Biggs rounds out GOP ticket with farmer Sine Kerr
PHOENIX — Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has selected John Giles, a Republican-turned-independent and former mayor of Mesa, as her running mate, setting up a bipartisan ticket as voters prepare to elect the state’s first lieutenant governor.
Hobbs’ choice, announced Tuesday, is an overture to the Republicans and conservative independents she must win in a tough reelection campaign in a state that was once a GOP stronghold.
Republicans have expanded their voter registration advantage over Democrats since Hobbs eked out a narrow win over Kari Lake, a fierce ally of President Donald Trump, in 2022. Hobbs is considered the most vulnerable Democratic governor in the country.
Giles served as mayor of Mesa, a Phoenix suburb that is Arizona’s third-largest city. A registered Republican for decades, he changed his party affiliation to independent on May 17 and voted in the Democratic primary last month, according to county voting records.
In an interview with The Associated Press before Hobbs publicly announced his selection, Giles said he still considers himself a conservative and said he stuck around the Republican Party probably longer than he should have in a crusade to save it. “A few months ago, I realized that it was time to give up that crusade,” Giles said.
The Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, last week picked Sine Kerr, a farmer and Republican former state lawmaker, as his running mate. Kerr’s rural roots balance Biggs’ base in parts of metro Phoenix.
Both major-party tickets are now set for a general election in which Arizona voters will elect the state’s first lieutenant governor. The Hobbs-Giles ticket pairs the Democratic governor with a self-described conservative who left the Republican Party in May.