Former ASU quarterback Hugh Lytle to enter gubernatorial race in Arizona Independent Party

PHOENIX — Hugh Lytle, who briefly played football at Arizona State University before becoming a business entrepreneur, announced his candidacy for the 2026 Arizona gubernatorial race on Tuesday.

The founder and CEO of Equality Health, which exists to close the gap in health care disparities, will look to make history as the first independent governor in state history.

He made the announcement outside ASU’s Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

“(I will) take Arizona from ordinary to extraordinary,” Lytle said. “Arizona’s history is rich in independent-minded pioneers and I am calling on them now to join me to solve our state’s problems. Let’s go!”

Lytle’s name does not appear on ASU’s all-time roster. A campaign spokesman said he briefly played quarterback in 1985 before a suffering a broken collarbone.

Lytle is running on what he calls “Great 8 for State 48.” This eight-part campaign proposal includes creating a department of entrepreneurship in the governor’s office, expanding state charity incentives for nonprofits and public school reform through the “accountability of a high-performing charter.”

“Today’s the day. For years, I have watched this country get further divided, where polarized extremes have become the norm. And our great state of Arizona is not immune to it,” Lytle said on X. “Today I do something about it. I am announcing my Independent run for governor of Arizona. Focused on healing the divide, getting things done and bringing civility back to public service.”

Hugh Lytle running for governor under Arizona Independent Party banner

Lytle is entering the Arizona Independent Party primary race, his campaign spokesman said. As of Tuesday, Teri Hourihan was the only person to have filed a statement of interest for that primary.

Arizona Independent is the new name for what was previously called the No Labels Party. It holds primary elections for candidates who collect enough nominating petition signatures.

The name change was controversial because some believe it creates confusion by using the word “independent.” Unaffiliated voters — lowercase independents — make up about a third of the state’s electorate.

Candidates without a party affiliation don’t participate in a primary. They have a significantly higher signature threshold to qualify for the ballot, but they advance directly to the general election.

Arizona’s 2026 primary elections will be held Aug. 4. The general election is set for Nov. 3.

Gov. Katie Hobbs is the presumptive Democratic nominee as she seeks a second term. The Republican primary has three leading candidates: U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert and 2022 candidate Karrin Taylor Robson.

KTAR Senior Web Content Editor Kevin Stone contributed to this report.

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