Now is the time for choosing Arizona.
What do we want our state to look like five years from now? Ten years from now?
Here in Arizona they say "whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting." This resonates even more so now that the feds have adopted a plan to significantly cut Arizona's supply of Colorado River water. We have all seen the recent headlines: "Arizona sees largest Colorado River cuts under new federal water deal" and "Arizona's taps won't run dry, but water bills will go up under federal plan for Colorado River."
Of the seven states that depend upon the Colorado River for their water supply, we got hit the hardest here in Arizona as a percentage of the cuts. So where exactly was Governor Katie Hobbs in all of this? Sure, she took
credit for canceling a Saudi water contract in a campaign ad, but where was she when it really mattered?
We have yet to see her speak directly to Arizonans about what her plan is for securing Arizona’s water future without water utility bills rising exorbitantly. Or her plan for Arizona job growth. Or how she's going to work with our federal partners to help secure our border.
My devoted fans on the left tell me not to worry, for we can all read Katie Hobbs' veto letters to know where she stands on the issues. A single column couldn’t capture the vastness of her 541 vetoes, but let us at least consider a few.
HB 2675 (2023) would have designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations and directed the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to address the threat. Naturally, Governor Hobbs' response was a veto. Proposition 317 fixes this with an affirmative vote by Arizona voters. Her veto letter said, "Labeling drug cartels as terrorist organizations to deploy state resources is not a real solution and is not a state function."
Really, Governor Hobbs? Protecting Arizonans from the poison that infiltrates our streets along with the associated crime is not a real solution? The state should indeed play a limited role in our lives. Protecting its citizens from threats whether foreign or domestic ― that is the primary function of government.
SB 1003 (2025) would have required men and boys to stay out of girls' locker rooms and bathrooms. Governor Hobbs responded with a veto. Proposition 318 fixes this mistake and takes it one step further by also making sure only girls can play on female sports teams. Making sure only females are in intimate female spaces and no boy competes in girls' sports is an 80/20 issue, yet here we are nonetheless.
What's not on the ballot but should be is the language from HB 2249, which was also vetoed by Governor Hobbs this year. This bill would have informed parents if school staff were using different names and pronouns for the children under their care against their parents' wishes. In the veto letter, Governor Hobbs said that she wouldn't support a bill that "threatens schools and educators with exorbitant financial penalties and pushes parents to litigate rather than collaborate around their child’s education." Well, yes, Governor, that's the whole point. Schools aren't collaborating with parents and are acting in defiance of them.
Instead, we have a governor in Arizona who is taking a page out of the Joe Biden playbook of hiding out in the basement. The only real difference here is Governor Hobbs is hiding out on the ninth floor of the Executive Tower. She and her overpaid consultants are hoping Arizonans aren't paying attention to her actions (or lack thereof). They are hoping we will be persuaded by the millions of dollars in attack ads that we're all sick of.
Is Katie Hobbs Arizona's Joe Biden? We will never know until she can speak directly to Arizona voters about what she believes and why.
Paul Boyer represented Glendale and North Phoenix in the Arizona Legislature from 2013–2023 and was a 2021 Arizonan of the Year. He teaches Greek and Latin.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Katie Hobbs can't hide from her record forever | Opinion
