2026 Election: Katie Hobbs projected to win 2nd term as governor

PHOENIX - Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican Congressman Andy Biggs and becoming the first Democrat since Janet Napolitano to win another gubernatorial term in Arizona.

The projected victory delivers the state its first-ever lieutenant governor in running mate and former Mesa Mayor John Giles, cementing Democratic control of the ninth floor after a campaign defined by a massive financial disparity, strong early voter turnout in Maricopa County, and a favorable national midterm environment for Democrats.

By the numbers:

With an estimated 83% of the statewide vote tallied Wednesday morning, Hobbs held 55.7% of the vote (1,192,610 ballots) to Biggs’ 42.6% (913,069 ballots). Green Party candidate Risa Lombardo and No Labels candidate Teri Ann Hourihan followed with 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

The governor established an early advantage at 8 p.m on Tuesday night, when Maricopa County posted an initial batch of 1,017,405 early ballots, representing nearly 40% of the county's eligible voters. Elections workers continued tabulating results through the night for approximately 265,000 in-person voters and mail ballots dropped off at vote centers on Election Day.

The other side:

Shortly after 9 p.m., Biggs addressed supporters in Phoenix, conceding that his campaign was facing an insurmountable deficit.

"Thank you for all you’ve done to support us in this incredible quest to turn this state back red," Biggs said. "We have been tracking the numbers . . . they are pretty far behind. The reality is, we did not get our turnout quite as full as we wanted to."

Big picture view:

Hobbs’ double-digit margin aligned with early Democratic gains across the country on Tuesday night. While Republicans picked up an open governor's seat in Florida, Democrats defended key statehouses — including Illinois, where Gov. JB Pritzker secured re-election — and put pressure on Republican-held territory in battlegrounds like Georgia, Nevada and Texas.

The Arizona outcome also validated Hobbs’ strictly controlled campaign playbook. Just as she did against Republican Kari Lake in 2022, Hobbs refused to debate Biggs on television, weathering months of sharp criticism from Republicans to avoid unforced errors and protect her lead.

Hobbs backed that strategy with an aggressive financial operation, spending more than $17 million — outspending Biggs by $12 million. Hobbs campaigned on her executive actions, highlighting her repeal of Arizona's 1864 territorial abortion ban, the deployment of the National Guard to the southern border, and the creation of a statewide fentanyl task force. Biggs, who has represented the East Valley in Congress since 2017, campaigned on eliminating the state income tax, slashing property taxes and lowering gas prices by cutting reliance on California fuel standards.

What they're saying:

Prominent Arizona Democrats celebrated the results as early returns came in.

"I admire Katie Hobbs. I think she's done a great job," said U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, who won his own reelection handily tonight. "This campaign that she's run for re-election has been on message and disciplined. She has run a professional, spectacular campaign focused in on the issues that the people of Arizona care about. I think she's gonna win big tonight, and she deserves to win big tonight."

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly pointed to Hobbs’ ability to manage divided government against a combative, Republican-controlled state Legislature.

"I think she's a proven leader, and she's worked hard to improve people's lives and, in a challenging environment, the Republicans in the state house and state senate have sent to her desk a lot of bad legislation, and she's had to deal with that," Kelly said. "But I feel like Arizonans really appreciate the work she's done."

The backstory:

Hobbs’ re-election continues a steady political rise that began in 2010 when she was first elected to the state House. She served four terms in the Legislature before winning the Secretary of State’s office in 2018 and the governorship in 2022, when she defeated Lake by less than one percentage point.

Tuesday's outcome also alters the structure of Arizona's executive branch by making Giles the state's first lieutenant governor. Hobbs tapped Giles on Aug. 11, bringing on a familiar East Valley figure who served as Mesa mayor from 2014 until 2024 before current Mayor Mark Freeman took office. A lifelong Republican who registered as an independent before joining the ticket, Giles built a reputation for cross-aisle cooperation, championing Mesa’s 2021 LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinance by declaring, "It’s been clear to me for the last few years that this is the right thing to do."

Giles' election ends Arizona's century-old succession framework, where the secretary of state was first in line to take over the governorship. State Sen. J.D. Mesnard, who authored the 2022 constitutional amendment creating the lieutenant governor role, previously told FOX 10 that Arizona had experienced "every form of trigger of the line of succession" — from Raul Castro's 1977 resignation to become ambassador to Argentina, to Wesley Bolin dying in office in 1978, Evan Mecham's 1988 impeachment and removal, Fife Symington's 1997 fraud resignation and Janet Napolitano leaving mid-term in 2009 to head the Department of Homeland Security. Napolitano’s exit elevated Republican Jan Brewer, who governed until Doug Ducey was elected in 2014 and served two full terms.

What's next:

While Hobbs has kept the portfolio details for the new role under wraps, Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Charlene Fernandez said Giles will be tasked with reaching across traditional political boundaries.

"Judging by his personality, it's gonna be about talking to people, listening to people, going out into those small, rural counties that we have long forgotten and making sure that we're listening to them and bringing needed resources to those areas," Fernandez said.

What we don't know:

The final margin of victory remains unknown as county elections workers continue tabulating in-person results and processing thousands of early ballots dropped off on Election Day that still require signature verification over the coming days. Ever wondered why it takes Arizona so long to count election results? Here's the answer: 

2026 ElectionsArizonaNewsKatie HobbsAndy Biggs