Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Rejects Debate with GOP Candidate Andy Biggs

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced she will not participate in a traditional debate with Republican congressional candidate Andy Biggs ahead of the November 2026 gubernatorial election. Hobbs’ campaign manager Nicole DeMont said the governor prefers a series of “Arizona First Tour” events to engage directly with voters, citing “face‑to‑face engagement” over staged soundbites.

The last time Hobbs debated an opponent was in October 2018, when she was a state senator. She has previously declined debates with other candidates, including Marco Lopez in the 2022 Democratic primary and Kari Lake in the 2022 general election. Biggs’ campaign adviser Drew Sexton said Biggs will attend a Clean Elections‑organized debate on Oct. 6, though it remains unclear who else will be on the stage.

Both campaigns highlighted the strategic focus on voter outreach rather than traditional debate formats as the race tightens in the Southwest’s key battleground state.