Katie Hobbs projected to beat Andy Biggs to remain Arizona governor

Democrat Katie Hobbs is projected to beat Republican candidate Andy Biggs and is expected to remain Arizona’s governor, according to Decision Desk HQ and CBS News.

Hobbs had 57.8% of the counted votes while Biggs had 40.6%, with a near-300,000-vote advantage as of an 11 p.m. MST drop.

“We have been tracking the numbers coming in, and they are not that great right now,” Biggs said in a speech at his Election Day event about an hour after the first returns. “The reality is, we have a tough hill to climb. We didn’t get our turnout.”

Arizona’s 2026 governor race between Katie Hobbs, Andy Biggs was historic

Arizona voters chose more than their next governor this election: For the first time, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor appeared on a joint ticket, much like candidates for president and vice president. Voters approved creating the lieutenant governor position in 2022.

Hobbs’ tapped former Mesa Mayor John Giles as her lieutenant governor pick. Giles, a former Republican, changed his party affiliation to independent before joining Hobbs’ ticket. His selection reinforced the bipartisan image Hobbs emphasized during her campaign.

Meanwhile, Biggs ran with Sine Kerr, a farmer and former Republican state lawmaker.

The new position changes Arizona’s line of succession. The lieutenant governor will replace the secretary of state as the official next in line to become governor if the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office.

Click here to see results come in from all the races in Arizona.

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