Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican as running mate in re-election bid

2026 ElectionArizona Gov. Katie Hobbs chooses former Republican as running mate in re-election bidHobbs faces a competitive re-election race against GOP Rep. Andy Biggs, former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in Phoenix on July 21.Ross D. Franklin / APShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 11, 2026, 8:48 AM EDTBy Rebecca ShabadArizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has chosen a former Republican as her running mate for her re-election bid this November.On Tuesday, Hobbs will name John Giles, who served as mayor of Mesa, Arizona, from 2014 to 2025, as her pick for lieutenant governor, according to campaign communications director Michael Beyer.Giles changed his party affiliation to independent in May and voted in the Democratic primary last month, Beyer confirmed to NBC News. Voters will elect a lieutenant governor for the first time this fall after a ballot measure creating the position was approved in the 2022 election. The New York Times was first to report on Hobbs’ plans.Hobbs faces a competitive race against Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who previously chaired the conservative House Freedom Caucus and has served in Congress since 2017. Biggs has selected former state lawmaker Sine Kerr as his running mate. Biggs won the Republican primary last month, beating fellow Rep. David Schweikert and businessmen Scott Neely and Ken Miceli.While mayor of Mesa, Giles endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that year about his disappointment with the Republican Party. “I’m a lifelong Republican, so I feel a little out of place tonight. But I feel more at home here than in today’s Republican Party,” Giles said in his remarks. “The Grand Old Party has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult — the cult of Donald Trump.”He added, “I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, li...