Photo via Office of the Governor
By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
When the Legislature convenes on Jan. 13, Gov. Katie Hobbs won’t just be thinking about her 2025 legislative priorities. She will also have her eye trained on her 2026 reelection campaign.
Hobbs is already laying the groundwork for what will likely be a difficult race, with her campaign announcing on Jan. 7 that it raised nearly $6 million since she was first elected in 2022. But Hobbs will have more work to do in the Legislature to help put those funds to good use.
For an incumbent governor seeking reelection, the legislative sessions leading up to that race are crucial battlegrounds for wins that can be taken to voters as a case for a second term. While many of Arizona’s past governors were able to work alongside a Legislature held by their same party, Democrat Hobbs will be working with even deeper red majorities for the next two years.
