By Stacey Barchenger || The Arizona Republic
A tug-of-war for power between Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republicans who lead the Legislature — a political split not seen in the state for over a dozen years — pulled toward the right Thursday.
GOP lawmakers in the state Senate voted unanimously to create a new committee dedicated to vetting the governor’s cabinet appointees, flexing their political muscle over the universal objection of Democrats. The Republicans’ new approach creates another hurdle for Hobbs in getting her chosen people into place leading state agencies.
Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, named fellow Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, to lead the bipartisan committee. Hoffman promptly accused Hobbs of “playing games and preventing the Senate from doing its job on behalf of the people of Arizona” by slow-walking her nominations to lead state agencies.
Hoffman, who leads the conservative flank of lawmakers organized as the Arizona Freedom Caucus, already has shown a readiness to challenge the Hobbs administration. On the first day of the legislative session, Hoffman and the Freedom Caucus threatened to sue the governor over an anti-discrimination executive order that he described as an overreach of her authority. They have not yet filed a lawsuit.
Later that day, a handful of GOP lawmakers left the room as Hobbs pledged in her State of the State to protect abortion rights and repeal the state’s private school voucher program, a direct attack on major Republican priorities.
Then came Hobbs’ budget — a “left-wing wish list” according to House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Glendale. Republicans offered a counter strike in a budget of their own that keeps spending flat, and threatened legal action over Hobbs’ potential political use of money raised for her inauguration.
