By Ray Stern | Arizona Republic
Tired of what she described as “political games,” Gov. Katie Hobbs significantly escalated the conflict with Republican lawmakers Tuesday, promising to spend $500,000 to turn the Legislature blue in 2024.
Hobbs and the Legislature have gotten off to an all-around rocky start. Republicans, who hold a razor-thin, one-vote majority in the House and Senate, are dealing with a Democrat in the governor’s seat for the first time in about 15 years while Democrats are getting used to wielding that power.
Hobbs vetoed a GOP-backed state budget Feb. 16 and has criticized or said she would veto other bills, like those that would criminalize some drag-show performances.
Republicans have held up or voted down some of Hobbs’ nominees for state agency leadership posts and some have said they are preparing for a government shutdown this summer, anticipating that lawmakers and the governor won’t find common ground on a budget for the next fiscal year.
