AZ Political Podcast: Sean Noble on Arizona’s intriguing 2026 gubernatorial race

PHOENIX — Even though it’s a far-off election, there’s been a lot of movement as of late in Arizona’s 2026 gubernatorial election, so we asked Arizona-based political strategist Sean Noble to share his thoughts on the AZ Political Podcast regarding next year’s race for governor.

Sean (who I had the pleasure of working with on a couple of distant-past campaigns), thinks that the Republican who jumped into the gubernatorial ring first, East Valley Congressman Andy Biggs, stands a better chance of beating Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs than Karrin Taylor Robson, who announced her official entry into the race this week.

Sean even shares some poll results that definitely show Biggs will beat Hobbs — and Robson would lose to the incumbent! (Well, they’re definitive if you ignore the poll’s margin of error — and the fact that the poll was conducted more than 17 months ahead of Arizona’s primary election and more than 20 months away from our general election.)

We also discuss if Robson’s stated impetus for running again — Donald Trump’s endorsement — remains with her or shifts over to Biggs. That’s something Sean Noble believes could easily happen based on Biggs’ loyalty and personal relationship with Trump. (I think it’s a possibility based on Trump’s penchant to change horses midstream.)

Finally, Sean reveals which celebrity has to be included in the “Arizona’s next governor” conversation — because they are included in that convo every four years. Much to my chagrin, though, this celeb will probably say, “no thanks” again.

Oh — and you must watch this week’s AZ Political Podcast to see why we believe Arizonans (on their state’s 113th birthday) know at a much higher rate than other state residents, what the word “contiguous” means.

AZ Political Podcast

AZ Political Podcast is available at KTAR.com, the KTAR News app and everywhere you get your podcasts.

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