‘I’ll remain true to my principles’: John Giles says joining Katie Hobbs matches conservative values

Former Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles is defending his decision to join Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on the Arizona Democratic Party’s first-ever lieutenant governor ticket, saying they share similar values despite their different political backgrounds.

Giles, who changed his voter registration from Republican to unaffiliated in May, said joining Hobbs’ campaign does not mean abandoning his conservative beliefs.

“Yes, I’m going to, of course, remain true to my principles. But that’s very complementary to working with Gov. Hobbs,” Giles told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Friday. “There was a reason I was a Republican, and I continue to identify with a lot of the principles that the Republican Party says they identify with.”

Hobbs’ former Republican running mate feels more at home in Democratic Party

Giles has expressed similar views before, arguing that while his principles have not changed, the Republican Party has. At the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the former Mesa mayor and Kamala Harris supporter said he felt more at home among Democrats than in the modern GOP, declaring, “John McCain’s Republican Party is gone,” according to NBC News.

“So, Gov. Hobbs and I are different people. We have different perspectives. But I endorsed her four years ago, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh man, I hope she doesn’t disappoint me and embarrass me by doing things that are outside of my political comfort zone.’ She has not,” Giles said.

He drew sharp contrast between Hobbs and her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs.

“This is a governor that deserves to be re-elected. She has pursued an Arizona First agenda as opposed to Mr. Biggs that has been very politically extreme and sees everything through a partisan lens,” Giles said.

Biggs, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, picked his running mate before Hobbs officially named Giles. Former Arizona state Sen. Sine Kerr is running with Biggs on the GOP ticket.

Katie Hobbs says shared values are more important than partisanship

“The important thing — and the reason I asked John to join the ticket — is because we share values and we share an approach to governing, which is about putting Arizonans first and partisan politics last,” Hobbs told KTAR News on Friday.

Giles’ alliance with Hobbs goes back to 2022 when he endorsed her against MAGA loyalist Kari Lake.

He endorsed Hobbs against Biggs last month.

“We both believe that leadership is about bringing people together,” Hobbs said. “Those shared values are what’s really important.”

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