By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Gubernatorial candidates are tossing around labels like “career politician” and “political outsider”
- All four candidates have long careers in or around politics, despite labels
- Incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs was a social worker before 2011
As 2026 grows ever closer, Arizona’s gubernatorial candidates are going on the offensive, attempting to pigeonhole their opponents — and themselves — with labels about their political experience.
Phrases like “career politician,” “Washington politician” and “political outsider” have been hurled by the campaigns of the four candidates vying for the Ninth Floor: Gov. Katie Hobbs, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert and businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson. But each candidate’s professional career is a little bit more complex than the labels their opponents are trying to attach to them.
