Giles as her lieutenant-governor running mate on Tuesday, August 10, 2026.
Hobbs used the announcement to stress her administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration at the southern border.
Giles said he left Republican Party because extremists hinder progress, switching to independent in May 2026.
This is Arizona’s first election allowing candidates to select their own lieutenant-governor running mates now.

History

Historical Context

In 2010 Governor Jan Brewer signed Arizona’s SB 1070, the nation’s strictest anti-illegal-immigration law, after a surge to an estimated 460,000 undocumented residents and a high-profile murder near the border. Its controversy created a lasting template that the 2026 ticket filed by Governor Katie Hobbs and independent former mayor John Giles echoes, aiming to mobilize border-security voters in a bipartisan runoff.

1 of 3

Hobbs Picks Giles

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced former Mesa mayor John Giles as her lieutenant-governor running mate on Tuesday, August 10, 2026.
The ticket is presented as a bipartisan effort to attract Republican and independent voters in Arizona’s first joint governor-lieutenant governor election.
John Giles became an independent on May 17, 2026 and voted in that month’s Democratic primary.
Rep. Andy Biggs chose Sen. Sine Kerr as his running mate while Cook rates race Democratic-leaning.

1 / 3