Hobbs reelected Arizona governor; Mayes reelected AG

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 (The Center Square) - Gov. Katie Hobbs was reelected Tuesday in Arizona as Democrats maintained control of the executive branch.

This year’s midterms mark the second consecutive time Arizona Democrats have won the gubernatorial, attorney general and secretary of state races.  

Arizona gubernatorial race

Hobbs defeated U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, to remain governor.

As of 9:35 p.m. Mountain time, with 93% of Arizona localities reporting, Hobbs received 58% of the vote while Biggs has gotten 40%.

Hobbs has gotten 967,607 votes compared to Biggs’s 667,248.

Hobbs will enter her second term as governor, where she said she will focus on making Arizona homes more affordable, safeguarding Arizona’s water resources and enhancing the state’s public schools.

Hobbs’ second consecutive gubernatorial victory marks the first time a Democrat has been elected to two terms since Janet Napolitano in 2006.

Biggs, who has served in the U.S. House since 2017, ran on a campaign to eliminate the state’s income tax, increase job growth by eliminating red tape and strengthen the state’s border security.  

According to Axios, Biggs told people at his watch party that his “numbers are “pretty far behind.” He did not concede the race, noting Hobbs’ lead will close as more ballots are counted throughout the night. 

“The reality is we have a tough hill to climb,” he noted. 

Attorney general race

In the Arizona attorney general race, Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes defeated Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, by 16 percentage points: 58% to 42%. Mayes received 951,184 votes, while Petersen received 691,398. 

Mayes previously told The Center Square that her second term would focus on “keeping Arizonans safe, protecting families from drug smugglers and scams [and] holding powerful corporations accountable.”

Mayes’ victory marks the first time a Democrat has won consecutive terms as attorney general since Terry Goddard in 2006.

Petersen ran his campaign focusing on “fighting crime, defending the laws of the Constitution and rooting out fraud, waste and corruption.” He previously told The Center Square he planned to hire more criminal investigators and prosecutors.

Secretary of state race

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, beat state Rep. Alex Kolodin, R-Fountain Hills, by 16 percentage points: 57% to 41%. Fontes has received 946,687 votes, while Kolodin has received 682,997.

In his first term, Fontes created a program that allows Arizonans to check their ballot status and started new funding sources for county election recorders to keep accurate voter rolls. Like other Democratic secretaries of state, he refused to give the Trump administration unredacted statewide voter registration lists after it requested them.

Kolodin ran his campaign on cleaning up the state’s voter rolls and strengthening Arizona’s voter identification laws.

He was the primary sponsor of Proposition 144, which sought to keep noncitizens from voting, require government-issued identification to vote and stop foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns in a way that could affect state elections. The proposition was on Tuesday’s ballot.

Arizona Corporation Commission Race

Democrats are on the verge of regaining control of the ACC, which they last controlled in 1996, when there were only three seats instead of five

Democratic candidates Clara Pratte and Jonathon Hill are the leading two vote-getters for the two open seats on the commission. 

Pratte has the highest percentage of votes with 28.3%, and Hill has the second highest with 27.3%.

Pratte received 867,190 votes, and Hill got 839,014 votes. 

Two Republican candidates, Kevin Thompson and state Rep. Ralph Heap of Mesa, are behind the two Democrats. Thompson has 22.2% of the vote while Heap has 21%.

Thompson got 681,334 votes, while Heap received 640,430 votes.

Pratte said her top priorities are lowering costs for Arizona families, according to her campaign website. Pratte, a small business owner, noted she will make sure data centers “pay their fair share” and safeguard the state’s water resources.

Her campaign website says the commission has allowed Arizona’s electric and water bills to rise because it serves utility companies’ interests.  

Hill, an engineer, said he would focus on lowering utility bills, protecting Arizona’s water, restricting data centers and providing transparency, according to his campaign website.  

Hill previously ran for the commission in 2024.

Thompson, a Republican who was first elected to the commission in 2022, said he plans to work on an “all of the above" energy profile for Arizona, noting the use of renewable energy and natural gas.

He highlighted his time on the commission by preventing Arizona from implementing “Green New Deal and California-style energy policies,”accordingto his website.

Heap said he would push back on “California-style energy schemes” and protect ratepayers and rural water access, his campaign websitesays. He also notes he will stop corporate welfare and stop insider influence at the commission.

Treasurer race

Democrat Nick Mansour defeated Republican Elijah Norton by 12 percentage points: 56% to 44%. 

Mansour has gotten 913,655 compared to Norton’s 717,418.

Mansour said he wants to increase state funding for education without raising taxes, remove waste, fraud and abuse, attract new companies to Arizona and work across the political spectrum to help fund local governments, his campaign website noted.  

Mine inspector race

Brian Matlock, a Democrat, is ahead of Republican incumbent Walter Presmyk in the Arizona mine inspector race. Matlock was leading by 10 percentage points: 55% to 45%. 

Matlock had 882,693 votes, while Presmyk has 729,307 votes. 

Presmyk has been the current mine inspector after Hobbs appointed him to the position in 2025.

Matlock will focus on worker safety, abandoned mine hazards, bettering the state’s relationships with Arizona’s rural and tribunal communities and modernizing the inspector’s office, his campaign website noted.

Matlock is a mechanical engineer and a Pinal County Democratic committee member.