Governor Katie Hobbs delivering the 2025 State of the State Address on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)
By Reagan Priest | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- Gov. Katie Hobbs will send eight director nominations to the Senate in 2026
- Her nominations have been held up by the Senate Director Nominations Committee since 2023
- Sen. Jake Hoffman and Senate Republicans have forced Hobbs to choose new appointees
Gov. Katie Hobbs will enter her fourth and final legislative session of her first term in office without Senate-confirmed directors at eight state agencies, setting up another round of confirmation battles that have become a fixture in an era of divided state government.
Eight nominees are expected to face the Senate Director Nominations Committee during the 2026 legislative session, seven of whom are the governor’s second choice for their respective positions. The nomination has dragged into 2026 due to strategic maneuvering by Republicans, Hobbs’ decision to pull her nominations in 2023 and an ensuing court battle that ended in 2024 with a promise to restart hearings in 2025.
