Katie Hobbs

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Katie Hobbs
Katie Hobbs by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
21st Secretary of State of Arizona
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
GovernorDoug Ducey
Preceded byMichele Reagan
Minority Leader of the Arizona Senate
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byAnna Tovar
Succeeded byDavid Bradley
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 24th district
In office
January 7, 2013 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byDon Shooter
Succeeded byLela Alston
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2013
Preceded byDavid Lujan
Kyrsten Sinema
Succeeded byJohn Allen (redistricted)
Personal details
Born (1969-12-28) December 28, 1969 (age 52)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Pat
Children2
EducationNorthern Arizona University (BSW)
Arizona State University (MSW)
Websitekatiehobbs.org

Kathleen M. Hobbs (born December 28, 1969) is an American politician and social worker who is serving as Secretary of State of Arizona since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an Arizona state senator representing the 24th district from 2013 to 2019 and an Arizona state representative representing the 15th district from 2011 to 2013.

She is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.[1]

Personal life and education[]

Hobbs earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Northern Arizona University and a master's degree in social work from Arizona State University. Hobbs has been a social worker since 1992, working on issues such as domestic violence, behavioral health, and homelessness.[citation needed]

Hobbs is affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers and is an adjunct faculty member at Paradise Valley Community College. Hobbs has a husband, Pat, and two children.[2] She is Catholic.[3][4]

State legislature[]

Hobbs was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 and credited her interest in politics to Emerge Arizona.[5] Hobbs was inspired to run for office by the people she assisted as a social worker, believing they were not being heard by the government. She advocates ending domestic violence.[6]

In 2012, Hobbs was elected to the Arizona Senate, where she served two terms as Senate Minority Leader.[7] In 2015, during Hobbs' first term as Senate Minority Leader, Senate Staffer Talonya Adams complained to Hobbs about her concerns of discrimination and was later fired, in part, by Hobbs.[8] In November 2021, Adams won a discrimination lawsuit related to her firing and was awarded a judgement of $2.75 million dollars.[9]

Arizona Secretary of State[]

Hobbs sworn in as Secretary of State

On March 8, 2017, Hobbs announced she would run for Arizona Secretary of State.[10] In the 2018 elections, she ran against local businessman Steve Gaynor in the contest. On November 6, 2018, the Associated Press prematurely called the race on election night for Gaynor,[11] despite 600,000 ballots left to count statewide.[12] With the race as close as it was, neither Hobbs nor Gaynor initially claimed victory.[13][14] In the days to come, Gaynor's lead narrowed as more and more ballots were counted. On November 16, 2018, Hobbs was officially declared as the winner by a margin of 20,000 votes.[15][16] She is the first Democrat to hold the post since 1995 and is holding the post as a Democrat under Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who was reelected in 2018.[citation needed]

As Secretary of State, Hobbs stands first in the line of succession to Ducey. Arizona has no lieutenant governor; the Secretary of State, if holding office by election, ascends as governor in the event the governor either resigns or is removed from office.[citation needed]

2020 Arizona election audit[]

In 2021, the Arizona Senate Republican majority provided $150,000 for funding an audit aimed at contesting the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. In a six-page letter, Hobbs, a former social worker and Democratic state legislator, claimed that the audit's chain of custody was lacking, describing it as "a significant departure from standard best practices."[17] Hobbs wrote that the audit procedures appeared "better suited for chasing conspiracy theories than as a part of a professional audit."[17] Following her claims regarding the procedures she received death threats, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety assigned personnel to guard her and her staff.[18]

The complaints made by Hobbs were echoed in a letter to the State Senate President Karen Fann from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which has a Republican majority of 4-1. Fann, referring to a Donald Trump claim, contended that the county had deleted an entire database. The Board responded in a letter calling the accusations "false, defamatory, and beneath the dignity of the Senate."[19] It accused the Arizona Senate of "conspiracy theories that fuel the fundraising schemes of those pulling your strings."[19][20][21][22] In regard to the controversy, Fann responded that the audit would continue when the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum site is next available.[23]

After consulting with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), Hobbs said she was told that it was impossible to know if the voting machines the county turned over in response to the Senate subpoena had been compromised, and Dominion Voting Systems should re-certify them for future use.[24] While the Arizona Senate's contractor was in possession of the machines that had been subpoenaed, the county spent over $20,000 to lease other machines in order to conduct two local elections, and the costs of re-certifying the surrendered machines after their return would be in the six-figure range, however the Senate signed an agreement with the county that said the county is not liable for any damages to the equipment while in the Senate's custody, so it's unclear whether the county would be on the hook for the costs.[24]

References[]

  1. ^ Oxford, Andrew. "In spotlight of audit, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs announces run for Arizona governor". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ "Katie Hobbs". Arizona State Senate. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  3. ^ "The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy - Secy. of State Katie Hobbs (D)". congressweb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Katie Hobbs' Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "Running Women Q&A: Katie Hobbs is Itching to Fight Voter Suppression". thestoryexchange.org. March 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Zepeda, Alyson (February 9, 2011). "New lawmaker profile: Rep. Katie Hobbs, D-Phoenix". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "Senate Member - Katie Hobbs". azleg.gov. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "A Black staffer in the Arizona Senate wins $2.75M judgement in discrimination case". kjzz.org. November 11, 2021.
  9. ^ "Fired Senate staffer awarded millions in discrimination suit". apnews.com. November 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Democratic state Sen. Katie Hobbs will seek to unseat Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan". azcentral.com. March 8, 2017.
  11. ^ Forman, Carmen (November 6, 2018). "AP: Steve Gaynor Arizona's next Secretary of State". Arizona Capitol Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  12. ^ Star, Arizona Daily. "Arizona Election Results Roundup". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Katie Hobbs on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "Katie Hobbs, Steve Gaynor in dead heat to become Arizona's next secretary of state". azcentral. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "Arizona Election Results". results.arizona.vote. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  16. ^ "Gov. Doug Ducey congratulates Katie Hobbs on winning Arizona secretary of state's race". azcentral. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Arizona Review of 2020 Vote Is Riddled With Flaws, Says Secretary of State, The New York Times, Michael Wines, May 6, 2021, updated May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Anna-Maja Rappard and Paul LeBlanc (May 7, 2021). "Arizona secretary of state assigned protection following death threats amid election audit". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  19. ^ a b 'Ineptitude' Republican-controlled county board slams Arizona audit firm as 'grifters and con-artists', Alternet, David Badash, May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  20. ^ Arizona Republican calls Trump 'deleted database' statement 'unhinged', The Guardian, Sam Levine, May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Cyber Ninjas, UV lights and far-right funding: inside the strange Arizona 2020 election 'audit', The Guardian, Sam Levine, May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  22. ^ Fact check-False claim from Trump about Maricopa County election database, USA Today, Daniel Funke, May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  23. ^ Arizona Senate president says 2020 recount would continue, despite strident objections from Maricopa County officials, Washington Post, Rosalind S. Helderman, May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Arizona secretary of state may not let Maricopa County reuse voting machines after audit, Arizona Republic, Jen Fifield, May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.

External links[]

Arizona Senate
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Arizona Senate
2015–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Arizona
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""