Hobbs won a second term in Arizona, one of the country’s closest swing states.
Katie Hobbs, 56, is a social worker who spent eight years in the Arizona Legislature before being elected secretary of state in 2018. In that job she oversaw the 2020 election in a state where the result was contested for years, and she became a national figure for defending the count. She was elected governor in 2022 by a narrow margin.
Her first term has been a running fight with the Republican-led legislature — she has set state records for vetoes — over water, housing and election rules.
Winning a second term in Arizona, which Donald Trump carried in 2024, is no small feat for a Democrat. Watch the state’s water politics: growth in the Phoenix suburbs depends on finding more of it, and Hobbs has made it her signature fight.
Fast facts
- Age: 56
- Party: Democratic
- Office: Governor of Arizona
- State: Arizona
- Previous job: Governor of Arizona (since 2023); Arizona secretary of state, 2019–2023
- Called by AP: verified in the desk’s 3:30 a.m. ET check, Nov. 4
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
