An Arizona gubernatorial candidate has apparently abandoned the issue that was the cornerstone of her campaign, in favor of issues that she now thinks matter more to Arizonan voters.
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, currently running in the Democrat Party’s gubernatorial primary, was known for her staunch criticism of former President Donald Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results in Arizona. She was so ardent in her opposition to Trump’s challenge, she made it the central talking point of her campaign.
From the beginning, she was criticized for the decision, even by members of her own party.
“If my opponents think it’s a good strategy to downplay the importance of election integrity while telling me to smile, that’s their call,” she adamantly told The Atlantic in February.
About her zealotry on election integrity, one Democrat strategist even said the following:
“I couldn’t articulate what her vision for the state is beyond her MSNBC appearances to talk about election integrity. There’s not a lot else that’s there.”
It appears that Hobbs is finally ready to listen to her Democrat friends, and turn the page on what was formerly her campaign’s cornerstone.
“The Democratic lawmakers I talk to are tired of this fight,” Hobbs told The New York Times in a story published last week. “They’re focused on addressing real issues that affect people’s daily lives rather than relitigating the 2020 election.”
She did not say what those “real issues” entail, and her campaign did not return a Monday comment request.
This change of pace has not gone unnoticed by Republicans.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) in Arizona sent a bulletin informing Arizonans about Hobbs’ change in rhetoric.
“It’s obvious why Katie Hobbs’ campaign is going nowhere fast. Katie Hobbs is a weak, scandal-ridden candidate who endorsed Joe Biden’s open borders plan to end Title 42,” RNC Spokesperson Ben Petersen said. “Arizonans don’t want a mass illegal immigration event and they don’t want Katie Hobbs.”
Her campaign has also struggled to overcome a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee called Talonya Adams. Two federal juries decided that Adams was indeed a victim of racial discrimination at the hands of the Democrat candidate.
Polling suggests that Hobbs is running away with the current Democrat primary election, but that she will face a serious challenge from Kari Lake, who is currently ahead in the Republican primary.
A Data Orbital poll conducted between February 11 and February 13 asked 1,000 likely Arizonan voters for whom they would vote in an election between Hobbs and Lake.
Nearly 43 percent said they would vote for Lake, while just over 41 percent said they would vote for Hobbs. The margin of error for the poll was 3.1 percent.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at the Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Arizona Secretary of State. Background Photo “Election Day 2020” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
