Governor Katie Hobbs released a statement on Tuesday after Arizona’s primary elections, labeling Arizona state Republicans as “insurrectionists, white supremacists, and indicted fake electors.
“Insurrectionists” refers to the January 6 riot. The Supreme Court ruled that federal prosecutors improperly charged hundreds of people with obstruction. The majority opinion noted that the government’s expansive construction “would criminalize a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyists alike to decades in prison.”
Also, the term “fake electors” references the 2020 alternate electors that were indicted in May. A month later, a Nevada judge dismissed an indictment against Republicans accused of being “fake electors.” The Arizona case is still ongoing, and no trial date has been set.
In that statement, Hobbs, a Democrat, also said her party’s candidates “are focused on lowering everyday costs for Arizonans, investing in public education, and restoring reproductive freedom.”
For many candidates, yesterday marked the beginning of what will be a highly competitive general election campaign.
Arizonans will get to choose between allowing insurrectionists, white supremacists, and indicted fake electors to continue to control the Legislature, or…
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) July 31, 2024
State Senator T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) replied to Hobbs on social media, “I’m just trying to figure out if our all Hispanic LD16 team of Shope, Martinez & Lopez are the ‘insurrectionists, white supremacists, or fake electors’… 🤔”
Popular conservative radio host Garrett Lewis expressed on social media that Hobbs “is disgusting and it’s pathetic that @votewarren & @RepBenToma played nice with Hobbs. She goes after Republicans in the nastiest ways, now calling them ‘white supremacists,’ ‘insurrectionists,’ and the BS term ‘fake electors.’ It’s time for the GOP to fight back.”
A week before the state’s primary, Hobbs had a message around unity rather than divisiveness.
“As the last few weeks have made clear, Americans are looking for a new generation of leadership that will move past the divisiveness and unite us around our shared American values,” the governor said.
Arizona’s largest newspaper, The Arizona Republic, noted, “Hobbs launched a preview of what is to come as she mounts what is expected to be a multimillion-dollar campaign.” The publication added, “Two years of trying to work with a Legislature dominated by the hard-right Arizona Freedom Caucus will do that, I suppose. It’s doubtful that labeling all Republicans insurrectionists and white supremacists and such will win Hobbs any Republican goodwill when next year’s legislative session convenes.”
This statement isn’t the first time Hobbs has faced backlash for her incendiary comments. In 2017, while serving as the leader of the Arizona Senate, she issued a critical statement regarding then-President Donald Trump. She accused Trump of “pandering to his Neo-Nazi base” rather than being POTUS for all Americans.
Then, after a draft option was leaked, indicating Roe v Wade would be overturned, Hobbs wrote on social media, “F**k the patriarchy.”
At the time of press, Hobbs did not respond to a request for comment.
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gov. Katie Hobbs” by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
