Sine Kerr ties Katie Hobbs’ veto record to pay-for-play probe

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Sine Kerr said Gov. Katie Hobbs’ record-setting use of the veto pen proves she has no interest in bipartisan governance, singling out the governor’s rejection of a contractor transparency bill now at the center of an ongoing pay-for-play investigation.

“It’s absolutely frustrating,” Kerr told KTAR News 92.3’s The Mike Broomhead Show. “Katie Hobbs claims that she’s bipartisan. She’s not.”

Kerr pointed specifically to the Republican bill SB 1186, which would have required state contractors to disclose anything of value they had provided to a gubernatorial campaign during the previous five years.

Hobbs vetoed it twice.

“In the governor’s veto letter, she called it political theater or something to that effect, but it wasn’t,” Kerr said. “She said it only applied to one office. Well, the governor’s office is the only office that can enter in state contracts with state agencies, so of course it would only be the governor’s office. Very lame excuses.”

In her June 19 veto letter, Hobbs called SB 1186 “a political stunt that applies only to one elected official, when what we really need is real transparency and accountability for all elected officials, campaigns and affiliated political committees.”

She urged the Legislature to instead pass her own proposal which she described as the strongest proposed “ethics and transparency plan in modern Arizona history.”

Sine Kerr said an Andy Biggs administration would focus on transparency

Kerr said she and running mate Andy Biggs would sign the bill if elected.

“We’ll make sure that there is clear reporting on the state protocol fund,” Kerr said. “The taxpayers need to know. I don’t want my taxpayer money going for corruption of this type.”

Hobbs has vetoed 541 bills since taking office in 2023, including a reported 178 in 2025, a single-session state record, and 151 in 2026. She vetoed 48% of election-related bills passed in the 2026 session alone, more than any other governor in the country this year.

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