‘We know it’s gonna be close,’ Gov. Katie Hobbs says as likely Andy Biggs matchup looms

Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to choose which Republican will take on incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs in the general election.

No matter who wins the GOP gubernatorial primary, Hobbs said she is preparing for a close race.

“We know it’s gonna be close. We’re here on the ground. We’re seeing information they don’t have,” Hobbs told reporters during a Monday campaign event.

Hobbs, described by The Associated Press as “the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country,” spoke at a reelection event where she launched “Familias Primero,” a new coalition aimed at rallying Latino voters behind her bid for a second term.

“Look, I’m not listening to the pundits. I am doing what I need to win. We know it’s going to be close. I’m not taking a single vote for granted,” Hobbs said.

Katie Hobbs prepares for possible matchup with Andy Biggs

U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert are the biggest names in Tuesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary. Two other GOP candidates are on the ballot: businessmen Scott Neely and Ken Miceli.

Biggs is considered the front-runner, with an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a 50-point lead over Schweikert in recent polls.

During Monday’s event, Hobbs pitched herself as a bipartisan alternative to Biggs.

“Andy Biggs had one of the most extreme partisan records in the state Legislature and continues to do that over his decade in Congress,” Hobbs said. “I am focused on reaching across the aisle. I did that many times in the Legislature, while Andy Biggs blocked bipartisan solutions like my bill to end the backlog of untested rape kits, and he continues to vote in the extreme minority in Congress.”

Gov. Katie Hobbs pushes back on Andy Biggs’ affordability attacks

Hobbs also responded to Biggs’ claims that affordability issues are the fault of her administration.

“I don’t think any Arizonans are buying that. When I talk to Arizonans across the state, they well and full understand that the cost hikes we’re seeing are a result of Washington’s agenda and tariffs and the war in Iran,” she said. “They’re seeing costs go up everywhere from the grocery store, gas station, doctor’s office, everywhere in between.”

She described Biggs as a Trump loyalist and said he has repeatedly backed the president’s agenda over Arizona’s interests.

“Andy Biggs, every chance he had to not support that agenda, he has taken the opposite approach, supported that agenda and put that agenda above Arizonans,” she said.

The general election is Nov. 3.

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