Katie Hobbs won’t debate Andy Biggs in governor’s race

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has declined debate invitations in her reelection campaign against Republican Andy Biggs, her campaign announced Thursday, choosing instead to attack her challenger’s own record of skipping forums and refusing to face opponents on stage.

The move means neither candidate in one of the country’s most closely watched governor’s races can easily claim the high ground on debating.

“Face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective than a stage designed for short soundbites and political theater,” campaign manager Nicole DeMont said in a statement, adding that Hobbs has done more than 100 open-press events and interviews this year.

Just two days earlier, Hobbs deflected when pressed on the topic during an interview with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos.

“I am not going to make any news about debates today,” she said.

Hobbs has not debated an opponent since her 2018 secretary of state race. She refused to share a stage with Republican Kari Lake during the 2022 governor’s race despite sustained public pressure.

Biggs has a similar track record.

During the 2026 GOP primary he skipped a PBS forum his opponents attended, and in 2016 he declined to debate in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District.

Biggs won the Republican nomination on July 21 after defeating Rep. David Schweikert.

A former chair of the House Freedom Caucus backed by President Donald Trump, he is seeking to reclaim the governor’s office for Republicans in a state Trump carried by about five points in 2024.

DeMont also took aim at Biggs directly, calling him “a Washington insider who has refused to participate in past debates and forums and refuses to answer for his record of raising costs.”

The Biggs campaign accused Hobbs of ducking a tradition that dates back decades.

“The independent and persuadable voters up for grabs in Arizona deserve to hear from statewide candidates in a traditional debate setting, one that was held in every Arizona gubernatorial race since 1954 until Katie Hobbs ran for the position in 2022,” Biggs’ senior advisor Drew Sexton said.

Sexton said Biggs would participate in the Clean Elections Commission debate on Oct. 6.

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