Sine Kerr calls John Giles’ debate absence ‘absolutely disgraceful’

Republican Sine Kerr, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs’ running mate in Arizona’s gubernatorial race, had strong words for her counterpart on the Democratic ticket after he skipped Monday’s lieutenant governor debate.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful. It’s a blatant, just in-your-face disrespect to the voters,” Kerr told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Tuesday when asked about John Giles’ absence from the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission debate stage.

The Hobbs campaign has said the incumbent and her running mate would rather take their message directly to voters than participate in debates. It was a successful strategy when Hobbs defeated Republican Kari Lake in the 2022 general election.

Kerr questions whether the strategy can work this year.

“It’s just astonishing that the Hobbs campaign thinks that they can buy and lie their way back into the governorship,” she said. “And I think the Arizona voters are smarter than that. We’re hearing it all across the state. They’re not buying it.”

Republican Sine Kerr wants to be Arizona’s first lieutenant governor

The Nov. 3 general election will be Arizona’s first with running mates on the ballot after voters approved a measure to create the lieutenant governor role in 2022.

Hobbs picked Giles as her running mate, in part, because of his crossover appeal. He was a Republican when he served as mayor of Mesa but changed his registration to no party affiliation before he was asked to join the Democratic ticket.

The lieutenant governor debate wound up being just Kerr and Angela Harrolle Mohan of the No Labels Party. Kerr, a former state lawmaker, said it was a good opportunity to get her message out.

“I thought the moderators did a good job, a fair job with their questions. We were prepared to put out our plan and our platform and also compare [it] to the failure of Katie Hobbs. And so, I think I laid that out very well for the voters to see the difference,” she said.

Biggs is scheduled to appear with No Labels Party nominee Teri Hourihan and Green Party nominee Risa Lombardo in Tuesday evening’s Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission gubernatorial debate.

“We are trying for the state executive position in this state,” Kerr said. “The voters need to see and hear from the candidates. They need to hear them defend their policies and their positions, and it is such an integral part of the voters deciding who they’re going to vote for.”

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